Code of the Gas Hauler

A little background first.... I started driving in 2002. I spent six months with a big company then got into hauling heavy equipment. Been in and out of trucking ever since, with about three and a half years off the truck ending last November. Covenant let me back in a truck last Nov and then I went to SNBC to make some good money... And I did make good money.

June 20 2011 my whole life changed. I landed the best job I could ever ask for. Stay tuned for details....

 

My wife was teaming with me until Memorial Day. She decided life on the road was too much for her and then she informed me that life on the road was too much for me too, I needed a local job.

I was on my way to downtown Chatt to go to an interveiw with a towing/heavy haul outfit, when I decided to check craigslist one more time. There it was... local hazmat tanker driver needed, home daily. I entered the address into my TomTom, and went over to apply.

Stay tuned.... This gets good.

 

Well, I found my way over to the address in the craigslist listing fairly easy, and once I arrived I found a nice looking 1950s style brick building, an average sized terminal out back, and it was right next store to a gas station that appeared to share the parking lot.

I walked in the front door to an empty reception area and was greeted by a nice lady in an adjacent office. After introducing myself I was approached by a guy that seems to be in my age group, mid to late 30s, maybe 40.

He shook my hand, introduced himself, and found an application for me. Now is when things start to go a "different" direction, even tho I was unaware as this was happening, I look back and can easily place the dynamics that were going on that afternoon...

 

Before I started to fill out the app, Boss, (not his name, but thats the name I will happily use, he would find the humor in this, no doubt) had some questions. Like "where do you live? where you from? what do you do for work?" ect, ect... He also informs me that the dispatcher is out for the afternoon, and as he tells me this, I get the impression that the dispatcher is his boss, but since the dispatcher is out he has time to shoot the bull with me. So, we talked for an hour. About everything... Our kids, camping, Peterbilts, work, just a good ole fashion shoot the breeze session.

During this conversation something stuck out. The way he talked about trucks was not normal for an "office guy". I mean- he was wearing cargo khakis and a t-shirt, but I could tell that he did work in the office.

He said "I really prefer to buy Peterbilt 359's, the 379's are nice but I like the 359 better" This went off like a 12 guage shotgun.

Who the heck is this guy? Well, I completed the app and went home hoping I would get a call back. The next day, I got a call and went in on friday to do a driving test. Wait till you see what I drove for my driving test.....

 

this is what i took my driving test in





When I got done with my driving test, I almost fainted. I figured that I could die at any time and be ok with it. My life goal was complete... HAha. It drove like a Cadillac. The inside is just as cool as the outside...

Imagine how I felt when I was told "good job, you start on monday"...

 

When I started on monday, I was pleased to be there knowing that I was getting paid an hourly rate, overtime after 40 hr, I was going to be training for 8 weeks, and that my hourly pay was good enough that I was not taking a cut in pay to come in from OTR.

They put me training with a guy who drives a straight truck tanker. He does heating oil, kerosene, red dye dsl, clear dsl and gas. He was very nice, very experienced, sharp, and all around a good guy that is very helpful. I rode with him for 2 days, and then followed another guy on the 3rd day, I drove the truck pictured above all day. BUT, on thursday, I met WitchDoctor and I knew instantly that I needed to learn all that I could from this guy, he is #1 on thw seniority list.

This is not a regular place to work. It was started in 1953 and "Boss", the guy I talked to for an hour the day I filled out my app, is the one of the owners. His parents or maybe even his granparents started it, and he worked there growing up. And he worked hard according to WitchDoctor. Not one driver has had anything bad to say about the company, and many of them have personal stories of how the company has helped them or has done something good. My guess is that "Boss" is a driver first and foremost. That white truck above is HIS truck. The one he drives when things get too busy and the guys need backup.

They work and live by a code there.... The Code of the GasHauler.

more to come soon....

 

See, I wish I could wax on elequently about The Code of the GasHauler, as if I live it daily, but, I'm just learning about it. It does remind me of the brotherhood I once shared with my HeavyHaul brothers. I'll put it like this... I cant paint the Mona Lisa, but I know it when I see it. The gas haulers in this area wave every time they see you. They offer greetings over the cb, they get out of their trucks at the rack and walk over and bullskate with you. They help you out if you have problems at the rack or whatever. And when your company takes business from theirs or vise versa, thats between the owners, we who haul gas are still brothers in arms.

This starts in the office with the owner and the office staff where I work. They nuture that sense of this is more than just a job...

to be continued...