Few questions from a new guy

This is a different beast truly, however this is just not the time to leap into something else if you have somehting that works now. Alot of people getting into OTR are displaced from other careers/fields. They have families etc. and have to make some hard choices/decissions.

If this is where you think your heart may be however than wait save some money and work on your CDL part-time if their is a program around you that is available.

Make that move later when you and the economy is better........

 

You're quite right, roll-off is a whole different game and if you can excel at it, then you're a cut above a lot of drivers! If an OTR driver ever looks down on you for having a lower class of license and driving a smaller truck, then that driver doesn't know ##$!. It is genuinely hard work, and I say that from experience! Personally, I quit in disgust over the accumulated complaints about shoddy equipment and the shady treatment and harassment that I received from my operations manager. It ended with a screaming match and me throwing the truck keys at him. It was extremely cathartic!

And yes, by the sound of it, you do have an excellent truck. My company slip-seated aggressively to maximize the equipment's productivity, so I got to drive pretty much everything, including an '06 Mack Granite. It was an excellent truck, though I didn't like the 8LL transmission. It was, however, significantly better than the '90 Mack DM I drove several times. Ye gods, that thing was horrid. The best truck I drove was a monstrous '98 Volvo WG64T. It had 24' rails, an 18spd, with a 500hp Detroit Series 60, and all the plumbing to pull the bin trains.

Ha ha, I always got a kick-out of it when the front end came off the ground. It always floated an inch or two when I would pick-up concerete bins, but once I tried to pick-up a 30yrd bin half full of concrete with a small tandem roll-off truck and that poor thing went up to the rails instead of the rails coming down to the truck. I gave up after the front-end went two feet of the ground, called the health and safety supervisor, and got permission to leave the call for a more capable truck. Unfortunately, our dispatcher failed to pair the appropriate equipment with the heavier calls and our operation manager's attitude was to force it to eliminate dead-head miles...

Unfortunately for you, winter's coming. If you've never worked roll-off in the winter, you're in for a surprise. The waste in those bins will freeze solid, and you'll have to shake the hell out of them to empty them out ...and I mean hammer the hellout of some of them.

 

WOW! Thanks for the education guys! I learned more about roll off in the last two posts than I had ever known before.

I always figured it was a much easier job than what you guys are saying. Guess I just didn't know. . .duh!

 

Yes, it can be a very

 

Yes, it can be a very demanding job, but things as simple as an auto-tarper and bin locks can do a lot to make it easier.

An auto-tarper is a significant boon because tarping bins is both time consuming and physically awkward, and therefore dangerous. I've heard that auto-tarpers will eventually become a legal requirement because they significantly reduce the risk of injury, but our company had removed them because the arms constantly hung up on certain size bins.

Locks are convenient too, but not a cure-all. Bin locks are basically a finger on the bottom of the bin that grabs onto a horizontal bar within the rail as the bin is pulled onto the truck, thereby 'locking' it onto the rails and preventing it from rolling off the rails as the truck turns. However, when tipping the bin out, the bin is shaken by sliding it up and down on the rails, which causes the finger to lose contact with the bar. If the bin's contents have hung up on one side, the bin can lean and fall off the truck. Chaining the bin solves this problem, but is time consuming. According to the FMSCA, roll-off containers need to be secured at two points, which is achieved by the hook on the front of the bin, and the chain or locks on the back. The chain is often fastened by forming a figure-eight loop around the rails while the cable is slack, and then pulling the cable taught to tighten the chain. A ratchet binder may also be used, but this is often employed only to secure bins to a trailer.

I don't know what 05Granite's call schedule is like, but I averaged 10 to 15 calls per day. The average one-way length of my calls was between 10 to 30 miles. There are typically four types of calls, which detail how the bin is handled: delivery; dump-and-return (most common); dump-and-remove; and relocate. Relocations are often done in conjunction with a dump-and-return, but some people insist that a bin move and are consequently charged a fee for the lift, much to their annoyance.

Personally, I would like to hear more from scrap metal roll-off and lugger drivers. Scrap roll-off drivers aren't required to tarp their bins, so may not find it so difficult. Luggers don't have to do much to secure the truck beyond setting the hooks and tightening a ratchet strap to secure their bins.

An important thing I touched on in roll-off that should be epmhasized here is that it can be a very stressful job. In the waste industry, roll-off service has the thinnest profit margin and consequently is a very cut-throat industry. Employers are very aggressive in their handling of the operation, and saddle many drivers with a staggering amount of work with unsafe and overloaded equipment. Equipment is both poorly maintained because of a lack of surplus cash to pay for repairs, and is very old because payment schedules are very drawn out. Steel is expensive, so bins are run ragged and patched only when absolutely necessary.

If you can get on with a more reputable and safety-conscious waste company, then roll-off can be a pretty decent job. However, the bottom feeders in the trucking industry are saintly brethren compared to the bottom feeders in waste services, so beware. Some drivers may be jumping from the frying pan into hell fire, if they look to roll-off as an alternative local job to OTR trucking.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and 05Granite and I will do our best to supply an answer!

 

I've watched some roll off drivers get into some TIGHT spots and grab the bin. Awesome! I always check out the action when they are picking up where I am at. Thanks to both of you for the great insight.

 

I believe that most drivers that looked down at others drivers are most likely looked down themselves by their peers. Besides you should never judge a driver for what he's driving but how he's driving. These drivers that constantly complain about 4 wheelers must drive something else to get around when off duty or they would be the 4 wheelers that they complain about. And sure you're going to have more bad drivers in 4 wheelers because they are less trained and there's more of them. But holding a CDL means you should be watching out for the bad drivers and maneuver your vehicle to avoid them.

63¢ a mile sounds great but it's what the W-2 says at the end of the year that counts. If you're getting the mileage and the benefits are good then you should look at staying where you are. But you are the only one that knows what fits and just make sure all your bases are covered before you make any move. You should never quit a job unless you have one to go to. Don't go for what you might think is the glamor but look at what fits you the best.

 

Of course your not driving a semi, but your still in a big truck. I don't know why anyone would look down on you but I suppose the ones that do would also look down on less experienced drivers as well.
OTR is my life and I love it, but it took some adjustments and a failed marriage to solidify my life as a trucker. Sounds like you have a great job and unless you don't like the comforts of home living, I can't understand why you would consider leaving it for this life. Good luck.