Usa or central refrigerated

I have hazmat and it has helped me a few times. I have gone to places where 3 or 4 trucks are sitting waiting on a load and I come right in and leave cuz the only thing avail at the time was a hazmat. Most of my hazmat loads were really long loads. Last one I took was front royal va to Reno nv.

 

I'm not against hazmat. I just don't think a new driver needs it. Enough to learn out here in your first year without that being added to the pile. I am thinking about it but still leaning towards not. I know it can help if I ever decide to leave USA but most places give you 6 months to get it. I know I'll pass the back ground as Tennessee has run quite a few on me in the last several years. EMT every two years and my carry permit every 5 years. I am not worried about passing a hazmat (feds run me at the same time as Tennessee) I can administer drugs because of it so I'm sure they'll let me pull haz.

If you have any more questions about USA feel free to pm me. I'll answer what I can and find the answers for what I can't. I'm still new enough to not be jaded but been here long enough to acknowledge the bumps.

Sent from somewhere out there

 

I agree with you in theory, but not as a practical matter. You are right about that first year. However you have to temper this with understanding some drivers have a shorter learning curve and can handle the extra responsibility required when pulling a haz-mat load. This means the driver as retiredsarge has stated is in a position to possibly get loaded quicker. As a side note to this I can't help but laugh at a situation several weeks ago where I got loaded ahead of another driver that actually was at the dock before me, the only difference between us? I had a TWIC card he did not and had to wait to be escorted. I know there is a big debate on these boards about this TWIC card requirement, and I won't get into it. However I have found life as an OTR driver much simpler with the TWIC. Sometimes not having a haz-mat endorsement and not having a TWIC card along with a felony on your record can really limit you. I have a good friend that had to be flown to Detroit a number of years ago. He was sent there to pick up a load because the driver was denied admission into Canada because of a felony. I am not privy to all of the background stuff in this case, but I know that driver lost a great good paying job because of that felony. The company owner said he had way too much freight going into Canada and because his fleet was very small he could not have a truck where the driver was prohibited from entering. How driver got hired I do not know.

 

and pay my own taxes on top of that..!!!


Buddy, the best thing you can do is run ,run as fast as you can from that job... you can easily find a $10+ taxes paid on most any job except maybe fast food..

 

edit dbl post

 

Your correct. The learning curve is different fir everyone. Could I have handled hazmat from day one ? Probably, especially considering I know mire about haz and his to handle it than mist drivers. I was Ob a haz clean up team for 3years at FedEx main hub in Memphis. Not much to know as a driver. How to handle routing and basic proximity issues. It's not hard but important. I think it's more of a mental issue when new and still learning the basics. But I would never te someone to wait to get it.

As for waiting on a load because I don't have it? Never haz to that I know of. And my fm would have said something if only just to bust my b**ls. I've never come across a TWIC card issue either but I plan on getting it anyways.

All in all my limited experience advice would be to get West you can in endorsements as they can only help you. But understand what they are and what can be asked of you once you get them.

Sent from somewhere out there

 

Ahhh I love fast typing on a phone with fat fingers and an auto correct that hates me.

Sent from somewhere out there

 

USA if ya just want to drive, Central if ya want to do some real work. Might learn a lot more with refers, and if you have a military back ground that's a plus with Central.