Petroleum tanker newb

He's getting paid by the hour, how can he ask for more momey to load and unload?

 

The petroleum company I worked at paid by the hour and extra for loading and unloading that's how.

 

That doesn't mean anything. I bet all companies have something agin them. And paid training, and health ins. ? Don't forget that.

 

And no #### cell phone or smart phone anywhere near or on you when loading. If that thing lights off you will cremate right there on top of the tanker while standing over a hatch.

Fuel is a excellent gig, but watch your spine. I have witnessed first hand many old tankers backs go snap when they throw one too many hose. Work easy, work slow. Do not be in a hurry.

Fuel is one thing I wont haul. My family has hauled it in war and survived a runaway on Big Savage back in the 50's with one.

If you are any familiar with your area going back 50 years you will understand that tankers wreck in specific places about once a year and burn out the highway bridge or whatever else they wreck at. I-83 at 695 north comes to mind, it has a 40 mph ramp under the freeway and that bridge gets burned out at least annually.

 

Ok then

 

Do a good job, then move on when you can. $18 bucks an hour tops is low wages to haul fuels.[/QUOTE]

$18/hr is probably above average in Florida. mostly trip pay down here in South Florida

 

Sounds like a common carrier that will hire anyone. Nothing against you it's just the way that business is. Look at it close. Do they go through drivers a lot? That's you first indication on how the company is. Talk with some of their drivers. Make sure you talk to more than one. Look at the equipment. Gasoline tankers should be clean and everything in it's place. Find out who they deliver to. Do they haul more diesel than gasoline? Do you have a set dispatch or do you get one at the beginning of your shift? That doesn't really matter except that a dispatch at the beginning of a shift means you're busy.

The biggest thing you need to do is look real close at the benefits a long with the pay. First would be medical. What the co-pay. Is it 80-20 or 70-30, or if you're extremely lucky 100% paid by the company. But you don't see those much anymore. Do you have Dental care. Is it for you or the whole family? How much do they pay there. Most treatments you pay 50% and regular treatments such as cleaning are free. It all varies so look close. How about retirement. Most will have a 401K for the company. But some will offer a saving and retirement savings. In the saving account whatever you put into it the company will match to a certain %. Like if you put into 4% of your wages the company will match it. 4 is the limit there. However, you can borrow money from that account and end up paying yourself back. Now the retirement account they will invest up 6% if you deposit more than 6%. No two companies are alike so you really have to look close. The whole point here you have to find out if $18 a hour is tops or are they hidden monies that can make you more.

 

When I started out, we used to top load, but they switched to bottom loading back then, mostly due to the pollution from the fuel vapors. This was before the Scully overfill sensor system was invented.

If you were not watching the fuel going into each compartment, those stupid float valves didn't work like they were supposed to, and you had to be watching that fuel meter real good or else take a bath when the safety dome blew open. Seen it happen all to many times back then.

When I left hauling gasoline's/diesel fuel/Jet-Fuel/Av-Gas and all that for hauling Propane, it was like night and day.

One fuel, pressurised, going into one smooth-bore thick steel tank, not aluminum, was terrific. And when Propane does "spill" it evaporates! Problem is that it tends to be seasonal work, due to the weather getting warm, whereas hauling petroleum fuel is 365 days a year work.

There is no way in hades I would haul petroleum fuel for 18 bucks per hour, no matter where in the USA it was. And it better be overtime after 8 hours. I like my skin right where it is, unburned.