First job out of school at local tanker company.

Hello everyone, I recently finished my 7 weeks truck driving training and received my CDL-A with hazmat/tanker endorsement. I was interviewed at a local fuel tanker company the day I finished school. They did a return interview and orientation, I was hired. I will start in about 2 weeks when my TWIC clearance comes back. My job is going to be here in town delivering fuel to gas stations and to train stations etc. Even though i'm very excited and confident I can do the job, I was hoping a seasoned vet could give me some solid insight on what to expect. The tanks are baffled and are the low center of gravity kind. Thank you for your advice in advance.

 

There's some fuel haulers on here that can help.
I've only hauled chemicals and haven't hauled fuel.
Congratulations, it pays to put in applications. You have proven a new CDL driver doesn't have to go with a mega fleet that pays poverty wages. Best wishes.

 

Consider yourself lucky.
Most of the fuel hauling outfit's insurance providers won't allow them to hire someone without a minimum of 2 yrs experience.
Which company is it?
I hauled fuel for almost 2 yrs. The pay wasn't horrible and I was home every night, not a bad gig.
Expect long waits at the "rack" and long days.

 

hopefully you have night shift some of those station are hard to get into. but it will get easyer as the weeks past. i seen one trying to delv to murray the other morning their was so many cars in the way he couldn't get the truck in.

 

The company is JP petroleum out of Jackson,TN. I took the truck driving class at TN Tech in Jackson,TN. I live in Memphis,TN and they were looking for Memphis drivers so I think that's why I got the job. My instructor told me they came there looking for Memphis drivers so I think I really might have gotten lucky because another student from the class applied there with the same credentials as me and didn't get the job as far as I know. This particular student lives in Jackson,TN I think. They told me I will be training with a guy that starts at 12 AM until route is finished. The tanks look similar to the picture shooter has on his profile, the only difference is the shape. The tanks they use are a oval shape? The safety manager said its up to the drivers when they start their day, some start at 12 am, while others start at 5 am. Memphis has some pretty heavy congestion and lets say not so trucker friendly drivers. I've lived here my whole life so the traffic doesn't make me nervous, but the slosh and weight of a fully loaded truck makes me nervous. I got really good training at the school. I've been looking online for a good video of what its like to actually drive a fully loaded tanker. Cant find one

 

More than likely you'll have 4-5 compartments and baffles in some of those compartments.
Slosh will be almost non existent.

 

Memphis or Jackson are both good areas for tanker jobs for new drivers. When I drove a stick shift I shifted between surges (slosh). When I drove an automatic, didn't worry about it, let the transmission decide when to shift. You won't have any problems; just use common sense and you will do fine.

A fully loaded tanker is much easier than one 3/4 or 1/2 loaded because the surge in a fully loaded tanker is little to none. Fuel tankers may be different; I was pulling chemical tankers.

 

The baffles in a gasoline tanker eliminate the surge like a chemical or milk tanker would, however even gas tankers can still react differently when turning abruptly at higher speeds than say a van. with a bit of a side to side surge. Develop yourself a routine when loading and unloading and take your time. Dont be afraid to ask lots of questions. Like others said, nights are a bit easier when starting out due to less congestion. I think youll enjoy it. Good luck

 

Tankers a bit different from vans
Just take your turns and exit ramps way below posted limit.Manage your distance from the vehicle in front of you ,and prepare for red lights by scanning way ahead and you will be just fine .
Good Luck in your new position
I'm myself looking for a local position

 

Don't worry about how the truck will handle. Luckily you'll be with a good trainer and you'll learn there. The most important step you can do is get into your own routine. You develop your own system to loading and unloading. Tank a lot of notes and ask questions. Every gas hauler here will tell you to load and unload your way and stick to it. It must meet all the rules and standards but how you do it should be your own plan and never get out of it. You'll have less of a problem this way. After awhile you'll know what each station holds and how the tanks are laid out. I used to copy my dispatch and write all over the copy. I would have a load plan for each station. You may not use such a plan because you're loading semi's but you still must have a plan for each load. Always hook like this for loading. Hook small to big- hook the Scully connector to truck- the vapor recovery- the fuel nozzle. Unhook go from largest to smallest. When you at the stations that is where your plan comes in. You put you requirements in order. Like secure area, stick tanks, get the unleaded regular flowing first since you have more than that on truck. There's more to it but I just wanted you to see that your toughest area is unloading at the station. You really have to pay attention here because the people around you have no idea what you're doing.

So my advice to you is. Pay attention to all is trained to you, take notes and ask questions, and once you start to load and unload get your own routine. Read all you can in the FMCSR and the CFR49 parts 100 to 177. The CFR49 is going to have all the requirements on what we do. It's hard reading but you've got to know it just to CYA. Many drivers do not look at this publication and they get trip up by any question because they do not know where to look. Good luck and make your training worth while. PM me if you have any other questions that I might be able to answer.