Hopper bottom or tanker?

I've never pulled tanker (have endorsement just haven't used it yet)..... But from what I've heard the pay is usually better. Agriculture products (usual haul in hopper) don't usually pay very high.... But depending on company and your work ethic you can make great money because the agriculture exemptions for drive time allow you to get more miles than you can at a higher paying per mile or hour company that runs less miles and/or requires you to stick solidly to the 70/14/11 log clocks. But I have talked to multiple drivers hauling hazmat tankers that make way better $ than I do in less hours each week. Look at all the variables as you're considering.

 

Well you should have said this in the op.

haz-waste is awesome, the customers are normally happy to see you. You’ll get invited to your customers employee appreciation parties, be offered to use their showers, Your customers take care of you for taking care of them. Depending on the company & how they set your truck up you’ll run tanks, dumps, roll offs, flats, steps, vans & reefers. If you have your option take a truck with both a vac pump and a wet line so you can run both the tanks and roll off/ dumps. You make more money in haz waste, but you do a lot more physical work than you do in the general freight world.

it’s nothing to put a couple hours on duty in before you start driving. Milage is only a small part of the equation, look at the accessorial pay. Depending on the viscosity of the liquid your loading you may load a tank in 15 minutes or 3 hours, same on off load. You may get sent to a customer and work on site all day before going home or getting a load out at the end of the day.

I normally left sometime Sunday with a pre loaded trailer or early Monday morning to go load myself. Almost always was home Friday at some point.

 

Some companies do. I've heard that and have seen some that do.. Mine is a small company (2 regional driver's and 4 local). We are dispatched and managed by a man who also owns his own commodity Transport company with 4 trucks, and he personally is hauling the same loads we do. His philosophy is "my job is to fill your paycheck and yours is to tell me how much you want to work and or when to slow down". It's very flexible (if you give him at least 2 weeks notice). Some guys work only a 14 hr day mon-fri. I choose to run 6-7 days a week and work longer hours. But it's my call and choice not mandatory.

 

I LOVE the ag exemption! Everybody wants to make big money, but not everybody wants to act like a big boy. Sometimes when the work is available, you work.

 

Very true my friend.

We don't all work for mega fleets doing mega fleet things.