So why doesn't everyone drive fuel tankers?

That's why I always tell people to stay out of debt. Too many people just don't get the concept. But when you are over a barrel in your financial situation, the boss can smell the fear and weakness in you. He is a shark and will use that weakness agaibst you.

When you have a year's worth of living costs saved as cash, guess what? It changes your whole attitude, mood, everything about you is solid and confident. No ### kissing or worrying about being let go and having your house of cards fall in on you. This is how to "grow a pair" so you won't have to take BS from these lieing sharks! When the boss knows you can quit at any moment, and move to get a real job; his excuses for not paying you are helpless.

About that hazmat BS: Companies think drivers should do hazmat for nothing more or maybe just a wee bit more money. I haul hazmat on my flat a lot; I get $150-$300 more per load as a surcharge. Just that hazmat surcharge is more money than I got for a whole day pulling that company tanker. These companies are some of the biggest lieing sacks of crap anywhere, when they say "We can't pay you that!" I want you company guys out there to know for a fact, these bast$#@s can pay you double the average truck driver pay and still make a company profit.

You company sheeple just need to save cash, sell junk with loans attached, and GROW A PAIR!

 

I'm with ya triple6. I don't deny the fact that there's companies out there that will adhere to your demands. I just happen to know that around this neck of the woods, if I were to demand anything more than what they are willing to pay for, they'll simply say "hit the road", period.

The outfit I just left for example. Prior to the corporate merger that went down in January, a guy that did a good job that wanted a little extra for something got it, no questions asked. Since the takeover by the neckties...it's impossible to charge any extra for anything. They just say goodbye.

I had the same problem with the "fleet manager" they hired. He's an idiot, plain and simple. No reason to have him in that position because he's incapable of anything that makes sense, but that's the way they like it so he's untouchable. He made me miserable one too many times, so it lead to my demise among a couple other issues.

Just buying your own truck doesn't necessarily allow you to start making demands above and beyond what the carrier expects, or what the lease agreement states. If you can get away with all that, I say you're in a lot better position than the average guy is. I made demands over the years that I felt were reasonable and fair for both parties...but I am on the outside looking in years later because of their inability to see things from the same perspective as I do. I've been through some absolutely unbelievable scenarios with carriers over the years that made me think they were nuts, but in the end I didn't matter to them because there's always a long line of guys and gals waiting to get that job I had.

If you're talking about your company is willing to accept your above-and-beyond back-charges for delays, tarping, etc...you're doing pretty good where you're at, no doubt.

Buying a truck isn't for everyone, not for the faint-hearted either. It's a lot more work and responsibility than it is being an employee, but in the long run of you're willing to accept all the challenges, it beats dealing with waterheads in authority positions that don't have a clue.

Just my .02...

 

That's what I'm talking about....lol.

You're SPOT ON. Get out of debt, save your money and you'll have leverage to make these snakes squirm when they ask you to do things for free.

As for the "can't pay you any extra for that" syndrome...the outfit I just left a month ago, what a crock. I never saw a company deadhead and waste fuel and time and money like these people did in my entire career, and I been around the horn once or twice. I've been dispatched on a day's work that consisted of deadheading 150 miles to load, drive 27 miles to unload, and then drive 177 miles back home time after time after time again. You can't tell me they're not charging telephone numbers for the freight charge to afford that kind of insanity. I have multiple examples of me doing things like that, week after week, with a fleet of 200+ trucks doing the same dumb stuff just to cover loads. Guys that live 30 miles from point-of-origin dispatched 200 miles the opposite direction to load, and a guy down that end comes 200 miles from his home base to load my load 30 miles from my house...time after time, week after week...fuel being burnt/wasted like nobody's bidness. Poor planning, yet never admit it. Paid for every hour, no complaints... Just revealing that no matter what they tell you, they have to be charging astronomical rates to absorb that kind of evaporation. Yet they tell the owner-operator what he "thinks" it pays, and take 30% of that for themselves. I'd say it's more like the owner-op is getting 70% of a completely different rate structure in reality. "Sheeple" is the correct term for those that don't take this into perspective.

 

and what a heck of a first post it was

 

a friend of mine used to haul gasoline for ITL he said they did not pay well, and there was a lot of sitting around waiting to get loaded. and besides that you got to be in gas stations at all hours of the night in some pretty rough neighborhoods, he now has a good job at UPS. if you want to do the whole tanker thing then get into hauling them nasty chemicals u know the stuff that will melt ur lungs if ya breath it, there is some good money in that

 

As appealing as the money is all the in-town driving and crazy hours just totally put me off it. Much respect to those who do it.

 

Could you elaborate on that.....?

 

A that would be a HELL NO.....South Jersey, so a local guy.

 

And what happens is, they start having more and more incidents. Safety rating plunges, contracts are lost, rates are cut, more good drivers leave, more boneheads hired. It's like replacing a Superbowl winning team with a bunch of weekend warriors and still try to be competitive in the NFL.

If you cant get extra, you dont do extra. Leave your phone in your truck.

 

I would have to agree with some of what i read here as far as better pay goes, not really, at least not in my area, checked into it and rate is somewhere between 18. & 22. an hour.