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OH, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 10:53:50 AM EDT
Good morning, I am a brand new CDL holder (last week lol). I am scheduled to head out for OTR training next week and am signed onto a mega in the Midwest for the next year although I can buy my way out pretty easily. My plan is to find a home daily or rough equivalent hauling non hazmat tanker. Does anyone have advice or knowledge in that sector? I am also eager to hear any advice from anyone who is or has done this job. Thanks in advance.
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Posted: 5/16/2023 1:53:17 PM EDT
[#1]
@SuburbanDrone, FYI we have a Trucking subforum now, under General Interests. I can move this there if you want or keep it here.
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Posted: 5/16/2023 1:56:41 PM EDT
[#2]
You can PM me. That's pretty much how I got my start. Anything in particular you want to know?
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GA, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:02:41 PM EDT
[#3]
Your going to need atleast that year in experience to haul hazmat. There are a few companies out there willing to take you in with 6 months, but most of those aren't worth working for.
In time, if you want to be home daily, look into gas hauling. I've been driving 19 years and 7 of it was gas, you'll make good money and be home daily. I only gave it up to become a owner operator. |
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:04:01 PM EDT
[#4]
Sounds like you want food grade tanker.
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WA, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:11:26 PM EDT
[Last Edit: 21usernamechecksout]
[#5]
Good luck, most company's want 5 years OTR experience. you might have to drive for a shit company for a while to prove you ain't going to wreck up their truck and damage loads. I hear Swift is hiring.
  Semi-Truck Loses Back Wheels Trying to Turn Around Safety Barriers |
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:11:38 PM EDT
[#6]
Hopefully you chose wisely for your mega carrier. Being in Ohio, you probably had far better choices with smaller companies. I think @foxtrot08 hires rookies to haul fuel for him as well.
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OH, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:25:38 PM EDT
[#7]
Lol I’m not with Swift but I don’t really want to post where I’m working rn. I’m going to pm some of you if you guys don’t mind.
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OH, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:31:00 PM EDT
[#8]
Also yes please move this to the trucking forum. Thank you!
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:39:35 PM EDT
[#9]
Find an asphalt or cement hauler.
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Posted: 5/16/2023 2:50:40 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Foxtrot08]
[#10]
What part of Ohio are you in?
Edit: Why non-hazmat? Fuel is going to be the easiest thing to get into and make good money. Most of my guys start off making around 60-70k. Plus benefits on top of that. |
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USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 3:01:50 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By chargerkid5: Find an asphalt or cement hauler. Asphalt, home every day, might be long hours but nothing to bad. Depending on the company might have some night paves to do but you can plan for that usually. Mixers seem to have some really fucked up hours. Dump truck for a good construction company wouldn't be bad but learning the dos and donts on a job site could be a bit much while still learning how to drive. |
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OH, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 3:17:52 PM EDT
[Last Edit: SuburbanDrone]
[#12]
Foxtrot I’m just north of Columbus. I will do anything I just always heard grain is easy as far as customer service. I’m in this to make money and to grow as a driver.
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FL, USA
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Posted: 5/16/2023 10:00:41 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Woodchuck1]
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 21usernamechecksout: Good luck, most company's want 5 years OTR experience. you might have to drive for a shit company for a while to prove you ain't going to wreck up their truck and damage loads. I hear Swift is hiring.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pImITDQeTUHorrible advice. You can get a local job with no experience, easily enough. You do not need to work for the bottom feeder companies in order to get started, much less 5 years OTR. There are folks in OP’s area in this thread already, but if he requests further help I can send him a list of companies that will hire him right out of school and work locally. To illustrate how ridiculous the claim of 5 year OTR ‘requirement’ is: XPO (hazmat), YRC(hazmat), Old Dominion (Hazmat), FirstFleet and ABF(Hazmat), (to mention five off the top of my head) hire with no experience, and are all local/home daily. If you look at ANY job listings, you see requirements of 2 years, 1 year, 6 months…and with a diploma from a trucking school, they often waive that requirement even. Apply. Call. Follow up. Don’t take no for an answer. |
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NY, USA
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Posted: 5/17/2023 8:15:09 AM EDT
[#14]
non hazmat tanker
so food grade and home every day so local and your in ohio, farming country myself, i'd look into being a milk hauler yea, its steady alot of weekends and most holidays, but it always seems like if you can haul milk you can pretty much go anywhere afterwrds. glorious.....................not really..............but lots of farmers wives and daughters...........................  perhaps maybe look for a food company that has a transport division................................ |
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NV, USA
