The pros & cons of fuel hauling?

That would really suck

 

Upside - home every day , sleep in my own bed , don't pay for showers , 4 day work week .
Down side - what has been written above.

 

Got into the fuel hauling industry back in 2018 after doing reefer chilled produce for many years, was different, obviously the main thing is your hauling what is considered here as DG ( dangerous goods) Hazmat as a result you have much more responsibility however do generally get paid extra because of type of goods your hauling. I hauled diesel fuel out to the mines so it was just one product much easier to code when you do your preload fill order everything is set all you do is key in the amount of liquid going into each compartment, which is fun as the fuel densities were always changing. One day the diesel would be .835 next day it was down to .826 up and down all over the place. So if was important when loading to adjust the quantity being loaded to maintain the legal load limits. Loading all sorts of different fuel products will be fun if you are required to self load, then you also need to be careful when unloading as you don't want to put diesel into petrol or petrol into the diesel fill up points. These days with the different octane levels you could have 3 different grades of fuel plus your diesel. Then of course there are your shifts, because we were delivering to coal mines which was basically a 24/7 operation we worked a 4/4/4 shift 4 day shifts, 4 night shifts and then 4 days off. If your hauling fuel to "gas stations" its mainly a night time job due to it being much quieter to unload your stock and not block any of the traffic, so you'll need to be able to work in the early hours of the morning on a regular basis so this is something you will need to give careful though to. If your still interested after reading all this then I guess, you'll fit right in.

 

This was an ad from the summer, now the ads just say competitive pay…



And I believe it’s mileage plus loading/unloading pay. Not hourly with overtime. Note how it say $34 average

 

In the mid 80s, I applied for ( and got) a union job with a company called Dahlen, out of Janesville Wis. They started me at $7.50/hr. but promised a big union raise in 3 months. The fuel yard in Madison had bottom load, but none of the stations had vapor recovery. It was channeled out pipes pointed in the air behind the station. Naturally, the whole area wreaked of gas vapors unloading. I could just see some bozo coming out and lighting a cigarette. While vapor recovery helped, I think the empty tank full of fumes is more dangerous than a loaded one. Regardless, for $7.50/hr., it wasn't for me.

 

Exactly right. When I started hauling gas everything was top loaded. Depending on the rack, the time of day, and who was waiting behind you, you might not lean on the handle quite as hard and take a little longer to load. Three or four loads a night, multiplied by the week, multiplied into a year...that slower load rate made for a nice bonus. If you got done too quick the old timers (union militants) would have a little talk with you.
When bottom loading came in the drivers used to unload, pop their domes to get rid of the vapors, and head back to the rack. That routine only lasted a coupe of years before EPA caught on to it.
Tanker driving isn't what it was...nothing is... but if you hook on with the right outfit it's still one of the best driving jobs out there.

 

It's over an hour each way for me and that's before I make my long planned move to the country.

If I was your age I'd already have my application in with them. I will note that I've gotten attitude from a couple of their drivers, but they do have nice iron and it looks to be set wide open.

 

Greatest delivery ever

 

As of march I'll have been in fuel for 2 years. First 3 months of it was load pay, going in and out of tiny gas stations. Wasn't fun but it got me the experience to get to pilot with was hourly with OT after 40. Pilot gave me the experience to come to Loves as of early September.

As of Monday I will have grossed over $130k for the year. No job is perfect, but this one keeps me fairly active and is low stress, and zero micromanagement. The only other thing I could see myself doing is cryogenics but their local positions don't earn near the $36/hr i make, and I ain't going OTR.