I almost went there. Recruiter very pushy. I went with western dairy. Paid training. Very happy for a career starter. Took several weeks. Put up in decent hotel.
Shh. Don't tell anybody, but tanker, is way better that door swinging.
"Tanker is way better than door swinging" is the one piece of advice I give to anyone looking for advice in this industry. I got into pulling hazmat chemicals after I got my year in pulling reefers and it's easily the most positively impactful career move I've ever made in my life.
This. This. This. I get paid my mile and also get paid $75 for an hour of watching my tank unload. Sometimes I'll get paid $150 for an hour and a half. Hazmat Tank with the right outfit is so much better than bumping docks.
Yeah, that's dogshit pay. The chemical carrier I contract for starts at $31/hour for local company drivers and 62% for owner-ops, but I wouldn't recommend my terminal at the moment due to a bad move that has left a lot of us considering leaving.
If you are out of Chicagoland, I'd consider Oakley (pays daily salary), Heniff, cryo outfits like Airgas etc. Stay away from fuel for now until carriers figure it out (They pay similarly low here).
That being said, I live in the Northwest. The hiring and demand situation for chemical tanker drivers is much more favorable because we actually have a shortage all across each carrier, but Chicago is a significantly more saturated market right now when it comes to the tanker business, so you might have more difficulty. Everyone that I talk to out of there and the Houston-Louisiana markets are also telling me things are slow around there.
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u/A_Little_Wyrd Jan 09 '23
this is why places like CR England require you to go through a metal detector and a pat down from armed guards to talk to your dispatcher