What to drive?

The one that takes me home. Just kidding. I prefer tankers. And that's gasoline tankers that stay local. It's because it's the best job I've ever had with the best equipment and pay. I would haul 6 loads a day all over the city and it was different everyday. It takes more skill to drive an oversize tanker in the city and into small gas stations so I treated it as a challenge trying to improve from the day before. But I was with a major oil company and that's the top of the game. It's a reachable goal but not all tanker jobs are as good as mine.

The object is to find what you like to do and what fits your goals. Set yourself some short, medium, and long range goals and go for it. I believe that specialized hauling is best and I also believe the better companies are those who do not make their revenue from the truck. Most important is to keep your record clean so you'll be marketable. You want the companies seeking you out and not the other way around.

Your first job should be hard to find. What I mean by that is don't let a recruiter do the work for you. Go out and seek out the job you might want to work for until you retire. Shoot for the top. If you let the recruiter find your job then you'll fall into the companies that can not keep drivers and you'll pass through them with a unfavorable experience most likely. If you go out and beat the streets and come up empty then you can go with the bottom feeders and gain your experience there. Just remember that your CDL school is only going to teach you how to get a CDL. Your real training starts on the road and it takes a while before you'll even know what's up and down. If you're unlucky and get a trainer that only has 6 months driving experience then you'll be short changed and have to learn from other sources.

 

The answers to these questions is VERY subjective. I have much more van experience (and it is my preference) less with flats and even less with tankers. Vans are largely generic as OTR equipment, few surprises and few problems. A load of turnips is the same as a load of bricks or a load of shoe boxes.

Flats are more equipment intensive. I am missing an eye tooth because I didn't pay attention to a worn ratchet. Flat loads are no trouble as long as they are square, odd shapes and tarps really encourage creativity. Receivers of flatbed loads are usually happier to see the trucks show up. Vans spend more time waiting around being used as storage. (though not nearly as much as refers) Flatbed drivers are some of the best out there when it comes to helping one another and showing a professional attitude.

Most every tanker driver I have ever met has been a good hand. A smaller segment of the industry, they seem to be a little aloof with other drivers. Probably the most professional of the three sub-sets you mention. Most tanker drivers are local or regional rather than OTR. Tanker yanking requires that you be rock solid in fundamentals as sloshing liquid will make you pay for a mistake several seconds after you thought you had gotten away with it. Tank haulers often have to jump through more hoops with their loads than others. What loads follow others in a tanker can have a much larger effect than with other trailer types.

These are just my wandering thoughts as I have pulled all three types at least a little bit. Others can give better details, but remember, favorites are a personal matter and may or may not apply to you.

 

I pull a flatbed and we haul concrete pipe, mostly local. We don't have to bump any docks, but we do get our share of backing, sometimes in tight streets. One time I had to back down a road just short of a mile, lucky it was a country road and the one end was blocked off with bridge construction, so there was no traffic.

 

Italics mine

Aw, why take the fun out of it?

I agree with gashauler - set goals. Right now, I'm pulling boxes. Trained the past three weeks in a reefer, but the drybox division works where I want to. To me, a reefer is just a dry box with a party favor on the front. Feed it now and again and it's happy. Certainly never kept me awake at night, and volunteering to sweep it out in Macon,GA was bliss.

Eventually, I want to get into heavy haul, as that looks to be the most challenging. IU doubt it's gonna happen next year, but one never knows. But I need to make sure I have my ducks lined up nice and straight.

If a tank job comes along (that doesn't require me to shave or cut my hair), I'll probably take it. Gonna depend. That requires (often) handling product... and I would fear for my manicure.

 

I handle my product about as much as you handle diesel while fueling... hook the hose up and open a valve. about 10% of the time I don't even do that much, just pull up and the customer handles all of the unloading.

but you would need a hair cut and no beards allowed... something about the mask won't seal ??? hehe

 

There are tank jobs that do not require handling product.

 

ah - thanks. The one I was offered was a play with the hoses deal ( for tankers, I call that handling product ). Customers not allowed to touch. Hair and beard no problem.

Of course, Halliburton is big on masks and all that. I'm not that interested in money.

Milk trucks, for some reason, they want clean shaven and short hair.. I've no idea why.

Yet

 

I am running flatbed now after running vans and the biggest change I have seen is respect. Flatbedders get more respect from shippers and consignees. Shipping dept. gives you respect, 95% of loaders put tarps on top of load for you, 95% of unloaders put rolled up tarps up on truck for you and I have even had unloaders help me pull tarps off and roll them up with me. Yes flatbed drivers also are a tighter group. You can always rely on another flatbed driver to help out if you need it and even when you dont. Other drivers also give flatbedders more respect. So if you want to do some work....and if you choose flatbed you will work rather then just drive, you will get treated with more respect flatbedding. Flatbed is alot harder but I enjoy it alot more. You may may not have to back as much, but you better know how to back because when you do it is alot tighter spot to back into then any van backing I ever done. Hope this is of some help to you. Also I have never driven tank so I have nothing to say about that.