Trucker Lifestyle: Not all trucking jobs are alike!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ธ.ค. 2020
- The trucker lifestyle AND dinner at home every night. See what it's like to drive a big rig cement truck. Get a sneak peak into the trucker lifestyle and see what it's like to have a trucking job that gets you home every night. In this video, we pre-trip our truck, get loaded, wash down, and pour a concrete garage slab. I started this channel after I began driving cement trucks in Eastern Washington. As a cement truck driver, I enjoy watching trucker videos but rarely came across local truck driving jobs like cement trucks, pick-up and delivery, and construction. Judging by comments and questions I’ve seen on other truck driving channels, many people don’t realize that there is a side to the trucker lifestyle other than long haul OTR driving. I am excited to bring more truck driving content to the genre. I hope you enjoy it!
Please let me know in the comments what you like, what you don’t like, and what you’d like to see more of as I continue making videos. Thanks!
hey brother, i'm a retired mixer driver from nyc. i put 37 years in with one company. we were union and i got a nice retirement out of it. i really enjoy your videos.they bring back alot of good times. i quess the job is really the same no matter where you live.
at 20:54 they tell him they want the slump at a 7" (that means they want the concrete really wet), so he has to add a lot more water to the load and he does that n mixes it as he adds shoots to his truck to be able to reach farther with the concrete. He turns the water valve on at 21:12 to add the water to his load.. At 22:50 he adds MORE water to the load n mixes it because the slump is still not at a 7" like they want it, and he has to mix it some more.. He left the plant probably with a 4" or 5" slump, but the contractor often changes the slump once ur at the job. These guys wanted a 7" slump so, he's adding prolly about 20 gallons of water to his load n mixing it. A 7" slump is really wet concrete. It weakens the concrete fyi. The more water, the less strength it has when it dries n sets up.
Im sure the guy is well experienced but is he listening to the concrete being mixed? How are you able to tell how much gallons are being added to get to a 7”..
Mixer driver here, Prairie Materials. Retired after 37 years. Great video!
Im o/o and switching to mixer driver
Unfortunately economy is bad right now so i can't keep my truck
I hope this job really works for me
Be safe out there
Awesome videos! Thanks for creating these detailed and interesting videos, great insight on what it's like.
"I got the cleanest truck in the yard.....no big deal!". Oh, he's one of "those guys" 😂
Thanks for videos man. Log trucker turning to cement truck. Helpful videos . Ty
New to the channel and the concrete world so I'll take everything 😊
Appreciate your vids man definitely helped me make the decision to move careers and get my CDL!!
Thanks bro, Enjoyed your video, I'm about to start driving concrete trucks here in Sydney Australia 👍 Take care
appreciate the video going to school next month to get my CDL for concrete mixer truly appreciate the perspective and sharing thank you
Good job on the washout, lotta guys at my yard can't be bothered to put a glove on and give the truck a little scrub. Trucks end up looking like shit when neglected! Yours is lookin mint bud
And don't forget about the brush, to reach splattered mud that's out of reach.
I always try having the cleanest truck at the plant. Also after pouring I always break a sweat washing down. My wash downs are fast for a couple reasons. Get it as clean as possible before it dries and I have to scrub hard later or use sandstorm and get back to the plant for another load. I always try getting 1 more load for the day than the other guys 💪
Thanks for the video
Cool informative videos bro
Thanks for making this video! I just obtained my CDL and am planning to drive mixer trucks as well!
Un 10 al video!.20 años en el hormigón,y nunca termino de aprender.Muchas gracias!.
Liked & subscribed ! I’m currently going for my CDL tests passed my first one now I got two more to go then have to do my road test here in Canada 🇨🇦
Good luck bro.. If u become a concrete driver, read MY comments here to understand what exactly is going on. He doesn't explain anything.
I wanted to be a cement trucker driver when I grow up this is helpful
You mean concrete.
Awesome video man. Thanks for sharing. Just took a ready mixed job in Omaha so this really helps a lot.
I’m ready to drive a cement mix truck. This is the most helpful video I’ve seen on cement mix trucks.
Found this video about driving trucks for my kiddos, and they really liked it! Plus we’re also in Washington state, so that was extra special.
Thanks for sharing!!
Washington sucks.
I start next Monday. I'm excited and at the same time scared shitless. O appreciate your videos, they're giving me a heads up on the daily duties of a driver and his machine.
Thanks.
James B
Chaney Enterprises Delaware
Great visual blog-like video.
Don't forget year your seat belt man.
We don't ever full discharge outside the truck. We only full discharge in the truck with the truck in drive, in case we have to move up last second. We can watch the finisher in our mirrors. We don't want to accidentally dump too much mud and not be in our truck ready to move it forward.