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Posted: 5/17/2023 9:26:53 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Woodchuck1: Horrible advice. You can get a local job with no experience, easily enough. You do not need to work for the bottom feeder companies in order to get started, much less 5 years OTR. There are folks in OP’s area in this thread already, but if he requests further help I can send him a list of companies that will hire him right out of school and work locally. To illustrate how ridiculous the claim of 5 year OTR ‘requirement’ is: XPO (hazmat), YRC(hazmat), Old Dominion (Hazmat), and FirstFleet and ABF(Hazmat), (to mention five off the top of my head) hire with no experience, and are all local/home daily. If you look at ANY job listings, you see requirements of 2 years, 1 year, 6 months…and with a diploma from a trucking school, they often waive that requirement even. Apply. Call. Follow up. Don’t take no for an answer. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Woodchuck1: Originally Posted By 21usernamechecksout: Good luck, most company's want 5 years OTR experience. you might have to drive for a shit company for a while to prove you ain't going to wreck up their truck and damage loads. I hear Swift is hiring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pImITDQeTUHorrible advice. You can get a local job with no experience, easily enough. You do not need to work for the bottom feeder companies in order to get started, much less 5 years OTR. There are folks in OP’s area in this thread already, but if he requests further help I can send him a list of companies that will hire him right out of school and work locally. To illustrate how ridiculous the claim of 5 year OTR ‘requirement’ is: XPO (hazmat), YRC(hazmat), Old Dominion (Hazmat), and FirstFleet and ABF(Hazmat), (to mention five off the top of my head) hire with no experience, and are all local/home daily. If you look at ANY job listings, you see requirements of 2 years, 1 year, 6 months…and with a diploma from a trucking school, they often waive that requirement even. Apply. Call. Follow up. Don’t take no for an answer. I couldn't agree more. I went directly from school into a home every night LTL job doing hazmat almost immediately. The old rules simply don't apply any more. |
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Posted: 5/18/2023 4:30:47 PM EDT
[Last Edit: barbcue]
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JoshInReno: I couldn't agree more. I went directly from school into a home every night LTL job doing hazmat almost immediately. The old rules simply don't apply any more. Yup, the Demand for Drivers has forced Companies to be less demanding of experience for sure. There is just simply too much demand for CDL holders nowadays. |
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Posted: 5/19/2023 7:54:21 PM EDT
[Last Edit: OverScoped]
[#17]
I went from getting a CDL without school directly into a job. I didn't even know how to float gears.. they taught me everything at my job. That was 5 years ago.
Finding drivers is hard. Companies are willing to give you a chance... I will say, I had an excellent resume going in. Also no DUIs ever and a clean driving record. Just showing up on time to an interview with a great attitude pretty much gets you a driving job these days. |
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Posted: 5/19/2023 8:25:26 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OverScoped: I went from getting a CDL without school directly into a job. I didn't even know how to float gears.. they taught me everything at my job. That was 5 years ago. Finding drivers is hard. Companies are willing to give you a chance... I will say, I had an excellent resume going in. Also no DUIs ever and a clean driving record. Just showing up on time to an interview with a great attitude pretty much gets you a driving job these days. That is now illegal. CDL school is now required. |
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Posted: 5/19/2023 8:29:38 PM EDT
[Last Edit: OverScoped]
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OregonShooter: That is now illegal. CDL school is now required. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OregonShooter: Originally Posted By OverScoped: I went from getting a CDL without school directly into a job. I didn't even know how to float gears.. they taught me everything at my job. That was 5 years ago. Finding drivers is hard. Companies are willing to give you a chance... I will say, I had an excellent resume going in. Also no DUIs ever and a clean driving record. Just showing up on time to an interview with a great attitude pretty much gets you a driving job these days. That is now illegal. CDL school is now required. What I'm saying is..the school grads should have a 1 up going in. But That's not the point. The point is driver demand. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 5:09:53 AM EDT
[Last Edit: barbcue]
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OverScoped: I know. What I'm saying is..the school grads should have a 1 up going in. But That's not the point. The point is driver demand. CDL school doesn't teach someone how to drive, they teach you how to pass the DMV test. I spent more damn time trying to un-learn stuff like *double clutching* instead of *floating gears*,, because schools cannot teach you how float gears. I had to force myself to not use the clutch EVERY SHIFT for weeks after school at my first job. Also lots of schools nowadays don't even teach *double clutching* some have dropped it entirely due to alot of students not wanting to take the time and the added stress of learning how to - along with THE MEGA'S all going with Automatics. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 7:06:22 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OregonShooter: Sounds like you want food grade tanker. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 8:00:14 AM EDT
[Last Edit: OverScoped]
