Profile For bubbarolls

bubbarolls's Info

  • Location:
    AL

  • Driving Status:
    Preparing For School

  • Social Link:

  • Joined Us:
    11 years, 2 months ago

bubbarolls's Bio

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Posted:  11 years, 1 month ago

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My short lived experience with hazmat tanker

I tried my hand at hazmat chemical tanker job as my first trucking job. This company I was with is a company with a tanker division that hauls a lot of acids and hazardous materials. I realized halfway through orientation and during my first few days of training that this job wouldn't be a great fit for me.

I have nothing negative to say about the company. They treated me great. I got to spend a week in Florida for orientation and I was able to do my training locally.

What I Did Not Like About Hauling Chemical Tankers

  • wearing hazmat PPE (personal protective equipment) and sweating in places I didn't know I could sweat in making you prone to dehydration and heat exhaustion. It feels like you're wearing an extra 20 lbs and it didn't fit right in certain places even with a bigger size suit.
  • chemical plants - "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore"... some were clean, but many were dirty, dusty, and a maze to get through with very tight turns. you will get dirty.
  • the added responsibilities of making sure the paper work is correct and that you have the right placards due to HAZMAT regulations
  • driving a loaded tanker with front & backward surge, and slosh pulling the tanker in all different directions.
  • remembering to stop at all railroad crossing.

Even as a tanker driver you do quite a bit of backing in tight spaces in the unloading areas of chemical plants.

What I Did Like About Hauling Chemical Tankers:

  • automatic trucks
  • driving (lots of fun pulling a tanker down the road).
  • decent hotel stay with microwave/fridge, wifi, and even a pool and within walking distance to stores and places to eat.
  • orientation was very, very informative and the daily lunch was delicious.
  • company personnel and were nice and treated you like a decent human being.
  • trainer was professional and easy to get along with.

I realized that there were certain elements of the job that I would never like, such as wearing that ill fitting dehydrating hazmat PPE, so I decided to cut my losses short. I informed both my trainer and terminal manager and they were understanding. I cleaned and returned the hazmat PPE and my first and last check should be in the mail in a couple of weeks.

As a newbie, my next truck driving job will just be pulling dry van for a long while before deviating into any other division.

Posted:  11 years, 1 month ago

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On the way

Thanks for the encouragement. The one thing that I have always done is to find the positive in any negative. I guess that comes from having had so many years working with technology. Positive and negatives abound everywhere and it is our job(s) to find a way around or through the negatives. If you don't you will just end up a basket case with a plethora of physical and mental problems to deal with. There is ALWAYS a way through or around the negatives.

Be safe and happy

That's some great advice for meandering the path of life. Congrats on your one year.

Posted:  11 years, 1 month ago

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Being on the road....

Congrats Amanda. I'm happy that it's all working out for you.

Posted:  11 years, 2 months ago

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Mental illness & driving

After 9 years, I traded the cubicle for a rolling closet...and never looked back...I'd have lost my sanity, and been one of those "gone postal" people they show on tv....I hated the office politics...loved my job...hated the politics.

I worked for a call center cubicle for the last four years. I quit several months ago because I couldn't take the stress of the calls nor the office politics any longer. I'm looking forward to my first solo truck driving job.

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