I don't spray up in my chutes when cleaning out because I'd throw mud back on my truck. I simply spray in from behind and let the mud drip out.
I spray from top to bottom so I don't have to spray the same spot 3 times.
I don't take a long time spraying the fins. We have a washout at the plant. I let the washout hit the fins a couple times a day. I get that wash down done faster and get back for another load. Being more efficient and faster will make you more money. I liked that he used his hand to clean his collar 👍
Subbed, new driver out here in Western Washington, first real job in 22 years since I just retired from the Army. Can't wait to get started.
You know most of the time when people say like and sub I usually don't but I've watched some of you videos ( I plan on watching all of them tonight) but your videos are simplistic and I like it your do pretty good keep it up
Thanks bro, will do!
Great video! Thanks man. I start my CDL Mixer driving job next Monday.
I'm going to start working in this type of job in Texas and your videos are really very good, thanks for sharing your experience with us, blessings
He doesn't explain much at all. Read MY comments, and u will understand much more.
I left several comments explaining what is going on. They will help u if ur gonna drive a concrete truck
Nice I been wanting to make a video myself of the job. I am a mixer driver myself in the state of California and I see a bit of difference but overall the same concept. Keep up the good job !
Very helpful
Thanks Reese, glad to help!
Thank you for this video I just got hired to drive a concrete truck and this video showed me a lot
That's awesome bro! Where did you get hired on?
I feel your pain brother…. Fellow mixer driver here lol. Also loaderman/ back up batchman.
I got a interview with CEMEX tomorrow. I’ve been watching you for two weeks. I was doing Garbage. I know this is going to be different. Thanks for the insight.
I’m a plant supervisor for burnco ready mix, you yanks have a weird axle configuration, and watering up where you load we find can stall the readi mix plant, love it though bud
Where are you located ?
they're not stalling the plant; what the fuck are u talking about?! U best stay inside ur office lest u get hurt out here bud
Starting a new career as a ready mix driver tomorrow. Did a lot of work with concrete as a laborer and just recently obtained my CDL. Videos are awesome, man
Still doing it? If so, how is it? I’m thinking of doing this but a bit hesitant/nervous
@@LDeol got to have balls.
Start my first day tomorrow as a ready mix driver for CVT in Cali. Just got my commercial license so this is my first gig as a truck driver. I’m excited man and this video gives me perfect insight of the job. Keep the gring goin brotha
how was it ?
@@xobxx5150 I love this job. A lot of long hours 6 days a week but not every day is the same. I love what I do
I have been driving for 3 years now (tractor w/ Flatbed and Dry van) both over the road and locally. 2 weeks ago I started working for a local company that sells and delivers Concretee.. its one of the best decisions I have ever made. Im not sure why i didnt hop into a concrete mixer truck a lot sooner.. lol
Haha yeah, we hear that alot from new drivers. It's just not a "trucker" job so people don't even think about it. Glad it's going well for you!
That mud hauling is for a different breed! 💪🏾
How do you mean ?
@@cammontreuil7509 Never know when your coming or going. Putting a truck in places you never thought you would! It’s definitely will put you to the test.
It really is. U gotta be tough mentally n physically. U gotta be expert driver with good people skills too.. U gotta be an operator too..
And u gotta learn how to get the slump right, too (the wetness of the concrete).. If they want a 6" slump, u gotta know how to get it there. If u make it too wet, ur fucked, and they'll reject ur load which costs about $1,000.. This job aint for dummies, trust me
U have the cleanest truck on the lot. I have the dirtiest truck on our lot lol (lucky #13). But I inherited it like that that because I'm new. I just started on July 5th this year.. I don't care. It's a work truck. All the controls work perfectly, and it drives good with plenty of power. That's all I'm concerned about. It's a Kenworth, like urs. Good lookin trucks. They're a great piece of machinery. I'm impressed with them
Thanks for video. I am a new CDL driver and I am going to start training the first of April to become a mixer driver. This gave me good insight of what I will be doing…
How did it go? Im interested also
How did your mixer job go?
How things work out for you?
I don’t know if you’re still doing videos but I’m starting my ready mix job in a couple of weeks and your videos are very helpful and a look into my new long career. Thank you very much.
Dude you're gonna have fun and the money is good. I got 3 months in and I wish I started years ago. I average $950-1,000/week after taxes and I'm having a blast.
Are you still doing this? If so, How do you like it? I’m thinking about getting into this but a bit hesitant
@@LDeol it has its ups and downs. Weather can slow things down and holiday season too. Over all you are in all over the place but because you driving live concrete you can't drive too far because it will start to become hard.
