Prime Tanker Yankers- you happy?

No don't work for Prime

 

I'm curious about the tanker and reefer miles! I see the pay looks good, but are the weekly miles good as well?

 

Being a Tanker driver still worth for me, I don't wok for Prime anymore.
Prime tanker division is only food grade ( no chemicals ), job is easy if u follow procedures. I started at Prime to learn 2 be a trucker, I thought doing foodgrade at the beginning would be easier to learn things, such as to drive the truck, navigation and offloading, all low risks compare to a chemical OTR, I thought it at the beginning.
Training: ask for a experient trainer, 3+ years minimum. Starting at Prime with ur license in hand is 40k miles training, but takes a little more, don't go crazy counting seconds. Don't listen to the "is hard to drive a tanker", "the surge!" is a monster, yes, surge is annoying thing when u are a rookie.
Tankers are better than reefer for me, not bashing reefers, is just I started my training as a reefer at Prime, Prime trow me a curve ball, watch it! I didn't like at all the reefer, thanks to my trainer, he lack expertise and mentally lazy, also the receivers and shippers, I had some bad experiences with these guys, and the reefer on trailer, man that thing is loud!
Tankers receivers and shipper, yes there is also the bad and good in it, but they are most professionals and cool guys, few jerks. Miles, I don't know, yes reefers do more miles, but pay wise, I thinks all equals in any division at prime. Plus point:Tankers were easy for me to back up than reefer.
Headaches, you will be outside the cab offloading, (not always!), rain, shine or snow. You will need to set up hoses and put them back when u finish, go up trailer to open vent, sometimes raise trailer to make sure you don't leave product inside trailer. Follow procedures, checks seals and gaskets, and recheck before offloading, never rush yourself, make sure everything is tight and in place, lose an extras minutes rechecking, saves u a lot trying to stop leaks and cleaning! With time u will do it fast and u will learn new tricks, so you will not sweat much!
You will sleep in some receivers/shippers areas with nothing around,( I don't remember ever be parked by myself, or unsafe, always had others Prime or others companies trucks around), sleeping at washes, luckily most washes have wifi and shower, not the cleanest. Prime has a wash/terminal in Indiana.
Most Tankers drivers at Prime are always willing to help or answer any questions, you will make friends and very few are not so friend. Money, well not the best pay there, for that $, u need to learn how to be a trucker, keep your head cool, don't be paranoid! learn how to plan yours HOS, rollover hours happens, ( it happened to me only once, 2 weeks rollover hours ), when driving, how to get there fast and safely, when to drive 55mph and keep good fuel miles in your truck for bonus pay, and when u need 2 drive at 60mph, and eat that 600 miles run ( no hills ) and be there to offload next morning, try to unload before weekends and maybe get a new load, and keep yourself moving on weekends. Keep your dispatch informed that u will offload earlier and anything valuable that makes his job easy, they love good jokes!, if you can't tell jokes, don't be a crazy, paranoid driver!
few things off my head, hope it helps.
Better! Don't be a trucker! go back to college! just kidding, not really!

 

Great post,

thank you.

 

How's things going at Prime pulling tankers?

 

Whole lot of sitting.

 

I'm supposed to start Aug 7 Pittston PA terminal. I wanted tanker but do you think I'm better off going on the reefer side?. I'm fresh out of a community college cdl school.

 

I went Reefer side (Lease)...all is well thus far! I have no complaints...yet