when does propane/butane start picking up ?

Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by cuzzin it, Jul 5, 2020.

  1. cuzzin it

    cuzzin it Road Train Member

    2,626
    3,942
    Jan 19, 2008
    Berea, KY
    0
    hi
    when does propane and butane season start moving (usually) thx
    sorry double posted
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. baha

    baha Road Train Member

    4,137
    2,832
    Jul 25, 2013
    ga
    0
    1st time it gets cold in about 2 or 3mo
     
    Crude Truckin' and cuzzin it Thank this.
  4. Lazer

    Lazer Road Train Member

    1,355
    2,110
    Jan 22, 2017
    0
    Late summer early fall, demand for corn dryers and people starting to reach for the thermostats wanting heat instead of air conditioning.
     
    cuzzin it Thanks this.
  5. 91B20H8

    91B20H8 Road Train Member

    2,946
    3,315
    Oct 17, 2012
    The Heart of the North, Mi
    0
    Mid to late September
     
    beancounter Thanks this.
  6. Roadgeek395

    Roadgeek395 Light Load Member

    205
    344
    Jan 24, 2017
    0
    October/November. Depending on location and temperature
     
  7. RockinChair

    RockinChair Road Train Member

    4,131
    9,205
    Feb 19, 2012
    CC, TX
    0
    Propane picks up when it gets cold. Butane starts picking up when the refineries go into blending season, which is when they start producing winter-spec fuels.
     
    77fib77 and cuzzin it Thank this.
  8. bentstrider83

    bentstrider83 Road Train Member

    1,670
    1,573
    Dec 26, 2011
    Portales, NM
    0
    Propane/Pressurized gas delivery. How does it stack up against, say gasoline? Even in the midst of all the craziness going on, I'm thinking about making a jump again. Get back into day-cabs or something with little contact with others. Current milk haul is alright, but definitely feel I could do better after eight years of tanker.
     
    77fib77 and cuzzin it Thank this.
  9. speedyk

    speedyk Road Train Member

    1,837
    2,465
    Apr 8, 2015
    0
    I was working steady and hard this spring when all the fuel guys were sitting home, but that was an unusual situation. Some fuel guys who knew how to do propane were working with spare trailers when it got busy.

    I'd had fuel companies calling me about hiring, that stopped dead with COVID. Now they're back working but not hiring especially. Some of our guys were long-time fuel haulers and they've said they'd never go back.

    Propane transport is seasonal in most locations, or they run ammonia in those same trailers for ag during warm months if in an ag area, or they have flatbeds or reefers for the summer.

    The warmer the locale the shorter the season, unless there are altitude diffs to lengthen it in certain spots not too far away, like supplying the White Mountains from Phoenix, or an industry uses it year-round.

    If you want a change of scene, you'll likely find more work further north. Reed Hurst runs out of Cortez toward AZ somewhere doing CO2, for example, dunno if they need anyone. I never see propane work in the ABQ craigslist, but in Farmington there's a company that might hire and train on propane, and another that sometimes hires for helium if you want to be a regular on Wolf Creek Pass.

    You could get into bobtail delivery first to learn how it works, that could be local. Propane has a kind of voodoo about how it handles: It's so good at going from vapor to liquid and back that it can be used in automotive A/C units instead of Freon, works better but does have that highly-flammable drawback. So you need to learn the relationship between pressure and temperature (and weight if you cross scales).

    All pressurised gas work is subject to market conditions, so sometimes companies will buy loads far away and not care about what it costs to transport.

    Personally I think you're a dairy lifer by now. :^)
     
    bentstrider83 and 91B20H8 Thank this.
  10. bentstrider83

    bentstrider83 Road Train Member

    1,670
    1,573
    Dec 26, 2011
    Portales, NM
    0
    Sounds kind of jumpy. So I'll look at truck stop fuel and whatever other HAZMAT Tank positions there are out there that could keep me busy. I was doing local work for a bit, but having to pick up a few, regional over-nighters during the week has me leery. I only stay out 2-3 nights at a time since that's about all I could mentally handle in such a small space.

    That said, dairy haul work is alright as long as you're not on the loading side and getting 6-7 barns dumped on you a night. New Mexico has been great, but I've actually been looking at getting out towards Nevada and doing hauls back and forth along the lonely roads out there. Once I cross over into Texas out here, almost all roads are like extroverted night-clubs.
     
  11. speedyk

    speedyk Road Train Member

    1,837
    2,465
    Apr 8, 2015
    0
    I've seen LTL linehaul running US 50 across Nevada, about as empty as you can get. And yeah, I'd like that as well.

    Texas sucks, would be better without the people that live there. But then they'd live somewhere else.
     
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
    Reason for edit: Added link
    bentstrider83 Thanks this.
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.