Is going tanker a good idea over van, flatbed, refeer?

When you ask if you should drive a tanker you're asking a very broad question. There are many types of tankers and with that goes many types of fields or loads. Each one having a different type of knowledge and/or driving skills. Of course your driving habits or style must adapt to the specific type of tanker. You have smooth bore,tanks with baffles,tanks with bulkheads, and tanks with bulkheads and baffles. Some have pumps to pull off the load and some have pumps to push off the load. The list goes on. So it all depends on what kind of tanker you would be starting with.

If you're talking about hauling gasoline, diesel, or any hazmat products I'd say definitely NOT. When you get to this stage you need to have knowledge of the product and what to do in case of any incident. What types of hazards is it to the public and how to make it safer immediately. Along with this knowledge comes responsibility which means more there is to hold you accountable for. A new driver is far from learning all about the regulations from CFR 49 which applies to his or her load plus any local and state laws. There's only so much a driver can be expected to learn.

If you have a shot at driving a tanker right out of the gate just beware. Know what you're hauling and why is the company eager to hire you. Not to sound judgmental but most companies do not hire new drivers to drive their tankers. If the conditions are right you may have a good opportunity. The experience may lead you on to the higher paying jobs as long as you keep your record straight. An earlier posting talked about job hopping. That's true in some fields but not all. In the gasoline business it's nothing to see a driver go from one company to the next. Most of the time you can see the driver is going up the ladder to the better jobs. I would say just stay within the job field. Just my 2¢.

 

anybody heard of kleem tank line / kenan advantage and would u recommend there company

 

From what I have heard Kenan is good but thats just hearsay I have never worked for them..

 

looking into Kenan Advantage out of Indiana don't know very much about them if anyone could tell me the pros and cons, i know the pay is by the mile plus load and unload.thanks

 

That's very good advice. When I started my training, my trainer and I started talking, and it turned out that this company hired him with a grand total of about 2 weeks driving experience!! To make matters worse, at that time (about 10 years ago), none of the trucks even had jakes...a really staggering fact when you consider all we do is super b work. Most of our routes take us through one or two 8% grades to boot. Great combination....new driver, no liquid experience, dangerous goods, 140,000 lb load, hills, and no jakes. Even now, the jakes are setup where they only work above 30 mph.

My company is always looking for bodies. Pay is about 20% less than when I hauled chemicals (acid) a few years back. Fuel IS a little easier to haul though, as the chem tankers had straight barrels, no bulkheads. At seeding and harvest times, we are expected to work 6 days every week. Maintainence often gets overlooked in favour of pulling another load. Don't want to say they're cheap, but....it's the only company I've worked for that doesn't buy bug wash in the summer. They tell us to use water, lol. Getting tank tags is another tooth-pulling exercise too. First indication that they were cheap was in the initial interview with the company owner. He told me I had to do 5 trips (one week) with a trainer, and that I wouldn't get paid to do it. Lucky for me, the other co-owner gave me $100/day for the training. Also found it odd, that they were reluctant to give specifics in regards to pay rates. Everything was 'ballpark' as to what I would make.

Don't be afraid to ask questions, get written documentation if you can. Bigger companies will usually be very forthcoming with information. Some will even give you a pay package to take with you to mull over. If they seem evasive, and unwilling to volunteer information, consider it a red flag.

 

I pulled Hazmat tanker for 5 years, 48 states & Canada. 99% of the time , once unloaded, we deadheaded back to the home terminal. The reason for deadheading is some customers used dedicated trailers so no other chemical would ever be placed in it. Another reason is it's very expensive to get trailer wash with some Hazmat loads. Not all tanker companies are so lucky. I made the least money of all the drivers since I took 2 months off every year so the wife & I could travel the Orient. I still made between 50K - 60K per year.

 

I absolutely agree!!!

 

i think all beginner drivers should start out with van pulling experience first,because tanker is much different than van because you are pulling a live load.learn all you can before pulling a tanker.i think putting a newbie to pull a tanker is putting everybody on the road in danger.

 

I went right from school to driving smooth bore tanker. I haul Milk and Molasses. It will for sure teach you good control and habits. But if you are freaked out by tank, just get out and pull dry van for awhile. Molasses will beat you to death.