Local ReadyMix Concrete Mixer Driver

Discussion in 'LTL and Local Delivery Trucking Forum' started by Army91W, Jul 15, 2019.

  1. Army91W

    Army91W Heavy Load Member

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    Would any experienced concrete drivers share what a typical day is like?
    I notice the big corporate concrete companies and the mom and pops always seem to be hiring.
    Must be a reason, right? Curious what a normal day is like?
     
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  3. Cat sdp

    Cat sdp . .

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    You’ll do a lot of washing the truck down ......

    No normal day feast or famine depends on the work your plant has...... it’s really not a bad job. Although I drove a rear loader not sure I could handle a front loader .....


    At least your home every night and paid by the hour.
     
  4. 88 Alpha

    88 Alpha Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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  5. REO6205

    REO6205 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    @Fold_Moiler drives a mixer and he'd be a good one to answer questions for you.

    I drove mixer for one season and it was different than anything I'd ever driven before. Lots of hurry up and wait but the jobs usually pay by the hour.
    Training is kind of intense because everything has to be done right but they'll almost always make sure you know what you're doing before they solo you.
    The money, even the non-union jobs is pretty good.
    The work schedule is anything anywhere anytime. It all depends on the contractors you're hauling to. Very seldom will you have the same starting time two days in a row.
    Where I worked everybody was good about helping the new guys and answering questions. That seems to be the norm for that business.
    Most people either love mixer work or hate it. A lot of guys make a career out of it and wouldn't drive anything else.
     
  6. Jay5GS

    Jay5GS Medium Load Member

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    just do roll back for trash company
     
  7. Fold_Moiler

    Fold_Moiler Road Train Member

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    Yeah mixer isn’t bad if you’re in an area that pays good and is busy.

    It’s not feast or famed here. It’s just feast.

    It’s really easy once you learn about the slump which is really all you need to know and what additives are what. No big deal the drivers will help you out.

    You punch in, get a load, could be a pump could be some dude who “learned” concrete off YouTube. You deliver it wash down and get another load until the day is done.

    Which is the problem, you never know when you’ll get off or start. If you can deal with that it’s not a bad job.

    If you know how to drive a truck but don’t really like driving like me it’s the perfect job. You see some cool stuff and it’s not boring. You’ll drive some SKETCHY places and bury the truck a bunch of times but that’s part of the fun lol.

    It’s my last week driving mixers. Not becasue I don’t like it but because I got an operator job which has always been my plan to get into the operating engineers union.

    Give it a try, worst case scenario is you quit and get another of the million driving jobs out there. I personally will only do construction trucking from now on or operating. The pay here is so much better than any other driving and it’s much less boring for me and I like talking to people at work vs driving 600 miles solo eating st gas stations.
     
  8. Fold_Moiler

    Fold_Moiler Road Train Member

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    Why? Roll off pays way less and you gotta tarp over filled dumpsters...

    Hardest part of driving a mixer is picking up a 25 pound chute.
     
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  9. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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    Drove an 11 yarder at CEMEX for 3 years. It's like driving a big truck with square wheels. It's a lot like work.

    What you need to know about slumps is this -
    The more PSI strength a mix has, the more cement powder it has in it. Takes very little water to increase the slump.
    The less PSI strength, the more sand it has in it. Takes more water to get it wet.

    You'll understand exactly what that means once you start getting into it.

    It's typically an early day, and you'll never have the same start time lol. We would call a tape in the evening to get our start time. I was a teamster. Pay was $19 / hr. with $2 in the pension fund. The non union company here actually would have been better. More money, more laid back. We all did the same jobs.

    You need good night vision. Many big pours start early, and it's dark. And there's these BLINDING spot lights in your eyes. Oh, and you need to like being wet lol. I was great at eyeballing slumps. Did lots of expensive stuff. 8000 psi bridge beams, nuke plant, etc.

    First sentence though - It's a big truck with square wheels lol.
     
  10. authentic251

    authentic251 Light Load Member

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    Congrats on the operating gig. If you don't mind me asking, how did you go about getting into that?
     
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  11. Fold_Moiler

    Fold_Moiler Road Train Member

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    Thanks man, to be honest my wife is friends with the owners daughter and she gave me a super good reference and her dad liked me.

    It’s a pretty small company. I wouldn’t even know about them if it wasn’t for her. They are suuuuuper busy though so they needed another guy mid season. I’ll start on a truck and they will cross train me.
     
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