Newbie Tanker Driver!
Topic 30648 | Page 1
Hi, ladies! And gents! I am a newbie in the trucking industry! I am currently a new hire for Schneider and will be hauling liquid goods. (tanker). Anyone have some good advice or tips!?
Hi, Jassy and welcome to Trucking Truth!!!!
That's pretty bold, to start pulling tanks right out the gate, but it's doable !
I used to haul asphalt (tanks) with my husband, and the MAIN THING you need to be aware of, is the SURGE. IMHO, tankers are easier than vans in the aspect that the tandems are fixed, the trailer is easier to see around, and a bit shorter.. easier to back as well.
The surge, however, is what you need to be cognizant of at ALL times. The center of gravity changes, as you accelerate & decelerate ...and take curves. Go SLOWER than the 'other guys' at these times, no matter HOW they may try to rush you or hound you.
Finally, just soak it up; be a sponge. Heed EVERYTHING SNI has to teach you, and then some. There ARE no stupid questions; only the ones you didn't ask.
Stop back and let us know what's up; even start a diary in that specific section, if you wish!
Glad to have ya!
~ Anne ~
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".
So how did it go? I am also considering Schneider tanker. It will be iffy for me to pass their pre-work screen though. It looks like I’d have no trouble physically doing the actual job, and even their test is pretty easy for me (I simulated it at the gym), but I’m not in good shape, and my heart rate always goes too high. I’ll just keep going to the gym and see if it improves.
Hi, ladies! And gents! I am a newbie in the trucking industry! I am currently a new hire for Schneider and will be hauling liquid goods. (tanker). Anyone have some good advice or tips!?
So how did it go? I am also considering Schneider tanker. It will be iffy for me to pass their pre-work screen though. It looks like I’d have no trouble physically doing the actual job, and even their test is pretty easy for me (I simulated it at the gym), but I’m not in good shape, and my heart rate always goes too high. I’ll just keep going to the gym and see if it improves.
Hi, ladies! And gents! I am a newbie in the trucking industry! I am currently a new hire for Schneider and will be hauling liquid goods. (tanker). Anyone have some good advice or tips!?
Hi Tania, and welcome to TT !!
Do you already have your CDL? If so (or not...) why tanks? I used to pull asphalt (tanks) with my other half, and let me tell you, the hoses are daunting! The dome (and climbing to and running across the catwalk) IS QUITE a chore as well.
We shall save the 'surge' chat for another day, LoL!
Good luck in your plight, and check this out:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
Best wishes!
~ Anne ~
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
IMHO, tankers are easier than vans in the aspect that the tandems are fixed, the trailer is easier to see around, and a bit shorter.. easier to back as well.
Anne,
That is not true. Having driven 48' and 53' reefers/vans, 48' drop deck flat bed, 40 ft fix axle containers and my 16 ft stock trailer, I can tell you that the shorter the trailer, the quicker it gets out of whack and more work it is to get it in the hole correctly. I can back any trailer now, but much prefer 53 ft ones because they are far easier.
Laura
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".
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Why tanker? Because it seems like it would be particularly challenging. :) I have a Class B CDL that I've had since I was barely old enough. I got laid off from my corporate office job and thought I'd stick to driving since I've always loved it, and a Class A would give me more options. Some of the buses I drive are 60' long, and they bend in the middle, so I figured tractor-trailer wouldn't be a huge leap for me. I'm in school now. Glad to meet you all.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Why tanker? Because it seems like it would be particularly challenging. :) I have a Class B CDL that I've had since I was barely old enough. I got laid off from my corporate office job and thought I'd stick to driving since I've always loved it, and a Class A would give me more options. Some of the buses I drive are 60' long, and they bend in the middle, so I figured tractor-trailer wouldn't be a huge leap for me. I'm in school now. Glad to meet you all.
Nice to meet you as well, m'lady!
Laura is a professional driver currently; it's been a few years since I pulled tanks with my husband. I actually enjoyed it! Not all tank jobs are 'driver load' (and unload;) .. ours was. The 'ease' I mention is seeing around the tank/trailer better than the standard 53's. I don't think they were hard to back at all, being shorter and with a better sight range; but I've no basis for comparison, as IDMtnGal does.
If you get time, look at some posts on this site by PJ (he's a moderator here, too....) who is an O/O pulling all 'no touch' tanks! Cushy job, LoL!
Wish you the best, girl! Stick around & let us know how it goes!
Take a look at:
- Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
- Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
- Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
- Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions
-
Best of luck, go git'r'done!
~ Anne ~
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.New Reply:
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Hi, ladies! And gents! I am a newbie in the trucking industry! I am currently a new hire for Schneider and will be hauling liquid goods. (tanker). Anyone have some good advice or tips!?