Profile For James O.

Welcome aboard Vincent!

I've gotta tell ya - your trucking options are going to be extremely limited. I know US Xpress had a 100% automatic fleet. There has been rumors of them switching back to standards but I'm not sure if they're going that right now or not. Hopefully someone that works there can chime in.

But there are very few companies that have automatic class A trucks and most of the ones that did switched back to standards because the automatics are too expensive to install & maintain and they're too unreliable.

Are you for real Brett? You couldn't be more wrong. Automatics are all over, and becoming more and more popular. I had a hell of a time finding a company that had a manual fleet. Every major company, especially otr is auto. And the ones that do have some manuals left will be phasing them out over the next year to have a 100% auto fleet. So if you want to drive a auto right out of school (aka steering wheel holder), you'll have no problem.

I would NOT drive for a company that hires entry level drivers to run a doubles gasoline tanker

There's no chance on Earth this company is being honest with their insurance company. No one in North America would insure a driver straight out of school to haul a gasoline tanker.

It's also really scary that a brand new driver who is getting ready to drive around in a bomb asked our opinion and then threw a hissy fit when it wasn't what he wanted to hear. He tells us he doesn't have to listen to what we suggest and storms out. That is definitely not someone who is interested in learning anything. That's someone who either thinks they know it all or is too insecure to admit they don't. Either way, if he won't take our advice he likely won't take anyone else's either.

Unfortunately there's a possibility he'll end up on the National News. And for what? There's a million other jobs out there. There's nothing special about this one.

You got me all wrong man... as I stated earlier I appreciated the advice. It definitely gave me a lot to think about. And that's what the intent of my post was for. And as far as throwing a hissy fit and leaving: I didn't throw a hissy fit, I just realized that this is a very touchy subject and that I might be better off keeping this information to myself rather than telling all of you guys and upsetting you. And Bret, I sent you a pm on your Facebook yesterday. I wasn't able to find a pm thing on this forum. Anyway. Thanks again for your input and wake-up call.

To Bret- yes that's correct. My only driving experience is at cdl school. 160 hours. And 80 of those hours were me just standing around waiting for my turn to drive. Thanks for the video.

To Old School- No, I didn't ignore the advice. I heard and understood the advice given. But just because the people giving the advice have experience and I don't, doesn't mean I should or have to do as they tell me.

I get why you moderators are upset. But, this company will train me. They have hired another rookie about 2 years ago. From the same school.

I guess I should stop posting on this forum until I can say I have a year or two of driving under my belt, so I don't **** any more people off.

Thanks.

First of all, I really appreciate all the thoughtful replies. I will tell you all this.... I just got a job TODAY, hauling fuel in a double tanker. Driving a Kenworth 13 speed. It's a local gig. Pays extremely well. Their training is about 2-3 months long. There were a lot of companies' recruiters that came into my school giving their spiel... this company didn't do that. I didn't see any adds online that they were hiring... I heard about them through word of mouth (actually the examiner that gave me my cdl skills test). I sought them out, and they wanted to interview me. The guy appreciated that I knew what I was looking for in my driving career. I don't know how to do those fancy quotes from other people's posts so I'll just let it rip... As far as it being "criminal" letting a newbie drive a liquid double tanker full of diesel or gasoline... I won't/can't argue with you there. I understand your point. But I know that my mental capacity can handle many different and new challenges. I know there's no room for error. I will take it slow. My head isn't big. I'm just very ambitious, and feel that I will be able to learn what I need to learn, and be safe on the job.

I read Brett Aquila's article on tankers and flatbed and he's saying driving a tanker or flatbed isn't a good idea for your rookie year.

I was hoping to get other people's opinion here.

I just got my class A cdl with the tanker endorsement and hazmat endorsement. I'm giving myself about 1 month to figure out which company I want to work for.

I feel like hauling dry van, I'll just be another truck driver out of the many. But if I can find a company that'll take a rookie fresh out of school, maybe that's a better route to go. I'm not scared of hard work, I'm not stupid, and I feel like I would enjoy the extra challenge.

Another thing that is keeping me from applying to the big companies (Werner, Schneider, Knight) is that most seem to have automatic only for otr, or they can't guarantee I'll be driving a manual. Which, being a new trucker, is what I want to gain experience in.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Hello. I'm just curious if anyone on here has any experience working for Space Age, they are a tanker company that hauls gasoline. I'm pretty sure they're only around the Portland Oregon area. If so, what do you have to say about the company? Good, bad?

James, I'm curious - what kind of annual income are you expecting from your trucking career. This is a great career for those who put in the commitment to excel at it. I've never heard a success story from anyone who approached it as a quick way to make big money.

If you'd be willing to throw a number out there of what kind of annual salary you think you should be worth, then I'm sure we could help point you in the right direction, and help you understand how to achieve your goals.

I only need to make 40,000 a year. I would be willing to do that for 2 years before I could get a better job. I haven't even finished school yet, so I can't say what I'm worth.. but I'm hoping 40k is average for a first year driver.

I'll be done with cdl school in a couple weeks. We always have recruiters come in and give presentations, but they're mostly mega carriers. I keep hearing about big money in the oil fields. I don't care if I have to work for 35k/year for a couple years before I make good money. I don't care if I'll live in the middle of nowhere. I just want to put myself in a position (get my foot in the door) where I can be making big money down the road. Any suggestions on companies or ways to get working in this? Thanks in advance.

If you live in Texas, try Schlumberger, Par 5 Energy Services, 9 Energy Services, or Basic Energy Services. There are numerous other water haulers for the oil fields too. Where do you live exactly?

I live in Portland Oregon. But but that doesn't matter because I can move wherever I need to.

I'll be done with cdl school in a couple weeks. We always have recruiters come in and give presentations, but they're mostly mega carriers. I keep hearing about big money in the oil fields. I don't care if I have to work for 35k/year for a couple years before I make good money. I don't care if I'll live in the middle of nowhere. I just want to put myself in a position (get my foot in the door) where I can be making big money down the road. Any suggestions on companies or ways to get working in this? Thanks in advance.