To switch or not to switch...

That is the question. Just this past week I was given the offer to switch from our tanker division to our dump trailer division as the owners father is going to have knee surgery and "retire" from full-time driving.

My current deal is hauling water second shift from well to bottling plant three times per night. The new position is more of a hybrid Local/OTR position running the Northeast and New England. It pays a bit better then the water, but most nights start at midnight. This is the sticking point. I don't know if I want to be going to bed at 3 or 4 in the afternoon and getting up at 10 or 11 at night to start my day as I never did well previously with 3rd shift type work. Of course, as the truck has a sleeper, I could always just stay out for the week and keep to a more traditional schedule by getting to my destination the night before and taking my break in the truck.

Thing is, the water can get monotonous running the same route 3 times per night 5 days per week, 52 weeks per year, and I'd love the variety of the different destinations on the dump trailer. Of course, since this deal is driven by the owners father, the truck is a nice one. A fairly tricked out 2010 Pete 388 with an 18 speed. It's a looker and a runner, and is very well taken care of. I think it's an honor that they think so highly of me to even consider me for the position as I'm fairly new to the company, having only started in January of this year.

I really don't know what to do, and while I know that only I can make this decision, I'm wondering what the rest of you tanker yankers/bucket drivers think on the subject. I'm attaching a pic of the truck for reference just because I do think it's a sweet ride.

 

Just about anything. Coal, stone, infield mix, fertilizer, etc.

 

Supposedly the bucket gig does.

Probably, but it'll most likely be slower in the winter.

I haven't made a final decision yet, but my sticking point is still the midnight start times on many/most of the days. I've always had problems sleeping when it's light out, even when I could make the tractor black as night on the inside. Starting at midnight would require me to go to bed around 4pm so I could get up around 10pm.

 

Well, for now I'm going to stay on my normal tank run. I did a "ride along" yesterday to see if I'd like it and, well, lets just say that I don't like to run the way you need to to get the day's job done. 670 total miles with two deliveries and two pick-ups makes for quite a day. You need to be back in the area by 3pm or the places you pre-load at for the following day will be closed, so you have to run balls to the wall and be a bit creative to get it done.

Been there, done that, and I prefer not to run that way anymore.