Profile For Joe R.

Good afternoon everyone! Got my start in the industry about 7 years ago. I started out on a local, home daily account delivering food-grade bulk flour to bakeries. About 7 months in, I transitioned into the hazmat/tanker division and began on another local, home daily account, delivering various petroleum products. Due to an unforseen health issue, about 4 months ago I had to change positions to something that less physically demanding, so I accepted a teaching at a local school as CDL Instructor. If I can help anyone who may be thinking about attending CDL school or is already enrolled in CDL school, please feel free to reach out.

Thank you Bruce K and Marc Lee! I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be getting the experience while still being able to sleep in my own bee at night. 👍

Thanks a lot PackRat. I appreciate the kind words.

Seems like you have sailed under a lucky star, Joe, so good for you! I hope everything keeps working out for you and your family, too.

Thank you Banks! Much appreciated!

Congrats, Joe. Everything has a way of working itself out in the end. I'm happy for you and your family. If I ever need a tanker of flour, I know who to call.

Hi everyone, first let me begin my apologizing for my lack of posts & participation, but between work and four little ones, not a whole lotta time. I lurk when I can. Lol.

Several months ago, I posted about finding a local home daily job as a new driver with limited experience and proving how daunting it was. Time ane time again I'd submit the app., get a call, get 98% of the way through the app, then came the "experience" part followed by "call us when you have a year in."

Well, about 4-5 months ago, I was given a chance by my terminal manager with a local home daily company.

I started with a company called W.W. Transport. At my terminal, we operate dry-van, pneumatic tank and tanker. We're contracted by Con-Agra, now known as Ardent Mills. We haul bulk flour to bakeries around the tri-state area for the local drivers and northeast for the otr guys.

I filled out the app., recieved a call from a company rep followed by a phone call from my terminal manager. If I recall, the covo went close to something like this: "Hi Joe, I received your app for a Class-A driver. Your app. looks great, but I see here you've had your Class-A and all your endorsements for a couple years now but only have 4 weeks of truck driving school for experience?" I thought that was it, just like all the rest, I was expecting "Call when you get your year in." But to my surprise, it went on as follows: "Well, thats ok. I'd like you to come in for an interview and I'd like to send you for a road test as its been 2 years since you've been in a truck." Fast forward a couple days, I go in for my interview and go on my road test. Bossman said "I'd like to offer you a job. For the first 2-3 weeks, I'm going to keep you very close. I'm going to have you bobtail up to our repair shop with trucks that need maintenance and back with trucks that have been repaired. Then I'm going to have you pull empty tanks up to the wash bay that need to be dropped off for wash and bring clean ones back. This way you get reacclimated with driving, shifting, etc. After 2-3 weeks, I'll put you with a trainer for 1 week to learn the pneumatic tank operations then you'll set solo to run loads." I was so excited to be given the opportunity and really liked the way I was getting broken-in so to say. He told me that all he had available was 2nd shift, Noon-2pm start times to Midnight-2am end times. I started to feel stressed. My wife works evenings from 6pm to 10pm Mon thru Fri so I needed to be home by 5:30pm to care for the kids. I also share custody of my daughter and have her on weekends. So 2nd shift was going to not be feasible. I explained all this to him and he said "well, the first 4 weeks you'll be on days." That gave me a month to iron out everything with my family. As luck would have it, bossman came to me at the end of those 3 weeks after getting reacclimated with everything and said "I have one yard guy but I need another one. How would you feel about being my other yard guy?" He then proceeded to me what it would entail. He said "You'll shuttle trucks back and forth to the shop, tanks and trailers back and forth to the wash bay just like you've been doing. You'll also be a loader, you'll unload flour from the railcars into the tanks until all the hoppers are full then place them on line for the drivers to deliver to the accounts. You'll cover the "docks" meaning you'll move van trailers from the loading docks at one mill and bring them to the loading docks at the other mill and back them in and stage them for loading. Occasionally, you'll run down to the other Ardent Mills site and other railyard site to retrieve tanks and unload flour into our tanks then bring them back here to get them ready to be delivered. Also, since you have your tanker, I'll have you run the water tanker to the pre-treatment plant to get rid of the waste water from washing out the van trailers and tanks." I told him I would absolutely love to have this position. He said "with your wife working evenings, your children, your daughter etc., this position will have you home everyday no later than 5-5:30pm."

So far, its been wonderful! My start times are 4am and I'm done usually by between 12 noon - 3pm Mon-Fri. Off weekends one week, then I'll work weekends with a day off in the week the next. Working the "docks" moving those 53 footers around have really honed my backing skillset tremendously! I enjoy going out to the other mill sites as they're only an hour to an hour and a half out from the terminal. Usually between 40 and 70 miles one way. Each time I run, its gives me more experience out on the road but keeps me out of the BIG heavily congested areas like NYC, NJ, etc. Its a strong hourly rate position with as much overtime as you want. If you don't mind working, the work is there. I generally put in 58-60 hours a week with some weeks touching 70 hours. All time and half over 40 hours. I love going in early and getting done early as I have the remainder of the day with the kiddos. Its only 8 miles from home, takes only 12 minutes to get there, etc.

I just wanted to take a moment and share my success story with all of you. To the new drivers out here looking at this post, keep your chin up. Your time to shine will come. All I can say is patience and persistence. Something will eventually turn up.

- Joe

Amish Country, I know this is an older post, but I just finished it in its entirety. This is the field I'll be beginning in next week driving pneumatic tanker hauling flour. What an extensive entry you documented along the way. I'm very happy for you that you have been so successful up until this point and that you enjoy what you're doing. I too am the same way, with a wife and four little ones at home, I much prefer local cause it allows me to see them each day even if it is only for a few hours. I enjoyed reading your experiences along the way and hope to successful like yourself right out of the gate. Thanks again for taking the time to share all of this. - Joe

Thanks Marc Lee. I appreciate it. I was a little hesitant at first as I've been out of the game for a while, but once I climbed up in the truck, it all came right back. 👍

Yepper. He made it known he needed to fill the afternoon into the evening shift. Said he does best to get your 34 hour done over the weekend. Said he couldn't promoise every Sat and Sun off as there is weekend work at times but if you work weekend, you get rate and a half pay. He was very up front of what he needed.

I certainly understand your viewpoint G-Town. Rest assured, as soon as I begin, that truck and tank will get be getting thoroughly checked day in amd day so long as I have it. I have four young children to get home to each day, I have the motoring public around me to also aid in keeping safe and I have a DAC report to keep clean and clear. 👍

Thanks Rob T. Just like you said, I asked about performing a PTI. Driver said truck was already good to go and had one done that morning. No worries. I said okie dokie. 👍