New Cdl Driver - planning 1st job

Most tanker companies want you to have 1 year of driving a semi-truck before they hire you for tanker. The tanker companies that do hire newbies are almost all food-grade tanker companies. I’d look at Indian River Transport, Oakley Transportation, Western Dairy Transport.

 

Put your wife and children first and go for tankers. Why pull dry vans unless money isn't a priority.

 

Somebody want to explain to me all the hate for dry vans?

I don't get it? The first priority in starting in trucking should be finding a trucking company that will screw you over the least. Who really cares if it is dry van or tanker? It really doesn't matter.

If you know how to drive and you know trucking, there is nothing 'specialized' about most tanker work. If you know nothing about trucking, sure tanker should be looked at carefully. Which is why more tanker companies don't take on new drivers.

With a manual restriction, and no doubles, and no experience, the OP has really cut down on the number of tanker companies that will even look at his application. The newbie hiring season is almost over this year, and people are advising this person to chase a job market that is not even there.

 

I'd suggest a year at least.
Alot of tanker is Hazmat. I have a close friend who did fuel hauling. He said there's just too much to it. Extra work, details etc. He wouldn't suggest anyone without experience haul fuel.
Now hauling non Hazmat tanker might not be bad. You could haul for Hershey out of Penn. ???
If you insist....You might try Pilot fuel hauling. Or even Loves. Pilot is always hiring. You're home everyday. Start about 2am. You're always hauling the same thing...diesel. So no switching paperwork and such. Paid by the hour. Don't have to worry about sitting at the terminal to load. It's just under $100k a year. Easy with a little overtime to get over 100.
My last best job I ever had was a dedicated coast to coast Hazmat run. He required 5 years experience to drive for him. Acids and alcohols in pallet sized totes. Actually pulled a reefer. Rarely used the reefer part. Some of that stuff required temperature control. Not too hot. Not too cold.

 

You should try Carmyn. If the baby didn't do it for me. The dog did.
Be careful of those class B trucks. They're all defective. Back one up to a dock. Looking in the mirrors. Turn the wheel. It goes the wrong way! Defective! Defective I tell ya! Defective!

 

Just get to the point...what are you trying to say?....lol

 

Apply anyway to Carmyn. An opening can be available at any minute; someone quits or is fired or flunks a physical.

 

The doggie will thank you.
.
Seriously...Always get out all the apps you can. Once out there. Don't worry about those who try to accuse you of "job hopping". That's just manipulative language. That's all. Every one hopes they might be the one you stay with. There will be one. They all know how it goes and things not working out for you. My last job I loved and overall was my best ever. My many past jobs didn't phase him one bit. Even though I had worked for a large corporation for 18 years. Lotsa money, benefits and all. My last job was for a very small trucking company. Four drivers. Based in a State far away from home. Home every week for 2 days. Boss was great. Good money. If you had the experience. He might hire you? Richmond is a ways from Winchester. I'm right on the path. Drivers had to take a 34 here. That's why he hired me here. He required 5 years experience. It was a coast to coast dedicated Hazmat run. From Winchester Virginia, to Portland Oregon. Every once in a while. We'd pop over to Manassas and deliver a robot or two from Portland. Then back to Winchester to unload the Hazmat. It was all pallet sized totes. He was based out of the Cleveland Ohio area. Oh and the best part. Cutting clear across Penn. without paying one single toll. I loved doing that. I hate Penn.'s crooked government. Drove right in front of the fairgrounds where Trump was shot, regularly. That was so good with my boss. He was the owner. He visited me in the hospital here in Rapid, when I was forced into retirement. He lives and based out of the Cleveland OH area. Great job!
Since I retired, I've had four employers contact me. One I never worked for. Don't know why I didn't? Was just contacted by a local guy I worked for hauling cement powder in a pneumatic tanker. Mostly up to the Oil Fields in ND. To be honest, If I had stayed with him. I probably wouldn't have had to retire with my physical problems. The job required lotsa short runs. Out of the truck alot loading and unloading. I wouldn't have created the health problems from a sedentary lifestyle. The medical researchers have determined that a sedentary lifestyle is worse than smoking. This local pneumatic tanker job. To be honest. It just didn't pay enough. I couldn't pay my bills. Only reason I left.
Four jobs want me back? You got people out there saying job hopper, job hopper. They're just tiny little punks who found a catchy manipulative phrase.You don't want to work for them anyhow.
BTW: First job. I thought I got the best. I got screwed. Terminal Manager himself lied to me about it. Did pneumatic tanker for my first job. You can't trust nobody. On this and the job hopper punks. I'd tell any job possibilities. I stayed at my first job for a year, just to show I'm stable. Put up with a bunch of s h i t. You don't want to hear it.

 

Do one year at one job. Shows you're stable.
I disagree with dry van being at the bottom. I put reefer at the bottom. Entire time I did reefer, I was overtired. I wasn't worth a darn. Night day night day all the time.
One that is seemingly always hiring is Pilot fuel hauling. It's easier than most Hazmat. Haul the same thing constantly. Pay by the hour. So you don''t have to worry about sitting at the terminal to load up. Just under $100k/yr. Little overtime puts you over 100. Home everyday. Local.