I drove mixer for over 30 years.Retired now & still miss it!
@@ramblin_man23 I was making 27.50 - hr. In 2001 pouring interstate projects I Pa. & Wva. Bringing home 1500-1600 after taxes. Would get layed off Thanksgiving weekend & collect 575 a week unemployment until April of May 1st then back at til November! 12 years of that was pretty cool. Drove mixer a total of 31 years & would do it all over again if I was young. Great career ! Stay safe & don't let cranky contractors get you down! Some of them can be real dicks! Then again some are real cool & throw around 50 -100 dollar tips! Keep the rubber side up !
Much respect. I've tried twice now too do a cement mixer and I just couldn't get the hang of it.
From Dallas TX here. Getting ready to start my new job doing the very same as you. Awesome videos by the way! Thanks for sharing. It will be nice going from school bus driving to doing this. I'm 57 and going to give it my all. Hope I love it as much as all of the comments I was reading about here :)
Glad to hear it! I'm sure do great. Good luck out there!
Galveston here, about to do the same! No more road life for me!
@@AccountInactive nice, man. How long were you over the road?
@@grabbinggears109 Since 2014. Not terribly long but I gave the road quite a bit of my 20s. Wasn't gunna do it to my 30s.
@@AccountInactive That's still a long time to be on the road. We have several drivers who came from OTR jobs, they all seem pretty happy to go home every night. I hope it works out for ya, good luck out there!
Nice video man, I can appreciate you explaining that having a CDL gives you a broad opportunity for local jobs, not just for long distance. I got mine back in Feb 2021 and started my first week as a ready mix driver and I love it, so much to learn, good hours and home every evening :)
You having fun still man? It's my favorite job ever, been doing it for 3 months.
@@ramblin_man23 yeah I'm still at it, still enjoying it, I have lots to learn for my first year then apparently it gets easier.
@@Tat2Matty4Free well here locally in southern Alabama it must not be as crazy as where you're from because it's super easy here. It was a little overwhelming during training but as soon as I got on my own, after the first load when I forgot to pressurize and thought my truck was broke, it's been a piece of cake. Weekly I try to land in the top 3 in loads taken for the week.
@@ramblin_man23 yeah I'm working in the city of Ottawa and right now construction is everywhere, all kinds of different types of jobs. My least favorite is curb machine, riding the clutch is a leg workout lol but the days just fly by :)
@@Tat2Matty4Free oh yeah the curb machine sucks. Move forward 3" stop. Move forward 3" stop.
We have automatics so that's a big advantage for us. Super easy to drive.
"in my opinion" to the new guys, hydroflector gloves, klein tools hard hat, & a quality pair of muck boots(with a boot dryer)!! Your welcome
that's a waste of info.. No one needs that shit. Ur a chick, right?
@@vaekkriinhart4347 your comment was a waste of life!!! Your definitely the one your mother should have swallowed!!
@@jacquinwimbish5103 no one needs that shit, hun
@@vaekkriinhart4347 Internet warriors, #thankyouforyourservice!!
@@jacquinwimbish5103 ur a chick. We dont need advice from females in work like this, ya know?
I rarely use gloves and dont need a hard hat, and my boots are just fine. Thanks, but
Very useful and informative video, thank you! Any chance you have footage of them replenishing the concrete powder that is put into the mixer at the beginning?
I'll work on that. I need to get the camera up into the plant so we can see the material being batched...
U have to call to get ur start time each day? My company just texts us our start time. They txt every day around 4 or 5pm
AND we use tablets to clock in and out... and the tablets also tell us all the info about each job we are assigned to, and tell us how to get there using google gps. It's pretty fkng awesome :)
22 year union mixer driver here, northern CA. Enjoying your videos.
How is it? I have 3 interviews for Mixer Driver here in Dallas?
@@stlvillianlive3769 the job is fine if you can live with unpredictable hours and have the calmness and common sense needed to safely handle what is a heavy, somewhat dangerous truck. Not sure what you’re going to find in Texas but union jobs here mean great company paid medical, Teamster retirement, seniority rights and prevailing wage, about $36 an hour where I am.
@@briarsmoke6046 when you say unpredictable what’s the range? Is that seasonal or what?
@@stlvillianlive3769 you never know what your start time is for the next day until you call a recording, usually after 5 or 6 pm, that tells you when to report the next morning. That start time may be 2 am or 8 am, and you may work 6 hours or 15 hours, and you won’t know that either until they tell you to wash it out and go home. The hours and $$ comes in waves, tons in summer and fall, not much in winter and early spring. You just have to realize that going into it and plan accordingly. Don’t go out and buy a harley after your first fat summer because you’ll need that $$ come winter. That said, I’ve regularly made 70-80K a year for 20 plus years in a mixer.
