Advice for any driver with 2+ years experience, try hauling fuel. Home everynight, pay is better, no waiting to load or bumping that dock. No knock against otr or reg but when you figure out the time away from home and that fact that you cant run like you want to anymore might as well be at home.

I definitly have to agree with what Lve2drv has to say... after almost 5 years on the road I decided it was time to try something else and fuel hauling was what looked good to me. For me it was not as much money as otr but its pretty damn close, it was a small price to pay to go home everynight as opposed to being an unpaid security gaurd for someones truck and trailer, now I can enjoy those things that I bought while otr and not have to wave goodbye to them when I left for 4-5 weeks, but most importantly I now get the chance to go to those soccer games and what ever else my 2 little ones decide to do. But I will tell you that hauling fuel isnt for just anybody, you got to have patience, just because you are the biggest thing in the gas station and without you that station may have to shut down if you are not on time, theres always some Joe Schmo putting $10 worth of gas in his Hummer H2 and no matter what he will get in your way

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What do you mean this aint a drop&hook????

I loved tanker work too, when I did it!

I've only been hauling fuel for 1 month but in my 9+ years of driving this is the best job i ever had. Any newbie reading this remember your record has to be better than average so keep your nose clean and check on that dac report if you have had more than one job. Dispute everything thats on there. Dont let anyone tell you that its more dangerous that pulling a van or flatbed. A driver died thrusday night out by six flags on i-20 here in atl. He was pulling a regular box but his truck exploded when he kiss a bridge support beam. Anything can happen out here on this road no matter what your hauling.

No waiting to load?!?! Which loading racks did you get sent to?!?! As an ex-fuel hauler, I liked your post, and agree with the rest. It just struck me as odd to read no waiting to load, when I can remember sitting at the loading racks sometimes up to 4 hours during peak daytime hours!! Now, at night time, the racks aren't as busy and you can get in and out, less fuel drivers running at night.

But very rarely do you have to wait to unload, unless you're droppin diesel at a truck stop somewhere where they got 10 trucks droppin that day, then maybe you could be sittin waitin, but very rarely do you wait to unload.

Tips for the new rookie fuel driver:

1) Be very cautious with Coastal Transport, never worked for them, just never heard anything good about them.

2) Be very cautious with getting paid by the load. The better paying loads go to favorite drivers. You being new, get the worst loads.

3) It is best to find a job that pays by the hour, but still be very cautious and ask if they pay time and a half for overtime after 40. Alot of companies will NOT pay time and a half after 40, only straight time.

What is straight time? I have not heard the term mentioned till now and would like an examples please. Also, can experienced drives give good companies and bad one to work for.

Hunter

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Paccar Products: Built Tough and Reliable

Straight time is just that, straight pay for your hourly work regardless of how much you work.

Federal wage laws say that if you make 5.00 per hour and you work over 40 hours per week you are entitled to time and a half (7.50) for every hour worked over 40 hours.

Some companies, especially in this industry to not pay that overtime pay and only pay you your regular straight time wage, which in the above example is 5.00 per hour.

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TexasMike
No place like Texas ...

i work overnite. Thats why there's not any wait time. All yall newbie's be aware of the local job's. Alot of them only pay straight pay and that is some b.s! My last job was a straight pay local job for roehl in atlanta but i used it to find another job so it was worth it for those 6 weeks i ran local for them.

We get paid by the load. Its also self dispatch, no dispatcher. The driver is responcable for 6 stores and they cant run out of gas on your shift. Unless it was a busy night. If you dont make money its because your to slow or b.sin around.

Here is another example. I am paid by the the hour. My hourly wage is $24.14 per hour. I work anywhere from 10 to 14 hours per day. If I were to be paid straight time only, you take your hourly wage and multiply by the amount of hours you worked. $24.14 X 12 = $289.68.

What you want to look for is a company that pays by the hour but also provides overtime after eight ( hours. Overtime is one and a half times your hourly rate of pay. For those same hours worked, 8 hours straight time = $193.12. Overtime would = $144.84 for a total of $337.96 for the work day.

I would love to hear from any OTR driver that makes that kind of pay. I won't even mention being home every night because, by definition, they are not.

As for a good company, there are a lot of good companies out there. Please look under the "Motor Carrier Questions" forum to find a good company. 95% of those listed at the top of the page are wrong for just about everyone. The other 5% are good. Do your reasearch and find the right one.

Drive safe