Thinking Of Going Tanker

Hello all I have been doing local beer deliveries for the past 2+ years and thinking of getting my tanker endorsement. I currently drive a 48’ dry van trailer. I have been looking at companies like eagle as they are very popular in the RICHMOND,VA area but I am also interested in hauling food grade tankers but many want tanker experience. Any advice on companies to gain that tanker experience?

Hello all I have been doing local beer deliveries for the past 2+ years and thinking of getting my tanker endorsement.

Beer is now being delivered in tankers? Those tankers must all be going to college campuses. Talk about a big keg party!

Actually, you can train with Schneider in their tanker division. Top notch training and excellent equipment.

If your after food grade Schneider wouldn't be my first pick. While I'm sure they haul some food grade I believe they run a lot more chemicals.

Prime will train as a food grade tanker. You might also look at a company called HFCS. High Fructose Corn Sryup. I think that is all they haul. I've never worked for them but I've spoke with a driver of theirs. He seemed pretty happy. I'm not sure if they train or what kinda experience they require.

Other than that Oakley, Bynum, Caldoniea haulers. Lots of companies will train for food grade.

I would name drop and do the recruitment speech for the company I work for but I actually moved from the Hampton Roads area to NC to be within our hiring area.

Prime may be your best bet; Schneider does not haul food grade... we carry liquid chemicals only, and many of them are HAZMAT. Also, the nearest Schneider OC from Richmond is Coraopolis, PA, which is about 10 mins. northwest of Pittsburgh. Tanker drivers cannot drive their trucks home. Oakley, an excellent company from what I hear, hauls food grade, but they require experience, and even then they put you in a dry van for a year before allowing you to drive their tankers.

Pete B. A year pulling a van before a tanker? That's pretty rough. Yep, might try Prime first. Then again several companies train for tanker.., I would call several and see what they say. Talk to the drivers.

Hello all I have been doing local beer deliveries for the past 2+ years and thinking of getting my tanker endorsement. I currently drive a 48’ dry van trailer. I have been looking at companies like eagle as they are very popular in the RICHMOND,VA area but I am also interested in hauling food grade tankers but many want tanker experience. Any advice on companies to gain that tanker experience?

Come to prime I will train you on tanker

CWC, I spent some time talking to a guy at a tank wash… His first 34 years he spent as an owner/op, and the last eight as a company driver for Oakley. Loves the company. And he offered some very sage advice: all companies are going to have their problems, but the difference is how they deal with them. There’s at least two threads embedded in this post: a guy who spends 34 years as an owner/op, and then transitions to a company driver (he had much to say about that), and the advice he gave about all companies having their share of problems.