[#22]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By barbcue: CDL school doesn't teach someone how to drive, they teach you how to pass the DMV test. I spent more damn time trying to un-learn stuff like *double clutching* instead of *floating gears*,, because schools cannot teach you how float gears. I had to force myself to not use the clutch EVERY SHIFT for weeks after school at my first job. Also lots of schools nowadays don't even teach *double clutching* some have dropped it entirely due to alot of students not wanting to take the time and the added stress of learning how to - along with THE MEGA'S all going with Automatics. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By barbcue: Originally Posted By OverScoped: I know. What I'm saying is..the school grads should have a 1 up going in. But That's not the point. The point is driver demand. CDL school doesn't teach someone how to drive, they teach you how to pass the DMV test. I spent more damn time trying to un-learn stuff like *double clutching* instead of *floating gears*,, because schools cannot teach you how float gears. I had to force myself to not use the clutch EVERY SHIFT for weeks after school at my first job. Also lots of schools nowadays don't even teach *double clutching* some have dropped it entirely due to alot of students not wanting to take the time and the added stress of learning how to - along with THE MEGA'S all going with Automatics. I just looked into it and the local schools near me spend about 80 Hours Total, teaching someone how to get their license... If they're not learning how to drive, What the hell are they doing because 80 hours and 5000+ bucks is a lot to waste. Either that or they're teaching the dumbest people. I think i passed my test after maybe 10 hours total of home studying and driving combined. |
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Posted: 5/20/2023 9:41:50 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By OverScoped: I just looked into it and the local schools near me spend about 80 Hours Total, teaching someone how to get their license... If they're not learning how to drive, What the hell are they doing because 80 hours and 5000+ bucks is a lot to waste. Either that or they're teaching the dumbest people. I think i passed my test after maybe 10 hours total of home studying and driving combined. |
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CA, USA
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Posted: 5/20/2023 9:56:10 AM EDT
[#24]
If you don't mind labor find a beer distributor...
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OH, USA
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Posted: 5/31/2023 5:39:20 AM EDT
[#25]
So I’m a few days into the otr training and I’ve gotta say I can see how this easily gets into your blood. I’m actually having a blast.
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Posted: 5/31/2023 9:35:19 AM EDT
[#26]
The first year of OTR can be awesome seeing places you've only heard about. If you don't have a family at home to come back to, I'd highly recommend taking your home time at various places around the country, renting a car and pretend you are on vacation. I sent my trailer to Ford in Mexico once and instead of moping around Nogales waiting for it to come back, I went to the Titan II museum one day and Pima Air museum another. With uber and lyft, just taking a 34 at the right place can be the recipe for a great time.
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ME, USA
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Posted: 8/18/2023 10:55:27 AM EDT
[#27]
Originally Posted By SuburbanDrone: Good morning, I am a brand new CDL holder (last week lol). I am scheduled to head out for OTR training next week and am signed onto a mega in the Midwest for the next year although I can buy my way out pretty easily. My plan is to find a home daily or rough equivalent hauling non hazmat tanker. Does anyone have advice or knowledge in that sector? I am also eager to hear any advice from anyone who is or has done this job. Thanks in advance. Haul water. I work 8-10 hr shifts. Home every day. I made $110k last year. Either fully loaded or completely empty, not much slosh or surge. |
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Posted: 8/18/2023 1:21:11 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By SHORTSTROKE83: Haul water. I work 8-10 hr shifts. Home every day. I made $110k last year. Either fully loaded or completely empty, not much slosh or surge. What part of Maine? I assume for Poland Springs? |
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Posted: 8/20/2023 7:16:44 PM EDT
[#29]
Of you aren't dead set against hazmat, Cryo pays really well, is clean, easy and home daily. I haul liquid nitrogen and Oxygen. It's the best driving job I've ever had.
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ME, USA
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Posted: 9/15/2023 10:05:29 AM EDT
[#30]
That obvious?
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Posted: 9/15/2023 5:43:40 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By SHORTSTROKE83: That obvious? Presuming in reference to my question, I ask as I’m planning on moving back up that way in a few months, and will be in need of a job if I do, so more info would be of specific interest if you’re willing to share. |
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Posted: 9/15/2023 6:09:21 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By SHORTSTROKE83: That obvious? |
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OH, USA
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Posted: 9/21/2023 7:00:44 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By larkinmusic: Of you aren't dead set against hazmat, Cryo pays really well, is clean, easy and home daily. I haul liquid nitrogen and Oxygen. It's the best driving job I've ever had. I’m not dead set against anything. What would be the best companies around ohio to look into once I get a bit more driving experience. I’m at 4 months now with no issues. |
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Posted: 9/22/2023 12:20:56 AM EDT
[#34]
Airgas is currently hiring in Canton. Don't know of any others. Air Products, Linde are two of the other big names.
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