Pros and Cons of Driving Tanker

Alot of tanker yankers are home everynight.

Theres a pro for you....(Or a con if youre married).

 

Tanker trailers handle much better than vans and refeers on windy days.

 

First time I drove a tanker, I had 4000 gallons of water in a 7600 unbaffled tank. Came to rest at a stop light, about 3 seconds later, SLAM, the water hit the front and pushed me about 5 feet forward.

So I quickly learned that driving a tank half full is much more dangerous than one totally full, lol.

 

That's too general. What type of tankers and what your hauling dictates on what kind of picture you present. We hardly ever got inspected because the inspectors knew the company took care of all the requirements. In fact, I was asked to be used as an example at a scale house once to show a LEO training class being held at that location on what a truck should look like. So if you're working for a company that looks shabby sure you're going to be looked at closely. Plus there are more regulations the driver must know that a lot of them don't. For example, how many LTL drivers know what kind of boxes, labels, and correct shipping papers should be with the load? Most will say it's the shippers responsibility and it does start there but the driver is also required to know too. The bottom line is the driver is the last person to know if the load is acceptable for shipment.

So common sense will tell you that the inspectors are going to look at a company that hauls hazmat once in awhile over a company that does it every day.

 

Sorry for the incomplete answer.

The pros and cons of driving a tanker depends on what you're hauling. A water tanker is a breeze compared to gasoline. Gasoline is a 24 hour 7 days a week job where water is not. Hauling milk is a pain because there's no baffles to slow the movement of the milk. Chemicals can be a con and a pro at the same time. It all depends on what's in the tank.

 

I haul liquid fertizers,

Pros: $ 25 per hour + % Load bonus
Home every night
Respectable treatment by shippers and recievers
Its an active job, loading unloading , moving hoses etc keeps you active
$ 25 per hour + % load bonus ( did i mention that allready LOL)

Cons: Working in all weather conditions can be a pain when its raining or freezing
Long hours, but ok cos its usually hourly pay

Thats about all the things I find I do and dont like about it at times.

 

pros, money is great, usually get paid for everything you do, cons it's a very dangerous job, no-matter what you haul, 1 example is walking on top a tanker in the winter with ice and snow on the cat walk ,so you can open the dome lid

 

pros...if your doing hamat for a respectable co. you are paid for everything you do,LEO doesnt bother you too much because they know your not a fly by night back yard company...if they do its not a problem if you have your paperwork in order the unit should be legal ( most co. will pay you for inspection time and some pay a premium if you get a no violation paper)besides being paid for everything most pay well beyond what general freight haulers pay. 90% of my usual customers are happy to see me because they need the product you have...as far as hauling cryogenics most customers I dont have much if any contact with, back in fill tank leave paperwork in tube then drive away...little to no waiting...cons many are 24 -7 operations ...2200 christmas night is just another day...if its a union barn plan on nights and weekends for many years...lots of repititious training...besides hm-126 we also are trained on FDA also...lots and lots of training(but its all paid)..run tight schedules many co.s will slip seat 2 drivers on 12 hour shifts.. we run slipseat on 14 hour shifts if running local plan on 16 hours every now and then...fast paced environment( but safe and legal) outside loading and unloading multiple times per shift in rain,snow and all types of bad weather....hazmat tanker not for everybody ..as for me I have never pulled a freight box and hope I never do...tanker to me is the absolute best of the best