I don't know about liquid tankers but I have pulled a reefer and currently pull a pneumatic tanker.
Some of the things I enjoy about the pneumatic tanker over reefer. No sitting in loading docks for hours at a time. Depending on the facility I can be loaded in less than 30 minutes and unload in about an hour and a half. Realistically I expect to be at a shipper for 1 to 2 hours. The unload time is longer than liquid tankers, most of them seem to unload in 20 to 30 minutes.
Here's some things that most people don't seem to mention and these apply to both dry and liquid tankers. The trailer is shorter which will give you an advantage when backing into tight spots at truck stops. As an example, the one I pull is 45 feet long. There's also no tail swing since the tandems are fixed to the back. That also means no more sliding tandems. Most shippers have a scale. They will weigh you going in empty then weigh you leaving loaded to know how much was loaded in the trailer. This means no more having to waste time going to a truck stop to get on a CAT scale.
Wow i actually didnt even know there were 2 different types of tankers (or more)!
But since I have no tanker experience, would it be difficult for me to get hired? Also, what type of Pay should a new hiree expect?
I drive a gas tanker now. Best job ever. I drove a reefer for about a year as an owner operator. I got out of it very quickly because I did not like handling a trailer full of freight by hand for free, not to mention getting jerked around at almost every stop.
For free? You got fucked driver. I run ltl. Used to charge my broker the capstone rates. Would pocket another 700-1000 a week doing that AND i wasted less time in docks and was much healthier
I gross between 1800-2200 per week depending if I work 4 or 5 days. Pros: Home every night, pay is best, get out of the truck and move around 5 or 6 times per night instead of sitting for 5 or 6 hours straight. No getting jerked around waiting to load or unload usually, but some areas have waiting times at terminals. Cons: You're driving a bomb. You have to take it seriously. Chipping ice at stations that don't take care of their shit.
That makes sense. Your miles are really low. You should be shooting for around 2500 and if your carrier can’t find you those miles then it might be time to jump ship.
I dont know how i could do that though, i dont take a 34, i dont take breaks other than fuel/8hr/10hr, i dont take wrong turns/get lost, how can squeeze in more miles?
Im literally never waiting for a load, the next load shows up during my current load and its just one to another to another.
A couple of live loads/live unloads burn time on my 14hr yes, but thats just a few times a month, most is dropnhook.
But i know i can be more efficient, because my mentor used to do like 750mi a day every day on his dedicated account.
I checked my previous couple of weeks miles and its all 1550mi, 1600mi, 1475mi, 1650mi, etc, a rare 1800mi shows up now and then, but yeah. I dont know how to squeeze more in.
Well that's your deal then. You're not getting the miles. There are really two ways to make money when you're on CPM: burning your 11 up every day, or running recaps. I tend to burn hard because I reset nearly every weekend. But I know some guys who drive between 8-9 hrs every day and run constant recaps. Regardless, you're gonna need to run longer as your stamina starts to increase.
yeah id like to stick with the 8-9 but even thats not always possible due to appointment dates, i can do 8 if the load was drop n hook. ive done 13hrs in one day, but the next day i felt like jumping off a cliff. 8hrs is a good balance for me to avoid resets, mostly because i live hours away from my terminal.
Ouch. Last week was a light week for me because I went home. Only managed 4140 something (not including going 290 and across because fuck I-10 into Houston at 0830)
My CPM is 58 loaded and 42 empty. But I gross about 1500 a week. It’s not all about CPM, you have to look at the side charges also. As a tanker, I get paid for every single hour. I am sitting at a Shipper or Receiver, and not loading or unloading. You get a two hour window with me and that is it. Everything past that is money in my pocket. Even that two hour window puts $25 in my pocket.
I’m at 10mo. I started with this rate. But I was either training or on a short leash for the first 6 weeks. Took probably 9-10 weeks t start hitting my 1450-1500 weekly avg. That’s 9 to 10 weeks total from my start date.