Cemex?
Man that contractor sure did a lousy job on the grade for that basement floor!!!
Got a light out buddy
I just got a call from this company it’ll be my first driving job hopefully all goes well with no experience let’s see
Update?
What’s up with all the campers at the yard
I drive a front discharge and it's very different. I'm going to say that it's harder because the chute control is all on me using a joystick not on the contractors moving it themselves. Big difference. But I can see everything out the front window so that's better. Front discharge trucks are a good bit larger overall as well. They are very off road capable which comes in handy. Won't say better or worse to drive, never been in a rear discharge truck.
yeah those front discharge trucks are crazy, I've never been in one of those. I can imagine having to move around the chute is a whole different skill set you'd have to learn. I see those a lot on the East Coast for some reason but not so much on the west coast... How long have you been driving those bad boys?
@@grabbinggears109 just getting into it, onlya few months . Keeping the chute in the right spot while backing up in time with the pour is the hardest part. Making straight lines when it swings on an arc. A bunch of small adjustments needed every few seconds. But I don't stress too much if the mud is inside the forms they can rake it and I feel like it's a win..
@@LYFJV haha right. I always feel like, "hey I'll do my best to get it where you need it." So even though I might mess up here and there the contractors know I'm trying to make it easy on them...
I operate a front discharge as well. Pretty simple once you figure out how the shoots move in your truck. When I first started I was nervous as hell. The shoots on my truck moved very quickly. But after a few weeks it got easier to move them smoothly. My least favorite thing is pouring in residential areas...especially drive ways in neighborhoods that are still being built. People drive behind you without a care in the world lol. Almost 5 years in now. Wouldn't mind trying a rear discharge one day.
I am retire truck driver. I work for heb grocery corpus christ texas for 28year😮
Can you feel the barrel mixing as you drive on the roads?
Cool vid bro. was thinkin of going a different career and u explain things really well. do those trucks ever come with backup cameras? seems like it would be a helpful thing on a job, also how do u know how far to back up when u get loaded? also,in the parking lot are a lot of rv campers, do employees stay there during the week, so they don't have to commute?
He had a backup camera. It's on his rear right side. The display is up high in his cab. Wish I had one.
Each plant has something the drivers go by, to get in the right spot. We have a yellow paint stripe that we line up with our rear fuel tank strap.
@@ramblin_man23 Some plants just back up slowly til they hit the buzzer or I'd line up my driver's side mirror bracket with a leg of the batch plant & it'd be spot on.
@@tomhomer891 our markers:
Dothan- yellow line with rear fuel tank strap
Enterprise- batch man directs us
Troy- batch man again
Panama City main- edge of speaker with door edge
Panama City Beach-edge of office window AC unit with door edge
Great video! I’m going to start working for one of the bigger concrete companies here in Colorado with the intentions of buying my own truck. What are your thoughts on owning your own mixer truck? Crazy idea?
Ron Beall, I drove mixer for 38 years as hourly and owner operator in Ohio and as a owner as long as your busy it's great, if not busy not so great...My first 5 years as a owner I averaged $125,000.00 a year staying pretty busy, but in 2008 when construction went to hell my earnings dropped down to around $70,000.00 a year...You have to remember out of the money you earn that you have truck payments, fuel, insurance, license plates, taxes and maintenance, and after all that you might net $35,000.00...When I was hourly the least I made was $45,000.00 a year with no headaches...Hopefully this will help you decide what you want to do...Good luck in what ever you decide...
I can’t stand mcneilus remote. In Ontario all we have are London’s
How much hourly pay on average can a rookie expect to make? Thinking about coming off the road and getting a local job in Nashville.
What are the top wheels for? Btw nice channel man!
to prevent the trucks fro being overweight
those wheels are an extra axle that drop down to the ground and provide ur truck with more stability when ur hauling a really heavy load.. U can raise n lower that axle at will as u drive..
Some loads u haul are not very heavy and u dont need to use that extra axle, but most loads are heavy and those wheels (axle) drop down to the ground to make ur truck more stable and safe
I have drive mixer for 20 years and can't for the life of me figure out why you check your slump when the truck is idle
And what are you hauling on that I guess in (yards) we do 6.5m3 on our tri drives which is a bit light
Yeah 11 yards max, 8.4 cubic meters. Eventually we'll switch to the metric system... it makes more sense but we're not known for doing stuff that makes sense hahaha
What is the rate of pay per hour range for an experienced concrete driver ? do you receive time and a half for all hours over 40 a week ?
