Questions about the glass-haulers out there?

If you want to be an o/o and haul glass it will have to be for one of the smaller outfits. Lots of the Megas are starting to pull barge stoce glass. Kinda scary.

I would say very little flatbe experience is needed to pull glass. It relatively simple. Strap it down and tarp. The loads are reticle uniform and sharp around the edges but only around the edges. That makes it easy to pad and tarp.

I personally enjoyed hauling glass and would go back to it if what I’m doing now dries up.

Here’s a few picture from when I hauled glass at maverick.

 

I used to haul auto glass for the Astro Vans under GM in Baltimore out of Lexington KY to GM in Baltimore dedicated team. We used a curtain side step deck with mini European tech trailer tandems which was interesting.

GM is closed in Baltimore. It's not so much as stealing a load, there are plenty of loads. Get in line lol.

I worry about the megas like swift hauling glass. I want to stay away from them then.

I once got hit when a tempered plate glass failed on one of my work tables and raced towards me really fast. I moved as ever faster but not quite fast enough. The ER visit was expensive and the cut was painful even today in certain weather situations it's painful. I actually took internal injury from moving really fast. Doctor told me don't do that again, Children get to do that but not me. (Tendons and bone attachment under muscle loading, they are somewhat elastic in kids but not in adults) when I moved to really displace really fast the bone under the tendon got stressed a little bit which at the time led to other issues that turned out to be deeper bone issues. It's funny how that works. Everything I have now with bone stems from that particular accident and scan at the hospital.

Ive been afraid of that kind of glass when it finally cuts. the edges are seriously sharp. I want no part of it.

 

Buddy used to haul glass he loved it ... from stuff he’s told me you want proper training .. never get glass wet is a big one most loads are shot from them sticking together apparently

 

Yes indeedy they are tight lipped.

FFE gave me a nice half inch thick paper book the size of a notebook once at orientation. They stated that all the shippers and recievers are in the book UNLESS SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS are in the satellite dispatch. I told them LOL all I need is the actual physical address of the shipper or customer and I'll stick that into the GPS on my laptop that knows where it is in the USA down to 10 feet. Just like they can. I only touched that book maybe once in my time there. It sat in the bottom of the drawer the whole time.

True Owner operators are really silent about their customers. I interviewed one one time who was pretty much ready to send his long hood pete and 48 foot carrier out to Louisiana with a load of Hanover Foods from PA up north and frankly told me that I would get lost in LA. (Louisiana)

Oh? Lost? In LA? No no no no. Try me, where is this place while pulling my briefcase and it's maps of LA up onto his desk. Let's take care of the directions right here. (This is pre-internet. All paper. Try me)

he knows #### well where it's at in LA. But he would not tell me. I asked him why? That's proprietary information.

Then I put 2+2 together and told him I don't think I will be hired to take that rig to LA with the load of Hanvoer cookies to pick up a load of seafood locally picked back to Harrisburg. He smiled and said look at this...

Pulls open a drawer shows me about 8 inches high of one page applications I just filled out. I don't know exactly how many, but best guess based on pulling International Paper would be around 1400 applications in that drawer by height and count. Then he says he intends to go through all of them. And about 98% of them have years of experience unlike months of experience I had still in my very first year at 21.

I told him that if you send me to hanover now and then to LA the money part is fine, the phone is set and all I need is the Permit bag, bingo card for the truck and registration and your fuel card. Let's do it right here and now this hour. We will make it to both places as scheduled by Tuesday and thursday for the round trip. (About 1050 miles to LA say Sildell.)

He says no. That truck sits until I interview all these drivers.

To be honest with you I think to this day that's a brush off. He aint gonna be sitting that truck down and lose out on 4000 a week what with the truck payments, insurance and so on constantly chomping on his money to interview personally 1400 people. Who knows. I never got the job. Partly because he would not reveal information detailed enough to possibly get his loads from him. (Which I completely understand... it's one of his money baskets...)

 

Glass won’t disappear if the megas get involved but they are not historically known for driving the rates up when they break into a new market.

Right now I’m hauling oversized Aerospace parts. Making very good money and I enjoy working for the people I do.

 

I haul glass as a company driver. I enjoy it very much.

There are limited options for doing it as an owner operator. Landstar has about a dozen trucks, but there is a waiting list. Moore Freight Services hires owner operators, but when I checked into it, I was not impressed with the rate. At that time at least, they were paying a flat rate rather than a percentage of the load.

Maverick has a few independent contractors. However, you have to start with them as a company driver and be there at least a year before you can get on the waiting list. You must lease a truck from them; you cannot bring your own initially.

System Transportation and E. W. Wylie have gotten into the glass business over the last couple of years or so. I’m not sure whether they hire owner operators or not. Combined also hauls glass, but I’m not certain about owner operators there either. Daily Express does hire owner operators, but I’m not certain how their process works.

It is difficult to get in the glass business as an independent.