Best Pay Bar None for Non Haz Tanker Hauls?

Not having the average take home pay we can hardly compare to what we've have been used to. It may be good to you and others may think it's average while some may think it's low. It's nice to see that all is paid while you working but that alone will not compare to what some average gasoline haulers make. I retired some time ago but when I was driving my pay started when I drove through the gate and continued until I left. I made a straight $23.50 for the first 10 hours and then went to $35.25. I was on a 4 10 hour work day and had every 3 days off unless I wanted to work a day of overtime. Then the 5th day I worked I would get $35.25 all day long and we would usually only work a 12 hour day. So my week was like this $235 a day in straight time. Then add two hours of OT for $71.50 which would bring my 4 days worked to $306 a day. Add a day of OT at $429 a day so my week would look like $1653.00 a week. I then would have 2 days off. I got to be towards the top of the board so towars the end I had weekends off. I never hardly worked more than 60 hours a week and some drivers only wanted to work their 40 hours and go home.

That pay was back in the late 90's so it was some time ago. But also you have to know I was at the top of chain for companies to work for. There was hardly any company that would have better benefits or pay. The top major oil companies would watch each other and pay just about the same. Today The companies are changing and seling off their fleets and hiring common carriers to do the work. It's all politics for the reasons why and it also boils down to return on your dollar now or wait and make more for your investment. The companies look at the volatile market and think they are playing it safe for the fast return. Once someone sits down and compares the compay drivers to a common carrier and does a long time assessment they will see the difference between the two. It's got nothing to do with drivers and specific companies. It all gets down to having a fleet with uniformed drivers proud to represent the company they work for. Plus when the driver knows that when he or she does a good job it comes back to them in benefits.

So you're on the right path for todays industry. You'll still want to keep your record clean and still continue to build your reputation so when a better job comes up you'll be in good standing to make a change if you like. You can never degrade a driver that is always looking for a higher paying job. We never did. The company did not care if you changed jobs a lot of times because that's the way drivers do it when hauling gasoline. The job change could be from drivers but also from companies too. It's such a small community the companies knows when a driver is changing a lot because of personal problems. Those types get weeded out at some point. They usually do not make it to the better paying tanker companys.

 

You've also have to look at the benefits. The company might have middle of the road pay and great benefits. You need to look at the big picture.

 

Any Good companies to look at in California?

 

Again that's such a broad question only you can answer. All we can do is pass on our experiences the goods and bads. All I can say is look at companies for more than just pay. Check out where you would be at 5 years from the start. There's so many different variants, likes and dsilikes, that you have like and others don't.

You've got 2 years driving now. Are those years clean? If so then you know you're head of the game now and you should know who to stay away from. I alway liked the Big 5 stores. I've never talked with any of their drivers and found one that disliked the job. You should be looking for a company that has a low turnover rate. Personally, I like the companies that make their living away from the truck. Those companies are hauling their own product and it's not so much cut throat to get loaded.

 

Your kidding right? California has made it impossible for transportation business to pay a fair wage if they wish to survive. My company has a California terminal and pays minimum wage hourly to local drivers. My suggestion is to get your CDL in Arizona or Nevada and become a resident of those states. This way a California transportation company can at least pay you what your worth.