Fuel hauler paying by the hour

The magical number used to be 160 miles. Anything over 160 miles was given to a common carrier because it was cheaper than us major boys. That what the company figured after they looked at pay, use of the truck. They called that dollars per hour and cents per mile. But you're asking for long haul with gasoline? They just don't do it. There's so many pipelines that they have mapped just about all the cities and towns. They do not want to back haul the pipe so the trucks can get out there. But you won't see very many where the driver has to stay over night. Very few run with sleepers and it's just a huge hassle to park around a motel. O/O are mostly non-existent because of the up front money they must produce to even load. The last time I heard it was 2 million for a bond to load. You'd really have to know the guys and companies to be an O/O where I was at. We had one.

But you can find some small companies that do long hauling. We had a few that would load in Las Vegas then drive into Utah unload then park at their yard for the night then do it again the next day. But those guys drive very fancy trucks and never leave unless they are going to retire. It all depends on the area to what you will see. Some states have cities so spread out the drivers do need to stop for the night. But you'll never see a gasoline truck go the distance then get dispatched somewhere else. Any where I've seen.

 

We will go out and take a load to one of our truck stops or a mine..then go to Salt Lake City pick up and go back home. Northern Nevada doesn't have a lot of pipelines as there aren't that many people to service...so we will be gone a day or two a week..there is a company in SLC that does have oner operators.. And I from what I hear they are doing OK.

 

I've seen a Loves (Gemini) sleeper truck every now and then at buckeye.

Also I've seen a few energy dispatch sleeper trucks and a few mckenzie sleeper trucks loading fuel, but it's a rare occasion.

 

We've waited for years for the pipeline out of Portland to come on down to SLC. ARCO has been talking for along time to open their market up there. But it's all talk. It's extremely expensive to dig a new pipeline because of the property you've got to cross. That's why you'll see the pipeline run along the Rail Road because of an agreement made many years ago. It may even go back to Rockefeller and Standard Oil. The pipeline to Las Vegas ends in Las Vegas. And the pipeline that feeds Reno stops there too.

I know a few trucks like Jenkins Oil and Ken Bettridge that run a class act with steady runs up into Utah. However, I know they don't run all the way into SLC. I believe the longest run is a drop about 50 miles south of SLC. Ken was always trying to get us ARCO drivers to run his trucks and in the long run we should have taken him up on his offer. The pay was great along with good benefits. At least comparable with what we were getting. The only drawback is running those super tankers up in Utah in bad weather, they didn't stop unless they had to. But they were all laid back when they came in the terminal in Vegas, they would load and we'd see them the next day. They all helped each other so no one would be stranded going north or south. Now the ARCO drivers that stayed there in town are driving for Williams with just a slight drop in benefits and pay.

I'm sure ARCO would have a great market there in SLC and they would have dominated the stations with their co-company of AM/PM. If it was done right they could have had their own terminal there and distribute their own product but now days the book smarts are convincing the market group that buying truck time with a common carrier is the cheapest way to go. I've known for years that the distribution side of the downstream operations were operating at a loss. What those book smarts failed to realize the true benefits of the company having their own trucks. It's great advertising and the drivers have less spills and mixes. Plus the public like to see a clean company truck dropping gasoline instead of a common carrier where they think it's any ones product. Look at Unocal trucks in there day.

 

Until union pacific bought southern pacific..most pipelines on the rail right of way was SFPPL Santa fe pacific pipeline..then lender moirgan bought most of the pipelines along the rail..who's lender Morgan..rumers they were two guys at inron...most of the pipeline ends at sparks nv ..but they have a 8 inch that feeds Fallon NAS...I'm surprised that ARCO didn't set up with the terminal in woods cross..as gas is gas until you add the additives that make it ARCO and not who ever else..that's how they did in sparks..as for the majors having trucks..I remember I tried to get a job at shell driving..they wouldn't hire me because I had a commercial drivers license. I had just gotten it less than a month before..then they wanted to train you their way..and not have you come in with others bad habits....so they were sure that you drove the shell way..and like you said it was great advertising...but these ambulance chasers fixed that...like shell on paper don't own refineries..trucking...so they won't loose it all if sued..

 

So last night talking with the guys got to hear a story about a driver who pulled into a new station, still under construction. He stages the truck, and as he begins to unload the ground gives way, where the trailer is, it roles over into the hole snapping the drawbar but leaving the truck upright. Needless to say he calls the office and says "you ain't gonna believe this." Lol crazy stories talking with these old timers.

 

I've always said if we could all sit down and write a book on what we have seen it would be a best seller. There's things that go on at the stations that if the public knew they'd be shocked. That's one reason I liked the job so much. Never a dull moment.

 

Forshure we can past the time real quick when we all get together

 

i work for Gemini out of Fort Worth, Texas. We have one truck there with a sleeper and its attached to an insulated tank trailer. It's dedicated for Biodiesel loads. There's one driver assigned to it and all he does is run bio to West Texas mainly. He's usually gone most of the week but home every weekend. The rest of us are local and home daily.