Dreamed Of Trucking For Years

Topic 33406 | Page 4

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BK's Comment
member avatar

Justin, did you hear about that terrible tanker roll over and explosion under I95 in Philadelphia recently? That driver very likely burned to death. Had he been driving a dry van or reefer , he would probably have survived a roll over.

Still want to start your career pulling a tanker????????

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

Justin C.'s Comment
member avatar

Running tankers is NOT a recommended path for an entry level driver.

I'd also suggest that a company owner willing to trust an entry level driver with a liquid hazmat is irresponsible. I'd be shocked if he could even insure you. You have zero experience, get 1 year of safe performance before considering this.

It's best to gain experience with a more static type of load transported in either a dry van or reefer (liquid moves around a lot, surges) and also one that is less volatile.

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I just talked to a friend of a friend who has a trucking company that has tanker that goes to the western 11 states and occasionally into BC. This is an exciting opportunity that I could have no predicted.

I'm told I'll need to get my hazmat endorsement, my twic card and my passport. I have an in person interview this week with everyone there.

This company is very close to my home as well.

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It will be products for the paper and wood processing industry.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

TWIC:

Transportation Worker Identification Credential

Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.

Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

Justin C.'s Comment
member avatar

Justin, did you hear about that terrible tanker roll over and explosion under I95 in Philadelphia recently? That driver very likely burned to death. Had he been driving a dry van or reefer , he would probably have survived a roll over.

Still want to start your career pulling a tanker????????

Thank you for your concern. They do not haul fuel. It's product's for paper and wood resins

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

Justin C.'s Comment
member avatar

I should elaborate, I was told that the change a couple of years ago from MSDS to SDS changed a lot for them. Most of what they haul is now classified as hazardous due to small amounts of formaldehyde in the products. He said 1%.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

You aren’t hearing us…

It’s liquid in a tank, far more dangerous and unforgiving than running dry van or reefer.

I should elaborate, I was told that the change a couple of years ago from MSDS to SDS changed a lot for them. Most of what they haul is now classified as hazardous due to small amounts of formaldehyde in the products. He said 1%.

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

Justin C.'s Comment
member avatar

You aren’t hearing us…

It’s liquid in a tank, far more dangerous and unforgiving than running dry van or reefer.

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I should elaborate, I was told that the change a couple of years ago from MSDS to SDS changed a lot for them. Most of what they haul is now classified as hazardous due to small amounts of formaldehyde in the products. He said 1%.

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I hear you guys. I'll have to bring all this up in the interview then and see what they have to say.

This seems to be a pretty established trucking company.

I definitely made it clear from the get go that I have no over the road experience.

Over The Road:

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.

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

Justin C.'s Comment
member avatar

Sorry, I don't see how to edit my posts. That last sentence seemed argumentative.

What I meant to say was I made it clear to the person I talked to from the trucking that I have no over the road experience.

Over The Road:

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.

Sandman J's Comment
member avatar

Justin, you heard it here from a VERY experienced driver and I'm sure more will offer their advice too. Here's some from just a seven month rookie hauling dry van. It takes several months to get comfortable with many aspects of driving truck. Moreso with other aspects. It's hard enough learning to control something so big and heavy that we're not used to without adding even more obstacles to safety. I hope you really consider what G-Town is saying and read more articles on here about it before jumping straight into tanker, especially about the liquid surge. Good luck, whatever you decide.

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.
andhe78's Comment
member avatar

Justin, did you hear about that terrible tanker roll over and explosion under I95 in Philadelphia recently? That driver very likely burned to death. Had he been driving a dry van or reefer , he would probably have survived a roll over.

Really??? Good to know that the several hundred roll-over deaths that occur every year primarily happen with tank trucks. (Just in case my sarcasm isn't recognized, this is a dumb statement from BK.)

Justin, I pull hazmat tanks for a living. I know that not everything requiring hazmat means an instant death from fire and explosions. Also know that a fully loaded tank or baffles really minimizes the surge. However, a story for you-couple years ago I'm 80k gross, pulling hot wax in a smoothbore tank that's only 70 percent full. I'm running up a two lane road through PA/NY (219, some may know it), middle of the night when a freak snow storm hits. Whiteout, I've got to turn on goggle maps just to tell where the turns are on a road I've traveled dozens of times. The only way I know where I am on the road is by listening for the rumble strips. Fighting the surge in those conditions made me realize that that load would have ended up in a ditch my first two years driving. Fortunately, it wasn't my first couple of years driving, and managed to safely crawl north for four hours until I ran out of the storm.

I'm not as adamant as some here about new drivers staying away from tanks-because I know not all tanks are created equal, but I will agree a new driver, handling surge, in bad conditions, is a great recipe for losing his job, or his license, or even something more valuable.

HAZMAT:

Hazardous Materials

Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations

Baffle:

A partition or separator within a liquid tank, used to inhibit the flow of fluids within the tank. During acceleration, turning, and braking, a large liquid-filled tank may produce unexpected forces on the vehicle due to the inertia of liquids.

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Justin C.'s Comment
member avatar

You guys have given me a lot to think about. I have even more questions for the interview. Perhaps I misunderstood and tanker is something I'd eventually work my way up to, but they did say I need to get all the required credentials. I have to admit I don't know much more about the company. They do seem to have a couple of locations in different states.

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.
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