Chemical vs cryogenics

Discussion in 'Hazmat Trucking Forum' started by jameswood, Jan 19, 2023.

  1. jameswood

    jameswood Bobtail Member

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    Pros and cons of each? Three big chemical tanker in my area (brenntag, etc) is hiring. There’s also cryogenics in my area like praxair, linde, air products, air gas, etc. Not sure where to go. Pay for chemical company and cryogenic company is the same. Which one has day shift and which one is easier work? Thank you.
     
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  3. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    How would we know which of the unnamed companies in your unnamed area have day shift available for new-hires? It's very likely work is assigned by seniority and most drivers prefer to work on day shift so new-hires get night shift until they have enough seniority. Some locations don't have night work.

    There's a high likelihood that you will have driver-facing and forward-facing cameras and a no phone policy. You might even have a company spy that follows you to verify you are driving properly and following procedures at customers. Tanker customers almost always treat you better than any other customers. I would imagine cryo has less physical labor than chemical tanker, but labor with tankers is usually just dragging a hose, so that's not very hard.
     
  4. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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  5. lual

    lual Road Train Member

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    @jameswood --

    It's not easy to give your query a really good answer, without knowing more about where you're located--and the specifics of the jobs openings you have in mind.

    In one of your earlier posts, you mentioned that you are in the midwest, & dayshift is highly desired.

    But the "midwest" is A LOT of square miles. o_O

    As I write this--Brenntag has a posting for a CDL Class A Truck Driver, in St Louis.

    The ad specifically states that it's a day-shift position, & you will be home every night.

    However, ALL the Class A driver job openings I see with Brenntag want you to be comfortable with using a forklift.

    If you're not already comfy/smooth with a forklift--you might consider getting "forklift-certified"....before applying for one of their driver positions.

    From what I have seen elsewhere--that's not a tall order.

    Using a forklift is actually kind of fun, anyway--as long as it's not a constant thing (Don't believe me? Watch the first "Smokey & the Bandit" movie....when they pick up their load of Coors beer. :p :D :)).

    Those cryo carriers you mentioned, basically go through drivers almost like salted peanuts.

    You will very likely start off at one of those....just like what you've been doing in LTL--night shift--& working weekends....and also....holidays.

    The safety teams at the cryo firms have generated horror stories about how incredibly anal they are with protocols--and will (sometimes) fire you at the drop of a hat, for the slightest infraction. The pay is not commensurate with the aggravation and the hours. Cryo is also VER-RY LOUD work. Earplugs and dummy headphones are required apparel, if you want to keep your hearing over time. Hearing tests for drivers are scheduled at least annually.

    Thus--those cryo supplier/producer companies you've mentioned are always looking for drivers--and for good reasons. A good bit of it is (apparently) self-inflicted. I constantly see job ads for the 3rd-party, outside contractor cryo carriers, who do what they can to fill in the gaps, since the major players obviously can't keep up.

    Hope the above helps you with your decision.

    --Lual
     
  6. cuzzin it

    cuzzin it Road Train Member

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    Brenntag would be m-f 40 hr week. Maybe some overtime. And union. You will handle bags,drums and totes.
    Cryo you will load/unload into tanks. Hospitals can be difficult to get to tanks
    Chem tank is a little more involved with air offs, pumping and tank washes.
    ISOs can be gas or liquids. And crazy since shippers consignees are almost always overseas. And miscommunication will waste time
     
  7. jameswood

    jameswood Bobtail Member

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    Thanks guys. Sounds like both of these are hard work, lol. So, from what I gather so far, chemical is harder work than cryo, but cryo is loud(have to wear earplugs), and is more difficult driving(deliveries). Sounds like neither one is gonna work out. lol.
     
  8. lual

    lual Road Train Member

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    @jameswood --

    Well, that all depends on just what is your personal definition of "hard work".

    Generally speaking...I have found that "hard work" and trucking are basically like opposite sides of a quarter. :confused:

    They kinda go together. o_O

    If you require home daily, yet easier work than any of that mentioned/discussed above....you might look for jobs that are "shuttle driver" for local area food service/delivery companies.

    Some of those will require some seniority....and some will not. It just depends.

    Those are basically just "drop and hook" jobs, from one yard to another.

    Day or night shifts available....it just depends.

    Since you already have some experience pulling doubles, you should be a relatively good fit there.

    CAUTION: As a "shuttle" driver--you may (at times) be required to set up/break down a set of doubles.

    Only you can decide if that task is outside your definition of "hard work"....or not.

    --Lual
     
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  9. TNSquire

    TNSquire Medium Load Member

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    @jameswood
    Neither chemical or cryo are hard work.
    No more difficult than pulling a hose and connecting them to a port for delivery.
    Most chemical places do the offload for you while you sit in the truck doing paperwork.
    Cryo deliveries, you load and offload.
    Takes about 10 minutes to do the cool down process before you can start pumping off.
    Hard part is managing pressures in the receiving tanks as you're pushing product into them.
    It's pretty cool to be able to freeze a bottle of water from room temp to rock solid in less than a minute under a nitrogen leak...
    Loading racks are somewhat automated... I loaded on a scale, controlled by the computer, took beginning and after readings on the test equipment, and the hardest part was the pile of paperwork for each load. Medical loads were the worst... Extra papers for purity levels, etc...
    Again, neither is difficult.
    Neither will wear you out.
    Smooth bore tanks take some getting used to pulling, especially at intersections... Keep your foot on the brake or it'll push you into the intersection. Ramps gotta be taken smooth and easy, yard driving you gotta avoid sharp moves...
    Yard dog told me once he saw more drivers tip over in the yard because of braking while bent... Load shifted and over they went...
    Personally, I love tankers... Doubt I'll ever do anything else.
    Easy money, I have to think about what I'm doing, and it's never a dull moment...
    Keeps you sharp, enhances your focus and awareness, and, in my opinion, makes me a better driver as a whole.
    After pulling tankers, everything else is easy.
     
  10. cuzzin it

    cuzzin it Road Train Member

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    No not really hard work at all. But if you are not one to pay attention. You wont last long in the business
     
  11. RockinChair

    RockinChair Road Train Member

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    With chemicals you might have to wear a full hazmat suit, depending on what you're loading and where you're at.
     
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