I talked to a guy with Quality who said he and others had been grossing well over $200k. With that kind of money, yeah, you can get a truck, use it up, and then get another one. I won't come close to that on mileage pay, and I don't think Mike will get there on percentage even at these high fuel prices, so I don't know. We do need to make 'more than more', though, I guess I'll just wait and see.

I'm on the hook for this equipment regardless, I don't think they want it back. I'm supposed to pay it all off immediately if I quit, to that I say, 'send me a bill.' I owed Landstar $1000 even after they waited 45 days and settled with me. I paid them their money, but it was a few months later, when I had the money.

I don't like to job hop, that's part of the reason I applied to Dana 9 months before I went into tankers. No, if I make another switch, I want to feel things out really well and know where I'm going and why. I just hope I don't hurt my equipment too much. Some guys are saying it's not hurting the equipment, but it sure seems like a whole lot more strain. I'm not someone running up 600,000 miles on my tractor and turning it over, I bought mine with high miles (though it's still in decent shape) and I'm pushing a million.

I don't want to hijack Mike's thread, it's just that over here at CAD there are a quite a number of you guys who really seem to know the tankers. Amidst Mike's pay numbers, there's been a little crosstalk. You've said yourself you are looking beyond Miller (well, you had been, until I guess you started making the do re mi :wink: ) I haven't heard an update from Maestro since his switch. If there's a way to make more than more in this sector, I want to hear it. If there is a some place, anyplace that gives tanker drivers more control over the if, when and where, I want to hear that too. Always good chatting with you OTG!

Oh yeah, the fifth wheel. I don't know what there is to check. It's an after market New Holland that was on the truck when I bought it.

 

They check the jaws for wear, they check the pivot points for wear, and they check the plate itself for cracks. They also check the adjust ment on the jaws. Utility did mine last year in 2 hours, and charged me $175 for doing so. I learned from them that the fontaine I have on my truck is a self adjusting plate...which I had no clue there was such a thing.

 

I'm just wondering if there's too much slop in mine. Does your truck give you a real good jolt even at slow speeds or is there maybe too much play where my kingpin rests inside the fifth wheel?

 

That sounds like a too much play issue,get it checked out before you have to replace it or atleast rebuild it.

By now you should "know" when the surge is coming and how to use it to your advantage,make the product work for ya when shifting,I'm sure I piss off alot of people leaving red lights because it takes me forever to get up to speed....

I think you get a little worked up for nothing on the subject of pulling tanks is extra hard on equipment,just drive it like you're the one making the payments and everything will be cool.

Like Maniac always says there isn't one case that they can prove that surge ever caused a truck to break. 8)

 

This is interesting, I wonder if there is a problem with my fifth wheel that is giving me these teeth chattering jolts. I do have the autoshift, the only thing I can really do is lay off the throttle. I understand about backing up traffic, often the problem occurs when I'm trying to make a break on busy two lane, you just can't do it with 45k dragging you backwards. I'll have to find someone to check out my fifth wheel.

 

Like I said NEVER had a mechanical issue since I started hauling tanks in the late 70's.

7000 gallon tanks are the norm, I have only had a few "tight fills" problem is the product is usually too heavy.

I have 4500 gallons of PGI on right now and I'm 79,620.

Like Mike said make the surge for you, it takes time, you WILL get the hang of it.

 

Would it help to have an 18-speed transmission, so that one can split gears in the lower range too, and facilitate smoother, less jerky shifting ?

 

I found that the less shifiting you do the better off you are.

 

translation: he's old :lol:

 

Week Ending 7/20

....Owosso,MI---->Kalamazoo,MI (drop clean,hook load)
Kalamazoo,MI------>Russellville,SC (customer unload)
....Russellville,SC----->Savanna,GA (live load)
Savanna,GA---->Chester,SC (driver assist)
....Chester,SC----->Savanna,GA (drop dirty,hook load)

Total Miles: 1,744
Deqdhead Miles: 608, 35%
Gross Pay: $3,165.65 ($1.81 a mile)
YTD Miles: 67,004
YTD Gross: $121,328 ( $1.81 a mile)
Total Loads: 81
Hazmat: 20, 25%