busy week at work

[racinchef]

been getting some rare off-season over-time because May 31 ends everybody's pre-buy heating oil. Many of my delivery customers got in @ about 2.45 per gallon and the street price is up to about 4.50 so everyone wants as much of their pre-buy in their tanks otherwise they are credited with the dollar value and get heating oil at the current price. I have one customer that has a tank in his garage for his auto-body business and he has over 270 gallons left. He is pumping out that tank and filling the tank at his sons' houses and I am going back to fill his tank tomorrow. Yesterday I worked 12 hours, made 39 deliveries, drove 150 miles and only pumped 4,134 gallons. I am normally off Fri-Sun, but now it looks like I may get to work OT Fri & Sat. Not that bad as showers are forecast, but will miss a big gap ride. Unfortunately, money is short so OT is welcomed.

[ponch]

Back east, everyone seems to use oil. I did, but when I moved to Iowa, everything seems to be either natural gas or propane. It's rare to see an oil truck.

Originally Posted by racinchef

been getting some rare off-season over-time because May 31 ends everybody's pre-buy heating oil. Many of my delivery customers got in @ about 2.45 per gallon and the street price is up to about 4.50 so everyone wants as much of their pre-buy in their tanks otherwise they are credited with the dollar value and get heating oil at the current price. I have one customer that has a tank in his garage for his auto-body business and he has over 270 gallons left. He is pumping out that tank and filling the tank at his sons' houses and I am going back to fill his tank tomorrow. Yesterday I worked 12 hours, made 39 deliveries, drove 150 miles and only pumped 4,134 gallons. I am normally off Fri-Sun, but now it looks like I may get to work OT Fri & Sat. Not that bad as showers are forecast, but will miss a big gap ride. Unfortunately, money is short so OT is welcomed.

[jussmatt]

Around here I can't tell you the last time I saw an oil truck!!

Sorry you're missing some riding Bruce...but glad you're getting some $$ in OT!!!

[ringadingh]

Oil delivery sure isn't as popular as it used to be out here anymore, Natural gas is the popular fuel now. Is that Irving fuel that you work for the same company that owns most of New Brunswick?

Yeah, we haven't had oil heat since Duluth Minnesota circa 1967.

Everything out here is natural gas or propane, and frankly Racinchef, I actually thought you drove a propane truck!

[cactusjack]

I've never seen an oil truck. Out in the west, it's natural gas or electric. I do remember seeing coal trucks as a kid, though.

[ringadingh]

I havn't seen a coal truck since the early 60's. Our next door neighbours had a coal fired furnace, and a coal room to store it in.

I haven't smelled a coal stove *cough* since Riverdale Utah, circa 1973.

[beezer]

How's chances of someone turning you and your truck into a hostage situation and you fill my 1000 gal. tank up and then they can show you driving your truck back across I-84 towards home?

[ells]

Not so much fuel oil to deliver in Missouri either I'd guess, must be considering a career change along with that possible move there, racinchef.

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by Ells

Not so much fuel oil to deliver in Missouri either I'd guess, must be considering a career change along with that possible move there, racinchef.

He can deliver propane.

[racinchef]

Originally Posted by Ells

Not so much fuel oil to deliver in Missouri either I'd guess, must be considering a career change along with that possible move there, racinchef.

My talents are diverse and multi-faceted, but I'd rather enjoy life and drive a delivery truck in more rural areas. Propane is not out of the question. The only difference between delivering oil and propane is that the oil driver says "oh sh*t" when he spills. The propane driver runs like hell.

[racinchef]

Well the fun just never stops. Today I had 7 stops, drove 170 miles and delivered 10,830 gallons and worked 12 hours. My day was very simple; fill truck, drive 1/2 hour, pump out truck into underground tank (45 minutes, but much quicker if I was able to gravity drop like the tanker trailers at the gas station), drive 1/2 hour back to terminal, reload truck (15 minutes, longer if other trucks are ahead of you) repeat three more times, but on the last load I have about 700 galons left and hit 5 residential customers in-town.
loading time - 1 hour 30 minutes
driving time - 5 hours
delivery time - 2 hours 45 minutes
miscellaneous time (paperwork, stopping for breakfast sandwiches and coffee, talking on the radio and cellphone(business relatd) cussing at slow drivers as I am trying to get a good run up the next hill, checking out the chick with the Harley that I saw three times along my route.

[racinchef]

Originally Posted by Ringadingh

Oil delivery sure isn't as popular as it used to be out here anymore, Natural gas is the popular fuel now. Is that Irving fuel that you work for the same company that owns most of New Brunswick?

That's the same one. Not sure why heating oil is so big here in the northeast. The nice thing about my job is that I know all the streets and roads in quite a large geographic area. I also know what homes are seasonal and unoccupied. If I ever robbed a bank they'd never find me.

[racinchef]

Originally Posted by caddmannq

Yeah, we haven't had oil heat since Duluth Minnesota circa 1967.

Everything out here is natural gas or propane, and frankly Racinchef, I actually thought you drove a propane truck!

All the propane trucks I have ever seen are kind of egg shaped while distillates delivery trucks have that classic tanker truck look. I can deliver propane in NH, but you have to be CTEP certified to deliver in VT.