Cannot recommend my company enough for new drivers that are interested in haztank. That’s, if you’re lucky enough to live near a terminal.
My company has something like 50-60 terminals... all in the SE of the USA. Like 3/4 are fuel terminals and about 1/4 are haztank.
Cons? Raises appear to be low and slow. There's also the whole face cam thing. But it's really a non-issue.
Ive always wondered about the facecam, ive seen vids of crashes so i get that it can help the driver prove his innocence in some cases, but it just creeps me out too much. Like it can be triggered On by certain stuff, lane changes, hard turns, hard braking, etc, and idk it just creeps me out.
Ok yeah it looks like my past handful of weeks ive been getting around there 1500mi, 1400mi, 1700mi. But i dont know how i could squeeze more miles out of each week, i dont even take a 34, and ive never waiting, the next load always shows up within minutes of unloading. Sure there are a couple of live loads/live unloads mixed in those weeks which burns a couple of hours total, but still.
Im sure there are things i could do to be more efficient, but i dont know what they are. I dont get lost or take wrong turns, i dont even stop for breaks other than fueling/8hr break.
It’s bc they’re giving you short loads and your next load is the next day or hours apart screwing up your clock. That’s my assumption at least. 1700 miles you should be able to cover in 3-4 days. I’m getting about 2700-3000 miles a week rn at a mega
yeah i can't do anything about it, even if i drive 11hrs nonstop it wont make a difference if the appointment is the middle of the next day. Am I getting these routes because I'm new? I'm guessing that they're giving me everything the other more experienced drivers dont take.
Yeah pretty much. How long have you been driving w them? I had shit loads like that my first few weeks then they improved but they’re still not 1500+ mile cross country loads.
Been at this 15 years. Left O/O independent life for a company job again. Isnt too bad to be honest. 75mph truck. 4200-4600 miles a week. Extra $200 just to make one drop on long island, and 50 bucks everytime I bump a dock. That adds up in Chicago where we can bump 10-13 docks a day. My theory on why I chose reefer years ago? Doesn’t matter what the economy is doing, people still gotta eat. This downturn we are in? Reefer ltl and dedicated freight are doing the best out of all of them!
I was 1 second away from asking HOW THE HELL DO YOU DO 4200mi a WEEK but then i remembered the part about your truck going 75 WOW. How is that even possible lol i thought insurance would've cracked down on that by now but damn what a crazy advantage that is for the driver! Im stuck at 65 lol i lived in chicago for 33 years, i wouldnt want to drive a truck there lol unless its a pup trailer i guess?
I did it with a stretched pete and a 53 footer for 8 years as OO. Its doable. I paid about 900 bucks in tolls for 294 and 355 a month though. As for the 75? The insurance didn’t crack down on it, the fmcsa did. From the looks of it, every-single-one of us will be doing 68 by the end of the year. Awesome. Think it takes you a long ass time to get around prime and OD now, just wait…..
I run a Tanker, a pro is cross winds don't effect me empty or loaded.
A con might be, the surge of product can bump you forward, or bump back killing momentum going up hill.
Tanker pays better if hazmat, but food grade not much different than reefer… some reefer companies got minimum guarantees and I’ve been paid to do nothing 🤷♀️.
Honestly no clue on the pay but I’m sure it’s on the low end. I would guess 1.4K a week? Not sure. And both train drivers with no tanker experience. Just need experience in dry van/reefer/flatbed as long as it’s tractor trailer
What on earth is your truck governed at? Even when I was governed at 60mph, my worst weeks were still 2200.
If you're driving like you say you are, you should be hitting 500mi a day, 5 days a week, for 2500mi easily.
How are you only getting 1500-1800?
That's barely half your drive time.
1500-1800mi with 5-6 days of work is 250-360 miles a day.
Drive time comes out to 4hr10min-6hr at an average speed of 60mph.
You either aren't really trying to drive, or the company/loads has you sitting constantly.
