Questions about different jobs

Make both companies put you in contact with CURRENT drivers doing the type of trucking you are considering. Ask those drivers about company details (pay, schedule, cost of benefits, etc). No ad, nor recruiter comment is sufficient or more reliable than what current drivers are experiencing at the company.

 

@michaelj123xx, current hazmat tanker driver here....

Linehaul with Estes will be home daily. You don't give us enough info about the hazmat tanker option to know if it's home daily, weekly, or what.

With the hazmat tanker option--ask around to find out if the tank trailers you'd be pulling there have baffles/compartments in them--or not.

That will make a BIG DIFFERENCE in how difficult that job is (due to front-to-back, & back-to-front liquid surge).

I haul fuel, so the tank trailers have compartments, for different types of fuel. Thus--It's much easier work.

Also ask what kind of protective gear you'd have to wear while loading & unloading the tank. Do you need to wear a full "space suit"? Or just a hard hat, goggles/safety glasses, good boots, and/or long sleeves and/or gloves?

If you need to wear a full suit in the summertime to load and/or unload--that's something you definitely need to think about.

For linehaul: you need to learn/think about what it's really like to put together/break down a set of doubles in bad weather, at night, & in a yard that might not be paved. Especially as a new(er) driver.

That's one reason why linehaul pays so well. Those people earn it!

For your hazmat tanker opportunity: spills will (at some point) happen. Spills suck. Find out what you need to do/what the procedure is--when you have a spill. Find out how current drivers prevent them. Then think about all that.

With linehaul, you will probably be making the EXACT SAME run, night after night, for a LONG TIME. This level of routine could get quite boring. This is what keeps me out of linehaul/LTL work. Ask yourself--can I handle doing the very SAME run, for long periods of time?

The tanker option will very likely offer much more variety (and that's one BIG reason why I haul fuel, vs doing linehaul).

With linehaul--you will likely still spend some time bumping docks. With tanker duty--bumping docks is a thing of the past. Which would you prefer?

With linehaul--backing up is very problematic (with more than one trailer). You don't want to put yourself in a position where you need to back up, with a set of doubles. With tanker, it's usually pretty easy--especially when compared to dry van, or other boxes.

And....as you might guess....pulling a round (or oval-shaped) trailer is much, much easier in very windy conditions--vs a box (or boxes).

With either job option--find out what the company's cell phone policy is, while driving. Can you wear a headset, and still make/receive calls? Or no cell phone use AT ALL (even with a headset) while the truck is moving? Don't accept a job offer without a clear understanding of the cellphone use policy (especially with hazmat tanker).

Line haul will very likely involve slip seating. The other job--maybe, or maybe not--& BE SURE to find out. Do some serious soul-searching on whether or not you can tolerate slip seating. In my opinion--slip seating really sucks. Especially if your slip seater is a slob (and mine is). You usually don't get to choose who you slip seat with, either.

Hope all (or at least some) of this "food for thought" helps out.

--Lual

 

As one of my co-workers likes to say "you can't eat benefits."