Comp Toe Or Steel Toe For Tankers

Howdy all, I'm new here, I have a question for y'all. I am looking into becoming a tanker truck driver and wondered what shoes are required for those drivers.

I have a pair of these from Carolina, they are composite toe, from a previous job. I really like them, will they work for a company like say Schneider tanker division or do I need steel?

https://www.carolinashoe.com/CA4558

Thanks in advance for the help!

Welcome Timothy. That will be a company specific question. My company the wording is safety boots so composite would be ok.

On a side note. You say your new here. How much experience do you have?? I ask only because IF your new to trucking I highly recommend you get at least 1 year driving experience before you tackle tanks. They are alot different and I don’t recommend rookies start there.

Timothy, those boots will be fine. Most of the notices at Schneider and the facilities we enter list as part of the minimum PPE steel toe footwear, but for practical purposes your comp toe boots will suffice. I also wouldn’t draw attention to the fact that they’re comp toe; if asked if you’re wearing steel toe boots, just say “yes.”

I should add that most of the regs were written before comp shoes became prevalent., and that “steel toes” have become part of the lexicon when referring to safety shoes. People ask, ‘ Do you have steel toes?’ rather than ‘are you wearing safety shoes?’ For the purpose of keeping your feet safe, in this line of work your comp shoes are more than adequate.

Following up on what PJ asks, are you presently a truck driver, or are you new to this lifestyle? I’m asking because I know that Schneider Is not currently accepting new drivers into their bulk (tanker) training program; they’re accepting experienced drivers only.

Thank you sir for the advice, I will consider it.

Welcome Timothy. That will be a company specific question. My company the wording is safety boots so composite would be ok.

On a side note. You say your new here. How much experience do you have?? I ask only because IF your new to trucking I highly recommend you get at least 1 year driving experience before you tackle tanks. They are alot different and I don’t recommend rookies start there.

When I first started considering it in March, they were. Doesn't surprise me considering everything going on that that's changed. I am a military veteran, and really old, 52yrs, and was told basically, go get signed up at a cdl school, then you will speak with a military recruiter to see about getting a conditional job offer. It will still be a few months before I can start cdl school, so hopefully by then things will turn around. I would want to get my cdl regardless of whether Schneider has a job for me.

However, it would be nice though, as I would really like to get on with Schneider, because they have tankers and long term that's what I would like to do. They are all about safety from what I can tell, and they seem to be good to veterans. And from what I can tell, they pay pretty good.

Based on all this, what advice would you have for me? What points might I have wrong?

Following up on what PJ asks, are you presently a truck driver, or are you new to this lifestyle? I’m asking because I know that Schneider Is not currently accepting new drivers into their bulk (tanker) training program; they’re accepting experienced drivers only.

Thanks all for the advice and things to think about. I am all ears about anything else y'all have for me considering tanking, Schneider, paid Cdl , etc.

Timothy thank you for your service sir from one old vet to another. And your not old my any means. Your 8 years younger than me.

Prime also has a tanker division and you can get schooling there as well.

I would be very hesitant going on with any company that would consider brand new drivers for tankers. That is not wise at all in my opinion. Scheinder has had a history of ups and downs in its tanker division, but I don’t know why. Most all of us go to the same companies and use the same tank washes so we have some interaction.

Just to expand on what PJ has already highlighted. Prime does have a tanker division but you have to live within a specific hiring area for Prime to be able to accommodate your hometime. I live in FL & was not able to work in that division because they dont have any accounts here.

I consider that a blessing in disguise. We just had a driver roll his truck right outside the shippers facility. He took a turn too fast & just like that, his career is now essentially over. To add insult to injury, the shipper was able to see everything right outside their windows. How embarrassing is that for Prime?

Food grade tankers can't have baffles to help with the surge due to cleaning purposes. But baffles wouldn't have helped that Prime driver. They ease the surge going forward & backwards. Side to side is a whole different beast to contend with. A tanker driver was saying that sometimes the 3rd stage Jake brake barely helps slow that surge.

Personally, I'd recommend waiting 6 months to a year to try tanker.