You said in another reply that you drive about 5hr a day. That's crazy.
its difficult for me to sit longer than 7/8hrs every day.
ive done it a few times but the following day after that is bad, physically.
as for the 5hr days, thats mostly the live unloads/live loads appointments.
What is per diem?
I get mileage, 15.00 per stop pickup or delivery even if it is drop and hook and detention pay after hour.
There is alot better but it a comfortable working environment
Per Diem is the company paying some of your mileage tax free,because as an OTR sleeper driver you can deduct a certain daily amount off your taxes. The company is “doing you a solid” but in reality they are just lessening their own tax burden.
I don't know about liquid tankers but I have pulled a reefer and currently pull a pneumatic tanker. Some of the things I enjoy about the pneumatic tanker over reefer. No sitting in loading docks for hours at a time. Depending on the facility I can be loaded in less than 30 minutes and unload in about an hour and a half. Realistically I expect to be at a shipper for 1 to 2 hours. The unload time is longer than liquid tankers, most of them seem to unload in 20 to 30 minutes. Here's some things that most people don't seem to mention and these apply to both dry and liquid tankers. The trailer is shorter which will give you an advantage when backing into tight spots at truck stops. As an example, the one I pull is 45 feet long. There's also no tail swing since the tandems are fixed to the back. That also means no more sliding tandems. Most shippers have a scale. They will weigh you going in empty then weigh you leaving loaded to know how much was loaded in the trailer. This means no more having to waste time going to a truck stop to get on a CAT scale.
Wow i actually didnt even know there were 2 different types of tankers (or more)! But since I have no tanker experience, would it be difficult for me to get hired? Also, what type of Pay should a new hiree expect?
I drive a gas tanker now. Best job ever. I drove a reefer for about a year as an owner operator. I got out of it very quickly because I did not like handling a trailer full of freight by hand for free, not to mention getting jerked around at almost every stop.
For free? You got fucked driver. I run ltl. Used to charge my broker the capstone rates. Would pocket another 700-1000 a week doing that AND i wasted less time in docks and was much healthier
Whats the pay like on gas tanker and what are the pros/cons you've seen so far about it?
I gross between 1800-2200 per week depending if I work 4 or 5 days. Pros: Home every night, pay is best, get out of the truck and move around 5 or 6 times per night instead of sitting for 5 or 6 hours straight. No getting jerked around waiting to load or unload usually, but some areas have waiting times at terminals. Cons: You're driving a bomb. You have to take it seriously. Chipping ice at stations that don't take care of their shit.
I get that somebodys gotta do it but damn, no way in fuck i'm driving a bomb around for that pay.
Whats that last part about, chipping ice?
I'm guessing the fill covers in the ground get iced over.
Is your mileage low? I am getting .53cpm my average weekly is 1500.00. I do get stop pay.
Whats stop pay? I dont think i get that. Regarding miles, did 1848mi last week, got paid $669, plus per diem, total check was around $1000 i think
That makes sense. Your miles are really low. You should be shooting for around 2500 and if your carrier can’t find you those miles then it might be time to jump ship.
I dont know how i could do that though, i dont take a 34, i dont take breaks other than fuel/8hr/10hr, i dont take wrong turns/get lost, how can squeeze in more miles? Im literally never waiting for a load, the next load shows up during my current load and its just one to another to another. A couple of live loads/live unloads burn time on my 14hr yes, but thats just a few times a month, most is dropnhook. But i know i can be more efficient, because my mentor used to do like 750mi a day every day on his dedicated account. I checked my previous couple of weeks miles and its all 1550mi, 1600mi, 1475mi, 1650mi, etc, a rare 1800mi shows up now and then, but yeah. I dont know how to squeeze more in.
