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You have to have some dead head miles I did around 3,000 mi last month empty 1000 from Florida to Delaware another 1000 mile trip from southern Cali to Washington state Joplin MO to Memphis.This is just what I remember off the top of my head. I will agree the the area you are in sucks to get miles but you have to remember it just a small portion of the US.

 

I hear you on the weight my loads very from 78,000 to 79,500. I just did a run from Baltimore stopped in Bensalem PA then up to Brockton Ma it was around 500 miles I took the long way so I wouldn't have to do the GWB. and still ended up in stop and go traffic that was a 10.5 hr day and yes I was loaded. It can be done is all I am saying would I want to do loads there every day NO that is for sure but up around Buffalo I can handle.

 

Your just saying you can’t run in the north east in NJ & NY &Pa that really has nothing to do with what kind of trailer you’re pulling.That was my original point the fact is you can run just as many miles pulling a tank as a van.You chose to by limiting yourself on where you want to work.And as you said only half of your miles are loaded.So if you’re running 400 miles a day your only doi 200 miles loaded .

 

I'm not sure what you are referring to here. Are you saying that Tankers travel at a slower speed on the road or that the process of loading and unloading takes longer leaving less time to drive?.

I do food grade tanker and I do quite a bit of drop and hook. My truck does 72 MPH on cruise and 600-700 miles days are not uncommon. My short sub 500 mile days are due to the regional aspect of the regular customers I service.

When there is a live load/unload, I don't touch anything other than my pen to sign BOLs and I only climb ladders to check seal numbers, if warranted. If there is a mess, the customer made it and they clean it up.

Not all food grade is as you are describing.

 

Sounds like you run for Tyson, if so you probably pick up oil at the port in Newark. I see Tyson and other companies loading oil there daily. I can surmise this because I am regularly at that port picking up from a dedicated shipper we have there. I have to agree, loading oil looks messy when I see drivers on top of tanks with dipsticks checking levels. That entire corner of Marsh St looks like an oil slick.

My point is that I run the NE almost exclusively (PA, NJ, NY and Canada) and 3,000 mile weeks are the norm. Granted, your particular company/customers may not allow for that many miles, but that does not hold true for all Northeast food grade tanker.

 

A while back -- I realized I was working with and around far too many "dipsticks".

That's a BIG REASON that I got into trucking in the first place -- it was an office-free situation that put all the "dipsticks"...at a distance.

Yes -- there are indeed still plenty of "dipsticks"....in dispatch, terminal managers, load planners, etc....but at least they are no longer nearby....where I can physically coldcock them with a baseball bat for all the "dipstick" things they say & do.

Thus, life obviously still isn't perfect -- but it is better now.

Back during the height of covid -- I had to choose between a cryo job running the northeast, or a fuel job in the deep south.

Mainly to avoid all the incredible "dipstick"-level covid restrictions in place at that time -- I chose the job running the deep south.

@LadeDi -- maybe you could use a change of scenery...i.e., run more loads outside of the northeast.

In any case -- clearly, I can earnestly vouch for making your life as dipstick-free as possible.

-- L

 

I'm based out of Maine, run tanker in a 65mph truck and I regularly do 600+ miles a day lol. Yes even going south on I-95. I did a regular run to baltimore for years and that was usually 9.5 hours for 550 miles and thats taking the cross bronx south. Going north I take 17 up to 287 then cut over to 95. And thats not running overnight, I'm solar powered lol. I'm not trying to bash you or anything but to say its not possible in the north east is just lol.