Tanker Driver Job Ads

I've been driving 3 years and driving tanker for about 18 months now. I love driving tanker because I haul food grade oil which sloshes around less than water-based products, but it is still very slow to go and slow to stop. My trips are usually 175 - 250 miles to deliver, unload & then drive back to dedicated yard where I haul regional for a dedicated account. Every day I work at least 8 hours, rarely 7 hours and most of the time work a 12 hour day. Last Friday I worked 16 hours because customer didn't have room for product for 4 hours. Lately, I am seeing job ads offering $0.63 a mile for tanker and explaining a 16 hour work day. That's barely minimum wage for doing a job that 95% of truck drivers dread because of dealing with surge and slow moving due to the heavy load. Save yourself the trouble of starting and then having to get back off that low paying tanker truck. Tanker should pay $0.80 or better for the challenges tanker drivers deal with. There's no drop n hook in tanker -- we climb ladders, haul hoses, hook up hoses & deal with oily, greasy messes. Carriers are getting good money for tanker loads so don't let them short you on the money.

 

I am good with my food grade oil atm. May eventually go into cryo or possibly crude oil hauling, but I'm good with my northeast regional job for now. My post is trying to warn newer drivers from applying at these places advertising 60 cents a mile for tanker. One job even wrote 16 hour days. That's not enough money for the work.

 

I was going to make about 115k, but last two months work has slowed down to 5 days a week. Shipper had issues this past week causing my truck to sit & go into the shop for overdue minor stuff for last 3 days. On target to make about 89k as long as 5 days a week holds through year end. I am day rate, get per diem which makes a $200 a week difference in my paycheck and am working at one of the busier terminals with solid contracts unlike some of our mid-west terminals. Alot of drivers don't like the northeast and I get it, but contracts are in place so work is more reliable.