Pneumatic Tanker
Topic 22049 | Page 1
I see those trucks on the road frequently, but know nothing about them... they’re going to be very challenging to drive, with a higher center of gravity and loads that may shift on curves. How long is their training, should you go with them? Most good companies put you with a trainer for at least 4 weeks before cutting you loose; that’s really important, especially considering the type of truck you’re considering. Otherwise, look at the benefits they offer: home time, health, are the trucks & equipment in good shape? ... Steady work? Vet this company the same as you would any other. Good luck with your decision and great job in your school!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Training is 3-5 weeks. Home daily, one week is 5/2 and next is 6/1 (either Saturday or Sunday with a higher pay for the weekend day). Steady work throughout the PA, MD, OH area delivery to steel plants, garbage centers, etc. They are part of quality carriers as well (not sure if that's a good or bad thing) and have a couple yards and the hq in the area and have around 220 trucks.
Like I said the guys wasn't a recruiter and was straight forward about the job and what to expect. Our training in school is top notch, to the point where insurance companies allow people to only hire students from our school. If a recruiter starts talking bs one of our instructors will let us know after and to check other places first and he confirmed the guy wasn't messing around theyre a good company.
Just about any home daily job in a big rig making deliveries in PA and MD is gonna be a tough gig for someone with zero experience. You seem to take comfort in this...
Like I said the guys wasn't a recruiter
He's there trying to get you to come work for them. What's your definition of a recruiter?
You know what we recommend. Get some OTR experience first. Lay a good foundation for your career. Think long term. Keep the big picture in focus.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Well it sounds solid. Good that a guy from operations came to talk to you, and not a recruiter. Quality Carriers is a reputable company; it’s one of the companies Schneider tanker drivers migrate to after they get that first year or two under their belt. I’ve nothing to add but just to reiterate that you want to select a company that best fits your needs; once you determine that the company almost chooses you. Good luck!
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
(My inexperience is apparent after reading Old School’s reply).
I too am looking at a pneumatic tanker outfit that is local. The difference is I am getting in atleast one year OTR before making that decision. The driving force is being home more often. Goodluck to you sir.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
I have not signed anything and still looking around. Just seeing if anyone had experience with this since I could not find a whole lot of information on it besides some 3 year old threads and a couple YouTube videos. Gathering as much information about everything that I can before hand. I know the OTR/regional approach is preferred start to everything.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
It’s not liquid, it’s dry bulk (“cement, fly ash, lime, coal, etc,”). Still, difficult to drive… Higher center of gravity, loads that shift, definitely not as stable as dry van or flatbed freight.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.
While I've not driven a dry bulk trailer I've spoke to several that unload at the same places I unload my food grade tanker. They are usually unloading sugar or flour. I still would wait for at least a year before I hopped into a dry bulk job. It's just another hurdle that adds to the learning process.
And from the sounds of it your really going to want to know how to work your clock and still drive safely (read as drive slow)
I would do that first year in a dry van and after that you might find you don't wanna jump into a tanker. If you still do after that year, as an added bonus you take a few feet off your trailer and you'll never have to slide your tandems again. Welcome to pulling a tank.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.New Reply:
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I haven't seen it around much but does anyone run pneumatic? We had the vp of operations for a local company come talk to us yesterday and I'm seriously interested about it. They haul cement, fly ash, lime, coal etc to various places paying percent of load. He didn't sugar coat anything and let us know it's avg 12 hours days and physical work. I'm younger and wouldn't mind getting out and doing something during the day. Any info would be great since this seems to be an overlooked area of the industry.