Tanker drivers: How did you get into pulling tankers?

Went to work in gasfield hauling water/brine/flowback, after a frustrating stint with Ryder doing retail store delivery. Wish I'd stayed, but that business is up and down a LOT, and my company lost key contracts and closed my terminal. Now work for a meatpacking place, mostly hauling smoothbore tank with animal fat (sometimes dump with bone meal or blood meal, and sometimes reefer with meat, but vastly prefer tank).

Next step is to get hazmat and try to find a hazmat outfit that takes on O/O's and runs Northeast region

 

I started off pulling reefers, for a year and a half. Took 6 months off for family issues. Sitting around thinking about coming back tried for some ltl companies/dryvan. Then remember seeing the seeing my current company out on the road when I was pulling reefers. Plus I driver I met in orientation worked for my current company(he returned back here), that I drive for now. I told myself in the beginning I wanted nothing to do with tanks(I did have the endorsement) but I am glad I gave it a try and now a year later and can't see me doing anything else.

 

Pulled flatbed for a brief time in the '80s to help pay for college. After 25 years in another career and retiring I considered coming back to the industry but didn't like what I found after doing the research. Realized the top of the driver food chain included tanker drivers.

Checked out some of the better paying companies and asked each what I had to do in order to drive for them. Did -exactly- what one of the companies told me, including attending a driver training school they recommended. They hired me right out of school and I'm now making more than I made with my college education and white collar job.

Despite being told it couldn't happen because I had to pay my dues, I managed to land on the sweet spot right outta school. The only thing holding you back is you. No criminal record, a clean MVR, solid work history, clean cut appearance, can-do attitude, good work ethic and being in good physical shape can get you almost anything you want in this industry.

 

Ive dabled in a few different tanker jobs, vaccum tank, chemical tank, food grade, and did some bottom drops out of a pnuematic, but i enjoy the food grade work the most, and the chemical tanks I would just haul caustic and non-haz Magnesium hydroxide and I probably enjoyed that the least...I hauled frac water, drill mud, and fresh water in the vaccum tanks and that was good work...

I ran a super sucker straight truck doing industrial cleaning for short while as well, that was awful work but you would be amazed what that thing could do, suck a cement block through an 8" hose...

the bottom drops of soda ash out of a pneumatic was dusty and I didn't like doing that very much because I have bad asthma...

 

Tanker driver make most decent money as CDL. Shipper and receiver r always glad to see you. Don't sit at truck stop that often. (for me not yet at least). got paid for most things you touch. I was lucky to land on a company and the route I do that give me 99% weekend off and most holiday paid for off day. Working day shift. I think if I was to change company, I would not ever going back to OTR as van, flatbed or ref. 99% would be tank driver. OTR does not make sense to me, even if they make more money( I sure they don't). For me, Most shipper and receiver I came to already know me by my first name. Tanker(especially in the oil business) r only a handful out there. They will recognize you (if not by name, but still recognize you) when u come to their facility. Most time if you do regional run, you be deadhead back to terminal/yard. That why you seldom see tanker sitting truck stop for more than few day.

 

Ran step deck hauling for construction outfit in north jersey....switched to chemical tanks and asphalts a year ago....would never do anything else....just wish i didnt have to use tape to hold my dash panels together....a KW would be nice!

 

I started out hauling bulk animal feed on a 18 wheeler. Few years later decided to start hauling gas. Gas allowed me home everyday and make $50k+ easily. Now I'm into chemical tankers.

i always tried to find something "unique" I can do when I get older.

 

Retired from the Military
Went to Sage
Started hauling water in the Oilfield
Moved into fuel hauling

Not much more to tell then that.

 

Great thread, I am ready to make the move to tanker. I wanted to do this prior to getting my CDL 6 months ago. I currently have CDL-A, Hazmat, Tanker and Doubles/Triples and can't seem to find anyone in the Memphis area hiring with less than 2 yrs. exp. I like running regional, but do get tired of waiting from time to time for loads. Don't mean to hijack this thread by any means, but would love to hear from those of you that have been doing tankers good companies to try and get on with that hire with minimal exp.