Great videos!!! What would you say the average work day is? Hrs I mean
Depends on the company and especially the weather. Sunny days in the Spring, summer, and fall we usually work 9-12 hours a day sometimes more. Winter here in Wisconsin we only work 4-6 hours a day because there is very few jobs you can pour with snow and ice on the ground…
What pov glasses do you have
U guys dont have a break room? Once we clock in, we usually have time to go to break room n hang out with other drivers n shoot the shit n find out what's goin on that day. No one sits in their truck waiting for a load.. And we can find out important info during that time too, like on a certain jobs it's important to know exactly where they want us to go and stage if its a big corporate pour.. We have radios, but we really dont use them. There's really no need for radios in this day n age...
do you use a gps or it is the same route every day
Different locations bro.
I am starting so any tips and what should I expect
Did you start yet? I got 3 months in now and I'm loving it.
Hi yes I have been doing it almost a month I love it so far
@@jameswright7290 Are you still there?
Are you union and if you are what does it pay now I drove ready mix back in the 1975 and was making 38,000 a year Tony from Las Cruces NM
I'm a concrete driver in St. Louis area. We are Teamsters... $31/ hr
We deserve more, but that aint bad
What’s with all the travel trailers in the yard at your company near where you park your truck?
Crusher crews most likely
How many yards are those drums?
not sure, but state laws have different standards on how much u can haul legally. In Missouri u can legally haul 10 yards. In Illinois 9 yards is the limit.. Either way, if ur fully loaded, it's a really heavy load and u gotta be really careful
At 20:57 you mention a "seven," what's that mean?
He meant a slump of 7 (the drop in inches during a test). He probably had a 2 or 3 by the sound of the rock clanking in the drum so he added water to wet it up.
@@ramblin_man23 u suck at describing things
@@vaekkriinhart4347 concrete lingo sorry. When a test is done to determine how wet concrete is it's called a slump test. If the concrete falls 7" from the original height after the cone is lifted off of it it's a "7" slump. When we get to the job site and finishers say or hold up "7" they want water added to bring it down to a 7" slump. We're pouring a Family Dollar parking lot in the morning and they're gonna want a 5-6. That equates to 1,600+/- psi on our gauges.
What they meant was they wanted the concrete really wet. The higher the number, the wetter the concrete. They use #s to represent each type of wetness. A #3 is a very dry concrete mix. A #4 is a little wetter. A #5 is wetter still, and so on. This guy's load was probably at #4 or #5 when he got there, but the contractor often wants it wetter when u get to the job. They told him they wanted a #7 and so, he had to add about 20 gallons of water to the load and mix it up to get the load at a 7. A #7 is really wet concrete btw. And adding so much water to the mix only weakens the concrete once it dries and sets up... It's all mathematics; they call it a "slump" which basically means when u have a pile of concrete on the ground, how far will it "slump" or decrease in height as it sits there within one minute. A drier concrete will only slump a little bit in a minute, but of course, a wetter concrete will slump down much faster. It's basic physics. The "slump" is how many inches a pile of concrete will fall within a minute. Example: a 4" slump concrete will fall 4" in height in one minute. A wetter concrete, like a 6" slump, will fall in height by 6" in one minute, and so on. It's all very simple. A wetter concrete will fall faster, of course. They call it a "slump." If a contractor wants a 3" slump, that's pretty dry. The higher the number, the wetter the concrete. That's all. It's simple. U can make the concrete wetter easily by adding water, and that's what he had to do here. All these trucks are equipped with a water tank on them.
Hope this explains it for u. Sorry for long explanation
@@vaekkriinhart4347 apparently we were typing at the same time lolol 😂
Block fill (8-9) is even wetter 🙂
You must not work a lot if you have time to type all that geez 😆
What’s up brother just came across your channel, instantly subscribed, about to start my ready mix career, switching from being a metro 🚇 bus driver.
Any tips or advice as I’m about to begin this journey thanks in advance and god bless.
Id say the biggest thing would be safety. Take your time, be safe. If you dont feel comfortable doing what the customer tells you to do then have them make the job site safer. If they refuse, then contact your supervisor. No job is worth your career or life.
@@chrislauvao88 Very wise words! Mixer driver 31 years accident free.
You do a pretty good pre-trip but checking your tires with a hammer isn't legal, but I do it all the time myself and I have drove a concrete trucks before did not always trust the slump garage always like to look and see how it rolls over the fins/blades
I do the same type of job check me out
It's not a cement truck brother .
What part of the country are you in??on??? I haul in Southern Illinois
He's in Washington state.
I'm in the St.Louis metro area, southern IL too
Kienstra