local fuel hauling vs LTL

If you can get into FedEx or UPS I'd do ltl otherwise fuel maybe I missed it how much Exp do u have

 

I've done both. For me the better was hauling fuel but I made it to the top for company drivers. Sure you have to run a bad shift at first but a lot of drivers like it that way. Most gasoline terminal work their shifts on a 12 hours bases and it starts around 6. Night shift pays a dollar per hour more. I loved taking our super tankers into the small stations. You'd look at it and say never and it fits very time. I've also had a lot of fun with the customers especially the ones in line waiting for gasoline and the station is out. I would get out of the truck as long as the truck was off the street and go over to them and ask how long do you plan to wait. Because I've got the gasoline that you want and it's not going to get to you if you do not move. Still they do not want to move.

 

LTL is the way to go if you can stick out making small some checks for a few years until you get senority. Con-way hires newbies and other good LTL companies are Old Dominion, Fedex, Ups Freight. Ive been with UPS Freight around year and should hit 45k, full rate is a 50% total raise from low rate and takes 3 years to get to. The top half of our linehaul guys will make 90k+.

Local can be good, but there are a ton of $12 to $15 dead end local jobs that pay no OT. If you haul hazmat or fuel you can make much more. I have a buddy who hauls fuel in SC and makes around 70k working 55 hours a week, Friday thru Tuesday.

 

I hauled fuel for a time in central Pennsylvania. I had the truck from noon until midnight then another driver took over from midnight until noon. Five days a week and every other saturday. Alot of tight stations with one way in and one way out to get lined up with the tanks. One car in the wrong spot and your waiting or going around the block until they move. At least you get to know your stops and don't have to worry about directions or finding addresses. Guess thats one avantage over LTL...

 

I've done ltl with various companies and also fuel , but I love doing tanker work because you're only doing about 2hrs if not less of physical work !!!! You don't have to work nights and wkends as long as u make the phone calls and research a lot of companies. Some companies only wrk M-F wkends off making good money but u have to call them and ask what's the wrk schedule like ? Good luck !!

 

If someone's in my way or on the fills I'll wait unless they are parked illegally. Then it's 15 mintues until the tow truck gets there. We have placed signs all over the place when I need to get in and the best way to handle that kind of situation when the store is open is get the truck off the street and tell the manager you need the fills unblocked. If you can't get in sooo long.

 

I've seen people in my area hauling fuel pulling a rocky set. How in the heck do you get those things in tight spots. You're not expected to be able to back a set up so your pup hits the fills, are you?

 

No most of the time those types of set-ups are for diesel where they can pull forward and drop. You can back them and it's not as hard as you would think. But the best set-up for any tight station are the truck and trailer. That's where the tank is fixed to the power unit and then the truck pulls a trailer. There's no fifth wheel and the pivot points are at the pintle hook and the turn table under the trailer. I can take an 85 foot truck and trailer in many more places than a semi. The trailer tracks much closer to the truck than a trailer on a tractor.

 

I can't answer for the fuel haulers but line drivers make a ton of change. My company's senior line drivers are making 80-85K. Competition across town (old dominion) has drivers making 100K. I would bet it's line drivers that are making more so tankers correct me if I'm wrong.