Lady LTL trucker wanting to make change, need advice

I hauled everything but mostly food in a reefer for 15 years and started pulling a tanker hauling propane and then anhydrous ammonia in the spring to the big farm co-ops and I was really surprised at how easy it was and wished I had made the move to a tanker long before I did.
I've been driving an 18 for 25 years now and I recon I'll pull a tank until I retire in the next 2 to 6 years. Haven't decided when I'm doing that yet.
I say go for it girl. I believe you'll really like it. Oh and try to haul something that you just load one product so to keep it simple like propane. Load it to legal limit and haul it to the distribution location and unload the complete load so the delivery trucks will have their product to haul and you're through with that run. It gets no simpler, unless you can afford to sit on the porch and just rock or swing and sip on ice tea. GO FOR IT!

 

i presume it’s because of the money. as aforementioned, tanks are similar to flatbed in the regard that they require much more attention. i’m LTL (linehaul) and i did flatbed for a couple of years awhile back. no comparison. LTL stuff simply pays too much for the required effort and return of benefits.

 

Thank you for the information!

 

I don't mean to derail the thread, but your statement prompts a question in my mind. Generally speaking, the less work involved the less compensation offered. As an example, although I'm certain it isn't universally true, my observation is that flatbed positions generally offer more CPM than dry van positions. Another correlation I've observed is that compensation is typically highrr for positions that require longer time away from home. I am not all that familiar with the LTL and linehaul world, but I have heard several times that the compensation is very favorable. Based on what you are saying about less effort required and also based on the fact that many linehaul drivers are home at least weekly, why is the compensation more favorable than other types of trucking?

 

I would say LTL line drivers get paid good is because a lot of freight jobs used to be union and other companies had to compete with that. Also there so many different bills on that one load that it just has to go no matter what. Lots of line drivers don’t even have to hook their own sets just drive from barn to barn, turn and burn, but boring. Cryogenic seems like the top of the food chain to me.

 

i can’t answer why it pays so well. i honestly don’t know why. i am not in a union shop and i know of several non union companies paying equal or better. i am linehaul and home daily, as many others are. most any linehaul driver can confirm the money potential is almost ludicrous for the effort invested. i worked the dock 0 hours this year, i am on the second of a 3 tier pay scale with the jump to top pay being the largest. i will make over 85 this year, home daily, 0 hours worked on the dock, company paid (free) health ins, 401k, profit sharing, etc etc etc. mon night-fri night, no weekends, no holidays blah blah blah. it’s great, i love it. i know many linehaul guys can say the same or better, it’s no secret. i work anywhere from 7-11 hours, most nights around 9 totaling <50 hours a week. i’m 6 from the bottom on a list of 22 drivers, it ain’t like i’m getting the pick of the litter regarding bids.

 

That’s how it should be. Screw getting paid peanuts to work 70 hours a week. I’m talking any job, not just line haul.

 

I'd say most line haul guys wouldn't like tanker work because you have to actually get out of the truck and work. You also have to use your noodle a bit to when it comes to loading/unloading. Such as gallons, strapping charts, pressures, product quality testing etc.
This is why I love tanker work we do a bit of everyhing not just hold the steering wheel.

Take the back of these two cryoenic trailers for example most guys don' want any part of that. Lol even I said WTF did I get myself into, when I first started training, but now it ain't nothing but a chicken wing on a string.

 

One other thing about tankers, you learn real quick how to maneuver at truck! The last thing you need is to tear down a pipe rack or a pump rack in some refinery or chemical plant! Some of those alleys were barely built for a pickup let alone a tractor trailer.

 

What happened to OP...she just disappeared into thin air?