IRT

I did not know that Indian River pulled hazmat loads. I thought they were just a "food grade" outfit. Anyway, If you have never pulled a tanker and especially a "smooth bore" tank, you are going to experience a different world. Take your time in stopping, going into curves and turning, the surge will get your attention. Starting off from a standstill, until you learn how to shift, the surge will wake you up real fast. Get going after being stopped on a hill the surge will take you backwards if you are not careful, on a manual trans. learn exactly where the clutch engages and don't roll back on somebody. You will learn. Good luck!

 

And to add to what grouch said keep your foot firmly on the brake when stopped. You can roll fowards or backwards real quick if not.

 

Hazmat food grade can be like alcoholic beverages, in bulk they have to have placards, 3065 class 3 flammable liquids.

 

They haul food grade hazmat such as alcohol. I have also done one that was basically oil derived from orange peel to be used to make cleaning agents. It had to be placarded because of low Flashpoint flammability. It looked and smelled like citrus scented dish soap to me, but what do I know.

IRT recently had a pay raise 53 cents for all miles, no mention of whether that included hazmat loads or not. Kinda doesn't make a difference as hazmat loads are rare.

Orientation is only one day. You are expected to watch a bunch of videos online before you get there. The bulk of the day when do get to Orientation is signing paperwork and getting assigned a truck and fuel card etc. One important thing they didn't go over was fueling. At the pumps you will be asked for a "control number" or "authorization code " depending on where you fill up. That number is the last 4 of your social. I had to call in to dispatch to figure that one out.

Because its a no touch operation there is no training on the tankers themselves. Not a big deal until you go to a customer who is having trouble that asks you for help and all you can do is shrug your shoulders like a dope. Since that incident I have since educated myself watching YouTube videos. Not to the point where I am going to confidently go through the loading and unloading process by myself, but enough to know if something is not right as some customers expect the driver to climb up to vent the top hatch and if that is not done properly severe tank damage can occur. Those important basics should at least be covered in a video if not in-person on a tank.

 

I’d bet free.....

 

They consider wine to be hazmat. I imagine working out of a California terminal, there might be a decent amount of wine loads.

 

Can you tell us how the trucks are spec'd out when you get your truck? Fridge, inverter, TV mount, storage, etc. We'd appreciate it.

 

You watch them on your own unpaid time. The videos need to be completed before you arrive for orientation.

Personally I am fine watching for free in the comfort of my own home rather than in an orientation struggling to stay awake and pay attention. I actually just left the videos playing on my laptop while I watched TV or played video games. The little quiz at the end of some of them is mostly common sense and you can keep retaking it until you pass.