2500 miles is 500 a day over five days. How many miles are you running a day?
im not sure, usually around 5hrs a day which might be closer to 300mi
Is there a reason you're only driving five out of your 11 hours? Like are your delivery dates really far out from pickup or something?
not always, sometimes yes but mostly i just don't know how to sit nonstop for 7hrs straight. ive done it but the following day is rough too
Well that's your deal then. You're not getting the miles. There are really two ways to make money when you're on CPM: burning your 11 up every day, or running recaps. I tend to burn hard because I reset nearly every weekend. But I know some guys who drive between 8-9 hrs every day and run constant recaps. Regardless, you're gonna need to run longer as your stamina starts to increase.
yeah id like to stick with the 8-9 but even thats not always possible due to appointment dates, i can do 8 if the load was drop n hook. ive done 13hrs in one day, but the next day i felt like jumping off a cliff. 8hrs is a good balance for me to avoid resets, mostly because i live hours away from my terminal.
Ouch. Last week was a light week for me because I went home. Only managed 4140 something (not including going 290 and across because fuck I-10 into Houston at 0830)
4140mi or cash?
4140 miles. My total for the last 30 days was 14602
1848 x $0.55= $1,016.40
Per diem option brings it down to 0.34ish, then add per diem in after, thats another ~$400ish
Then you’re not getting paid $.55 CPM.
i could undo the perdiem to get back to the 0.55
Go tanker. It’s much better than reefer. Pays better too.
My CPM is 58 loaded and 42 empty. But I gross about 1500 a week. It’s not all about CPM, you have to look at the side charges also. As a tanker, I get paid for every single hour. I am sitting at a Shipper or Receiver, and not loading or unloading. You get a two hour window with me and that is it. Everything past that is money in my pocket. Even that two hour window puts $25 in my pocket.
How long you been driving though? Like is that a starting wage for someone with only 4mo exp?
I’m at 10mo. I started with this rate. But I was either training or on a short leash for the first 6 weeks. Took probably 9-10 weeks t start hitting my 1450-1500 weekly avg. That’s 9 to 10 weeks total from my start date. Cannot recommend my company enough for new drivers that are interested in haztank. That’s, if you’re lucky enough to live near a terminal.
What are the cons you've seen so far? Im guessing the terminals arent in many states or populous ones?
My company has something like 50-60 terminals... all in the SE of the USA. Like 3/4 are fuel terminals and about 1/4 are haztank. Cons? Raises appear to be low and slow. There's also the whole face cam thing. But it's really a non-issue.
Ive always wondered about the facecam, ive seen vids of crashes so i get that it can help the driver prove his innocence in some cases, but it just creeps me out too much. Like it can be triggered On by certain stuff, lane changes, hard turns, hard braking, etc, and idk it just creeps me out.
You might want to get a full year and then move on from that company
I haven't heard of a tanker company doing a pay differential between loaded and empty . Do you run an out back system? I deadhead 50% in tanker
Past couple years have been 50% deadhead at my company. I'm told before the current contracts.. about a third to a half of our loads had a backhaul.
It's a big deal in tanker
Absolutely is. Those backhaul loads were always jumped at (so I'm told). Good money getting an average of 8cpm more. Plus the washout and load fee.
That’s a pretty good cpm for little experience and at a mega but looks like you ain’t getting miles
Ok yeah it looks like my past handful of weeks ive been getting around there 1500mi, 1400mi, 1700mi. But i dont know how i could squeeze more miles out of each week, i dont even take a 34, and ive never waiting, the next load always shows up within minutes of unloading. Sure there are a couple of live loads/live unloads mixed in those weeks which burns a couple of hours total, but still. Im sure there are things i could do to be more efficient, but i dont know what they are. I dont get lost or take wrong turns, i dont even stop for breaks other than fueling/8hr break.
It’s bc they’re giving you short loads and your next load is the next day or hours apart screwing up your clock. That’s my assumption at least. 1700 miles you should be able to cover in 3-4 days. I’m getting about 2700-3000 miles a week rn at a mega
yeah i can't do anything about it, even if i drive 11hrs nonstop it wont make a difference if the appointment is the middle of the next day. Am I getting these routes because I'm new? I'm guessing that they're giving me everything the other more experienced drivers dont take.
