Colorado fuel shortage

Don't worry. They will decide they need to do an "Emergency" relax of HOS for fuel truck drivers so they can work 24/7 til the shortage abates.
Or, they will get some of those self driving rigs to deliver gas to city gas stations.

 

In my opinion its all by design. They do not want fossil fuel vehicles anymore. If they get people inconvenienced enough they will buy the electric car. How do you do it. Ween them off of it cold turkey.

 

Friends, I'm a gas hauler in Chattanooga.
The issue is really lack of qualified drivers.
We're short 12 drivers right now, have more work than we can handle, office says they turn work away daily because we cannot meet the capacity need.
Pay has increased almost 50 percent over the past 4 months, and looks to go even higher coming into fall season.
Companies have started hiring folks straight out of school... unheard of in the tanker business...
Hauling gas isn't terribly difficult.
Load accurately, document your load properly, transport safely deliver the right product into the right tank, deliver paperwork, repeat.
Pay is excellent...
Gross guarantee 1500... easy to hit 1825, and sleep in my own bed every night.
I know many of you are long haul not pulling that kind of money.

 

Is tanker easy to get into? Easy as in, not requiring all sorts of experience right off the bat?

And is it usually local?

 

Gas hauling is local, tanker can be anything.
With the hiring crush, most areas you'll find a couple companies willing to hire school graduatesfrom schools 160 hours or more.
Fuel tankers are compartmentalized, meaning you have 4 or 5 compartments, the larger ones being baffled, which minimizes slosh.
As opposed to a smooth bore tanker for food grade, which has no baffles, and the liquid wave will beat the fillings out of your skull.
If your record is clean, get your tank and hazmat endorsements.
Throw your hat in the ring, and go for it.
Hazmat and tank (x endorsement) makes you money regardless of whether you pull tanks or not... most companies that deal with any hazmat will pay you more than someone that doesn't have it, and that number isn't generally small either.

 

Perhaps the bar should be higher, but reality is the demand for drivers is insane.
Our Terminal turns work away because we don't have the drivers to fill the needs of the customer.
So, we recruit drivers however we're able.
Call it what you like, demand drives it.
When demand is so strong and supply is weak, pay goes up until balance is achieved, regardless of talent level of the drivers.
It's the same driving force behind mega carriers putting butts in seats however they can.
Freight gotta move.
Company don't care if the guy with 40 years experience drives it, or the guy that's been in a truck for a week does.
The result is the product gets delivered.
Company gets paid, driver gets paid.
I agree it's a dangerous occupation.
I come from owning a sawmill and logging company.
I know 6 million ways to die, and yet, here I am.
Running as safely as possible.

 

Doesn’t do much good for fire fighting aircraft!
'Scary': Fuel shortage could ground firefighting aircraft