Tanker Vs. Reefer?
Topic 15760 | Page 1
The Commuter inquired:
Hey guys. I wanted to see what are the pros and cons of tanker (food grade) and reefer divisions? I've heard reefer is kind of the recession resistant division but tankers pay more. Is it because you get less miles or more slow seasons with tanker? Some good examples please. Thank you.
Food grade tankers are almost always un-baffled, meaning there is 6000-7000 gallons of heavy liquid sloshing around that can and will adversely affect the handling characteristics of the truck. As a rule, we try to influence rookie drivers to consider at least 3-6 months of OTR experience driving a dry van or reefer before attempting a tanker. Under the best of circumstances there is a steep learning curve for new drivers in this business. Adding the potential instability of a tanker load increases the magnitude of difficulty.
OTR:
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.
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.
Commuter, there is a driver on the forum named Joshua. He is a rookie company driver with Schneider Bulk (tanker). Perhaps he can offer some perspective on this for you.
I don't do tankers but i have pulled heavy loads of those liquid filled totes that slosh around a lot. Some real crazy handling with those so i could only imagine an smooth bore tank. No thank you!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I don't do tankers but i have pulled heavy loads of those liquid filled totes that slosh around a lot. Some real crazy handling with those so i could only imagine an smooth bore tank. No thank you!
Yep I concur. Had a juice haul in those totes. 46k.. was a lot different.
Howe've from what I agave read here tankers don't have to back up at customers like reefer they pull through. Which can be a big plus
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Thank you 2x's G-Town for the advise and heads up about Joshua. I am aware about the smooth bore tankers for food grade (thanks to High Road Training Program). I will be getting about 3 months of reefer OTR experience after getting my CDL before I upgrade to my own truck. That's when I'll make my decision what division I want to pursue. I may end up just sticking with reefer in the end, but just wanted to pick some vet's brains. ;o)
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.
OTR:
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Thank you 2x's G-Town for the advise and heads up about Joshua. I am aware about the smooth bore tankers for food grade (thanks to High Road Training Program). I will be getting about 3 months of reefer OTR experience after getting my CDL before I upgrade to my own truck. That's when I'll make my decision what division I want to pursue. I may end up just sticking with reefer in the end, but just wanted to pick some vet's brains. ;o)
Getting experience in both makes you more marketable when looking for employment. So not a bad idea.
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.
OTR:
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Hey, have a look at chapter 7 in our Truck Driver's Career Guide:
How To Evaluate & Choose A Trucking Company
That covers all different aspects of choosing a job based on the size of the company and the type of freight you're hauling. You'll find a lot of interesting insights there.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Tanker is almost always going to be a live load and both side - and always a wash-out between loads. Though the customers pretty much all have tanker-washes on premises.
Foodstuffs are always a safe bet for constantly moving freight - everyone gots to eat.
I don't know that the difference in tanker pay (CPM) offsets the (potential) additional wait times for load/unload, wash-out times and difficulty in driving the load itself (and you haven't lived until a quick-stop causes surge to push you into the middle of an intersection).
Rick
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Hey, have a look at chapter 7 in our Truck Driver's Career Guide:
How To Evaluate & Choose A Trucking Company
That covers all different aspects of choosing a job based on the size of the company and the type of freight you're hauling. You'll find a lot of interesting insights there.
Thanks for the info Brett. I definitely will look into that. I'm new on here and still learning all the amazing resources available for us newbs.
Tanker is almost always going to be a live load and both side - and always a wash-out between loads. Though the customers pretty much all have tanker-washes on premises.
Foodstuffs are always a safe bet for constantly moving freight - everyone gots to eat.
I don't know that the difference in tanker pay (CPM) offsets the (potential) additional wait times for load/unload, wash-out times and difficulty in driving the load itself (and you haven't lived until a quick-stop causes surge to push you into the middle of an intersection).
Rick
Thanks Rick. This is the information that I'm talking about.
Thank you 2x's G-Town for the advise and heads up about Joshua. I am aware about the smooth bore tankers for food grade (thanks to High Road Training Program). I will be getting about 3 months of reefer OTR experience after getting my CDL before I upgrade to my own truck. That's when I'll make my decision what division I want to pursue. I may end up just sticking with reefer in the end, but just wanted to pick some vet's brains. ;o)
Getting experience in both makes you more marketable when looking for employment. So not a bad idea.
I thought so too. Haha. But Rick is talking me out of it. Haha. I'm kidding. :p
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.
OTR:
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.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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Hey guys. I wanted to see what are the pros and cons of tanker (food grade) and reefer divisions? I've heard reefer is kind of the recession resistant division but tankers pay more. Is it because you get less miles or more slow seasons with tanker? Some good examples please. Thank you.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.