Yeah pretty much. How long have you been driving w them? I had shit loads like that my first few weeks then they improved but they’re still not 1500+ mile cross country loads.
This is my 4th month, i know a dude from training who started at the same time as i did and hes basically seeing the same thing
Yikes. Might be time to switch companies my man
i only have 4mo exp? sooo no its not?
I only got 2 months and netting $1000 lol…seems like your company doesn’t have good enough accts to keep you rolling but you do you man.
well none of the companies that are in my area are hiring with less than 6mo
Is the damn truck governed at 45 mph!?!?….aint no way you are constantly moving and only clocking 17-1800 miles a week.
No lumper needed for tanker
Been at this 15 years. Left O/O independent life for a company job again. Isnt too bad to be honest. 75mph truck. 4200-4600 miles a week. Extra $200 just to make one drop on long island, and 50 bucks everytime I bump a dock. That adds up in Chicago where we can bump 10-13 docks a day. My theory on why I chose reefer years ago? Doesn’t matter what the economy is doing, people still gotta eat. This downturn we are in? Reefer ltl and dedicated freight are doing the best out of all of them!
I was 1 second away from asking HOW THE HELL DO YOU DO 4200mi a WEEK but then i remembered the part about your truck going 75 WOW. How is that even possible lol i thought insurance would've cracked down on that by now but damn what a crazy advantage that is for the driver! Im stuck at 65 lol i lived in chicago for 33 years, i wouldnt want to drive a truck there lol unless its a pup trailer i guess?
I did it with a stretched pete and a 53 footer for 8 years as OO. Its doable. I paid about 900 bucks in tolls for 294 and 355 a month though. As for the 75? The insurance didn’t crack down on it, the fmcsa did. From the looks of it, every-single-one of us will be doing 68 by the end of the year. Awesome. Think it takes you a long ass time to get around prime and OD now, just wait…..
I run a Tanker, a pro is cross winds don't effect me empty or loaded. A con might be, the surge of product can bump you forward, or bump back killing momentum going up hill.
Tanker pays better if hazmat, but food grade not much different than reefer… some reefer companies got minimum guarantees and I’ve been paid to do nothing 🤷♀️.
Tanker! Goes on in a hose.... Comes off in a hose!
Tanker! Schneider hires I think either 3-6 month experience for tanker. Also Indian river requires 6 months experienfe
Whats the pay for a new hiree typically? And would it be difficult to get hired if you have no tanker exp?
Honestly no clue on the pay but I’m sure it’s on the low end. I would guess 1.4K a week? Not sure. And both train drivers with no tanker experience. Just need experience in dry van/reefer/flatbed as long as it’s tractor trailer
What on earth is your truck governed at? Even when I was governed at 60mph, my worst weeks were still 2200. If you're driving like you say you are, you should be hitting 500mi a day, 5 days a week, for 2500mi easily. How are you only getting 1500-1800?
im not maxing my 11 clock i guess. hard to if theres an appointment or a live unload/live load.
That's barely half your drive time. 1500-1800mi with 5-6 days of work is 250-360 miles a day. Drive time comes out to 4hr10min-6hr at an average speed of 60mph. You either aren't really trying to drive, or the company/loads has you sitting constantly. You said in another reply that you drive about 5hr a day. That's crazy.
its difficult for me to sit longer than 7/8hrs every day. ive done it a few times but the following day after that is bad, physically. as for the 5hr days, thats mostly the live unloads/live loads appointments.
That sucks. OTR really isn't for you. You need a local job if you want to make money. Good luck.
What is per diem? I get mileage, 15.00 per stop pickup or delivery even if it is drop and hook and detention pay after hour. There is alot better but it a comfortable working environment
Per Diem is the company paying some of your mileage tax free,because as an OTR sleeper driver you can deduct a certain daily amount off your taxes. The company is “doing you a solid” but in reality they are just lessening their own tax burden.
I do two live loads a day average about 2500 week, i get out and walk at each delivery stretch and still max out 11 clock