Newbie, where are all of the young heavy haulers?

I'm interested in it. I know a lot of guys in the iron working world and one said talk to him if I want to get in. I think I might do that...

I got a year experience in tanker now and that's probably the only thing I'd leave for.

What's the pay like vs tanker?

I've also thought about stopping driving altogether and just doing iron work but I don't really know if I want to tie rebar for a couple years. I just turned 30 last week.

 

Its pretty simple why: insurance.

The vast majority of insurance carriers are loath to insure young drivers for even general freight, let alone high value construction equipment.

Aside from my general truck insurance (truck, liability, trailer), I'm currently carrying $1M in cargo insurance. That's unusual for a 26 year old to get insured at that level. The only reason I could was because I was trained in heavy haul and have previous experience with it along with several years verifiable experience, not to mention a few years of other freight and a clean record.

To be blunt, most kids lack the confidence to do this safely. A lot of even older drivers see the big equipment on a lowboy and think, now that's a cool piece of freight to have, but, when it comes down to having the comfort level with driving a 115,000lb excavator onto a trailer, a lot of drivers get nervous.

Pile onto that slinging chains twice the size if what flatbedders use, knowing how to permit loads, being aware of curfews, restrictions, etc., and a lot of drivers find they don't want the headache.

I spent nearly a year in college training with a heavy haul operation before getting my CDL. At 19, even with CDL training second to none, I still had a helluva time getting a driving job, driving anything.

There's a lot more to learn in heavy haul than just pointing a truck down the highway.

 

Can you reach the middle of your back?

 

Upper, lower, middle, anywhere that needs a good pat.

You wouldn't be the first one to say I have an attitude, but, he wants to know why there aren't many young guys in heavy haul, I gave him the answer. The biggest factor is insurance, but, you don't get into heavy moves without at least some specialized and mechanical knowledge.

Contrary to popular belief, buying some flags and banners doesn't make you a heavy hauler.

Put the keys of a 330 in any old drivers hands, see if they're comfortable with the breakover on a lowboy having never done it before.

If junior wants to know more of how I got started young in heavy haul he's welcome to PM me.

 

I was hauling heavy when you were playing with your legos, I had no problem getting on companies insurance when I was 21 and I have plenty of friends who got insurance on their own trucks at a young age. Your "heavy haul" training doesn't mean squat, clean record and the cash and they'll insure anyone. You might be the best heavy hauler that ever lived I don't know, but you lay it on pretty thick.

 

Back in the day insurance was a totally different situation from today. Great West, Great Lakes, Canal, a lot of them won't touch someone under 23 for even general freight.

I get it, JD, you don't like me, you think I'm a arrogant, ####y kid who's out of his realm.

So, let me make it crystal clear for you, I've met your type plenty before, you're someone who doesn't like seeing someone half their age doing the same job because you think for all those years you have on me that it makes you better. And yet, you let yourself get roped into an argument online.

When you're signing my checks your opinion will mean something to me, until then you're just more noise pissed off about a kid doing your job.

Get a life.

By the way, to the OP, right here is another reason there aren't many young guys hauling heavy, age bias.

 

Let me explain a couple things, when you resort to name calling you lost the argument, Second what are you taking about "back in the day"? Your 26 you were 23 three years ago. And I know young kids right now with their own trucks that get insured. Again your "heavy haul" training is irrelevant.

You have no idea what my "type" is or how I treat people in real life, I'm as helpful as the come. I enjoy a young guy that wants to work and learn and I have no fear of a younger guy that can do my job. But I'm also very familiar with the guys who have come and gone and told me how much they can do, usually they're wrong and leave but still are convinced that they are great and we just couldn't see it. Like I said you might be great, probably are but I can tell just from the fact that you described a west coast trailer wrong in your other post that you don't know as much as you think.

Keep calling names I'll keep making you look foolish.

 

Ah, I see, because I didn't work within your narrow terminology for a "west coast" trailer, obviously I don't know anything. We call them walking beams out here.

I never claimed to know everything, or even to be a master. What I've told you is the dead truth, I've done some degree of oversize and heavy haul since I was 19. 7 years experience makes me no master, but, I'm certainly not new. I hold a BA, and I've scored well on LSAT's. Cry me a river if your academic education doesn't compare to mine. And before you run your mouth about "practical knowledge", like wrenching, keep in mind I do the vast majority of the wrenching on my truck. I just rebuilt the 8 bag out back, I've done rear ends, brakes, wiring, more tires than I care to, mounted a sleeper to my KW, on and on. I've resealed and re-gasketed in parking lots, limped home with blown radiator cores and rubber gloves holding a coolant line together.

I'm no master, but don't think you have the slightest idea of where my knowledge and skill sets are at.

 

I find it interesting that people like you think that because someone older doesn't like you it's because we're intimidated, nothing could be further from the truth. You could come to work where I do and I wouldn't be the least bit concerned. I know my skills and my ability and I'm secure in it.

I never once said you didn't know anything but I will say your the first person I've ever heard call the coffin a walking beam, maybe you guys do but most of the country doesn't.

I don't care about your degree or your LSAT score or your family background. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college and I had no desire but it doesn't reflect on my IQ. However I would expect someone one with your superior intellect to be able to have a discussion without calling someone a "twat". Did you learn that in college?

 

Having a college degree is. Itching particularly special, I know lots of people with advanced degrees that are not particularly bright or talented or even motivated. It is a matter of opportunity and a level of followers my a formula. Hell, even I have a degree and no one is going to accuse me of genius.

Insurance is not the issue and I think you miss the point by going down this road.

In my mind it takes a number factors your make a competent HH guy. A couple of the factors are experience and maturity and confidence. These take time to develop and a trainer cannot accelerate the "process".

Young guys tend to want to always move move move and that is not a feature of the gig.

As for insurance, it is normally cost prohibitive to carry 1M Cargo and the cost goes up exponentially from $250k to $500k to $1M. And if you are a single truck operation almost no company will write an annual $1M. The quote I got was over $15k up charge per year to move from $500k to $1M.

It is much easier to write trip insurance for the excess over $500k - usually less than $500 per instance.