New CDL driver Tanker vs flatbed

Ya do realize your getting a skewed vote in here dontcha?




Not that i care but....


Flats baby. Go flats.

 

I pulled flats for six months then switched to tanker (both chemical and dry bulk) at TWT. Much prefer the tanks!

Been with TWT since August '13...no complaints. Good equipment that's well maintained. Not the highest paying tanker company out there, but my experience with management --- be it my home terminal or others ---- is that I'm supported/backed up.

Various terminals operated differently, i.e., different runs/hauls, hometime; some even have different trucks. My terminal (Decatur, AL) runs mostly 630's with only two 430's. Some terminals seem to have only 430's, which means their drivers tend to stay closer to home in those flat tops.

In Nov 2015, pay changed from cpm to percentage of load. Worked out great for me. Nice thing about percentage is that when the company raises the rate on a load, the drivers get a raise.

 

I've seen 5$-6$ a mile. You have to remember 99% of the time you have to deadhead back and get a wash. This is passed on to the customer. This works out to 2.5$ to 3$ mile one way, same as anything else.

 

When you say Jacksonville, are you referring to Jacksonville Florida?

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

OTR & LTL - over the mountains - through the woods - coast to coast - sea to shining sea

The OTR & LTL truck drivers of America are positively the driving force of our economy.

 

Tanker. Have had HazMat and Tanker for six years, working in the oil field and would find it hard to go back unless it was a great windshield job like a line haul outfit.

Having not done flat bed cannot give you advice for what that is all about but I can't personally see the appeal of tarping, strapping etc outside year round.

Plus tanker generally pays more throughout the industry.

 

I pull a def tanker. Super easy, pull into plant and get a load. Once loaded dump it in my warehouse where another driver with a straight truck fills small customers or I'll go fill stops that are 1000 or more gallons.

I love it, the hardest part is running the hose, which isn't hard... I've been driving for 9 months it's my second job. I'll only pull tanker from now on.

I'm paid by the hour so if I have a 3 hour wait in line to fill I'm still paid.