Cement mixer

First off, it's concrete, not cement!

Now, this can vary significantly between region and company, but I've never made more money as a company driver than when I was running mixer, provided I was working, which in my region was quite weather/season dependent. That's the main reason I moved on after a season of hauling, but in Hawaii that shouldn't be an issue. Only in concrete was I paid 30 minutes every day to pre-trip, and overtime was paid at a more generous rate than required. Union outfit, so every second of my time was paid without problem. Safety was taken seriously, unlike many other outfits. Again, this will obviously vary from outfit to outfit, but standards were held high in my opinion. In fact, we were expected to, once we parked the truck at the end of the day, to stop the drum with the company name EXACTLY horizontal!

I found the days to go by fast... four, maybe five pours/day. There's a lot going on when you operate these though, and you'll have to be taught. In the McNeilus trucks that I drove, everything is operated by the 'gameboy', which is a control between the seats. That takes some practice, or you'll be pouring concrete down the highway! You'll do rolling pours, and you'll be expected to raise/lower and lock/unlock the chute, as well as controlling drum speed and direction, all while staring out of one mirror!

I worked out of dry batch plants, meaning I had to add the water to get the slump right. That's probably the most difficult thing, as you have to be able to look inside the drum and judge if the slump is about right. That's largely avoided if your plant is wet batch.

Physically it's not a hard job usually... Climb the ladder and rinse things off after a pour.

I'd defo go the mixer route first, and see how you like it. You can always fall back on hauling general freight around town if you don't like the concrete gig, pushing 2,000 lb pallets around in the back of a trailer with a 20 year old busted pallet jack because the company is too cheap to buy new working pallet jacks...

 

Depends on what part of the world you are in as to what the exact same thing is called. Ready Mix, Concrete or “Hauling Mud up in some Holler” are just a few of the descriptions around this part of the world. Still was a good job in my early 20’s. This company was one of my first jobs driving a “concrete” truck as I referred to it. They had some of the best and some of the worst equipment available to drive in the mid 80’s. They had a Brockway that was my favorite to drive and my least favorite was an FWD with all wheel drive and a hood longer than any road tractor I have ever seen. You couldn’t get it stuck if you tried and they would send it out to jobs where someone had got stuck to pull them out. It had 3 gear shifters and I doubt if I could remember how to drive it today. It was a Union job but I left for a Union Freight job.

 

your in paradise …skip the trucks

 

Those rigs are ultra rare critters in these parts.

 

The contractors around here probably wouldn’t order concrete from a company with only rear discharge trucks. The front discharge are much easier for the concrete crew with a good driver at the controls.

 

I had followed Victory Outdoor Services from Wisconsin on youtube last year. His Easy Money pouring concrete. Those rigs do look like they make life easier when a skilled driver is in control.

 

I wouldn't say I have a favorite trucking job, as all jobs become routine after a while, but personally I've settled on gravel hauling for the last few years even though I'm experienced enough to get hired for pretty much any trucking job.

I go this route for now since it offers a somewhat predictable working schedule. I'm home every day, and the job isn't usually too stressful. Most of the gravel pits and crews that I work with are good guys.

I own my own truck, and it's probably one of the easier ways to own/operate. Keeping my truck insured to only run within 100 miles as the crow flies comes with some advantages. I also bill hourly, so am paid for my time. It can be seasonal where I am, but I make money when I'm busy (although the price of Diesel sucks big time now... Fuel surcharges aren't a thing in my industry, so that expense comes out of the rate). I just park my truck in the winter here when things slow, and can drive a snow plow as a company driver to earn extra cash should I prefer.

I did the highway thing in the past, but eventually grew tired of never having a good work/life balance. However, you're in Hawaii, so you'd have more options there as to what'll bring you home every day!

I'd recommend going into construction related trucking... Concrete mixer, gravel, asphalt paving, etc. You have a better chance of making a living with predictable hours and home time, without all the bull that comes along with general freight... I'll probably never pull a 2,000 lb pallet with a broken pallet jack onto a dock again, and for that I'm grateful. I'll never manhandle 100 pound tarps again. I'll never strap down loads of crap onto a flat deck again. To hell with trip rates or paid by mile!

 

Yep. Cement is one of the ingredients in concrete.