Delivering fuel

Any other tips, tricks, advice for a new guy looking to haul fuel?

 

I started hauling fuel this past October. I really like it. Gets me home everyday and the pay is good and benefits are good too. The best advice you can get like others here have said is to just pay attention to what your doing! Fuel hauling can be fun and interesting but it's also VERY easy to screw up and make a mistake that will cost you your job, life or someone else's life. Some people pick up on the loading/unloading process very quick and easy and some others don't. I trained for 5 weeks and was signed off and sent on my own and have done great. There's other guys at my company that have been training for 2 and a half months and still aren't catching on. So don't get discouraged at first if your clueless because the different loading racks can easily confuse you. Every rack has their own set of rules and different computers and process of how to load. And the products are sometimes named differently(mostly with diesel and fuel oil products). Don't be afraid to ask questions. Even if your out on your own and your unsure what product to load ask another driver at the rack they will help you out. That's one thing that's extemely different about hauling tanker vs dry van OTR. Everyone is much more friendly and willing to help out compared to asking someone a question in a truck stop and they tell you to figure it out yourself. So just pay attention and double check everything you do and you won't have any problems. Good luck

 

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear you enjoy the job. You started during the cold parts of the year as well... I will start training in a few weeks if I accept the position, then I get to learn/gain experience during the warmer months of the year, then the winter will soon be upon us yet again. Do you work nights or days?

 

Yeah I started just as it was getting cold lol. But at least I know I can handle the worse season of this job now. Spring and summer and fall will be a breeze now. I work nights right now. At my company it goes by seniority of who works days. I trained during the day then worked the first 2 weeks after training on days then went to night shift starting at 1800.(6pm). I wasn't thrilled with nights at first mostly because I really enjoy sleeping in bed with my wife every night and I didn't wanna miss out on the things happening during the day because I would have to sleep but after a few weeks I actually have come to prefer nights. I can get so much more done at night vs days thus make more money. Very little delay time at night. No traffic and the racks are usually empty or only have a truck or two at them. The nights are deffinatly cold but it's worth it. At least during the summer it will be cooler at night and it won't be so hot...which works out good because I hate hot weather I'm a total pansy when it gets over 85 lol. Good luck if you accept the job it can be a good field of work and quite lucrative especially after a few years.

 

I think too many guys make the job harder than it needs to be.. They give you gallons, You load them into the trailer and then you put them in the ground where they belong.. The hardest part is staying dry in the rain and warm when it's cold..

Take you time, Drive careful and be aware all the time. It's good work, And you have the average BS that comes with the job but what company doesn't?

 

Well I will soon find out... March 4th I start training/hauling fuel!

 

Congrats , Ive been hauling Tankers for 25 years . For 15 years I hauled Liquid Oxygen and Nitrogen and the last 10 years hauling Gasoline/Diesel. Love the job and would never consider bumping a dock. Take your time training and ask alot of questions and youll be fine. I load out of the same Fuel Terminal everyday so Im not dealing with different terminals in different cities like some guys have to, that makes my routine alittle easier. Learning the racks isnt that hard , just pay attention to what your doing. I work for a Solid Company that has drivers thru-out the Southeast , Good company , nice equipment , money and benefits are very good. I work the 2 pm start time and Im done around midnight everyday , day driver starts at 2 am so I need to be done before he comes in ( most days are 10 hrs ). If you have any questions Id be glad to help you.

 

Thanks for the info! I will pull most of my fuel out of the company terminal, and will also use 2 other non company terminals in the area. I haven't decided what time I want to work yet (4am,6am,4pm,6pm) but I am leaning towards working nights... I like the night time, it's quiet. Will be working Thurs-Mon I think, but it will get better in a few years... I have high hopes this will be a solid, stable career for me, and my family.

driver81, did you decide to try your hand at delivering fuel? Sort of took over your thread, sorry about that!

 

What part of the country are you located? I start on Monday, and am thinking about making a daily journal of sorts to help out anyone who is interested in learning the training involved in becoming a fuel hauler...