truck driver

tanker driver

diesel mechanic

owner operator driver

fuel dispatcher

Penn Tank Lines

I started in this company nine years ago. I never intended to stay but it really was such a great place to work I stay. Then a few years back there was some leadership changes in the company and things started to change. Driver facing cameras were introduced and after that painful adjustment. The environment settled.  Then it seems as if the corporate leadership went on autopilot. Pay was stagnant, communication fell off. The small company feel went away so did customers. COVID hit we slowed a bit but all drivers kept producing. We made it through. Finally pay jumped significantly. But so did the hours and demands on the drivers. Local leadership started falling of the edge. Corporate was oblivious to the terminals needs. Seems as if it lost its values that sustained long term loyal employees. Then the new e log systems with AI cameras were thrown into the mix, and I mean thrown into the mix. Again drivers self trained then trained each other. Keeping the wheels on the bus. With only corporate and safety making it harder. Handling  the whole integration process very immaturely, and hostile. Creating an environment where drivers are hostage and afraid to do anything. Loosing confidence and trust in all we knew. New leadership was introduced, which I personally think a few are in a positions way above their skill set. Which will prove to be disastrous. Guaranteed! As far as safety. You have one individual who makes the rules as he goes that has no idea what he’s doing operating off of intimidation, no issue is handled with uniform standards do not upset him or you will be preditorily scrutinized, to the point your employment will be in jeopardy. You are watched to a non human standard concerning the operation of the truck and what you do in the cab. All is watched. ALL! They even spy on your social media. The old mechanic sucks. One of the worst mechanics I have ever seen in my decades of experience. He needs to go. The new mechanic is far superior but will soon be tainted by the old. Dispatchers are all good but are all working independently and not being managed. No standard operating procedures what so ever. Forming a even more reactive environment than dispatching already is. The new terminal manager is way out of his league, my short dealings with him were not good very unprofessional and immature for this position. Plus he has to work with three previous terminal managers that are still involved. What a complete mess. Not a good hire at all for the current situation. The regional manager seems to be really good but I doubt  again enough support. From corporate. So after nine loyal years with this once great company at the Coriapolis terminal I decided to call it quits. The work environment has became completely toxic the constant over watch at delivery sites, during operation of the truck, and your private social media, along with day to day changing standards with safety is way too much for me.  To all left behind good luck fellas. God bless. I will alway cherish the friendships. As far as coming and hiring on with this terminal…… I would stay far away till the dust settles if it ever does or if there’s anything left.

I’ve learned a lot here, but be prepared to be harassed by management and constant  inappropriate behavior while you’re trying to focus . You’ll work on trailers and a variety of trucks. The hardest part of my job is ignoring comments made at work. The most enjoyable part is clocking out and going home. The work culture is childish. Was told it’s a family company but I got written up after my son was sick and I couldn’t come in. The next week I had family court twice because I have to fight to be a father.  It’s not a family company. They’ll find a reason to complain after claiming to be flexible and understanding. I don’t see how anyone could advance in this company. It doesn’t seem they want to keep the employees they have. They even screwed a co worker out of a $5k sign on bonus. I was wanting to stay for the long run, but my job is currently being help over my head and at the will of some guy in Pennsylvania I’ve only met twice. 

Pros: 
*Excellent management at the local level
*A family atmosphere at the local terminal.
*Sincere attempts to keep the equipment maintained
*Good dispatchers who do their best for drivers.
*5 day workweek.
*Vacation pay.

Cons:
*No work-life balance
*Lucky to get 6 hours of sleep per day
*Easy to get fired for relatively minor incidents. Penalties applied in   an inconsistent, sometimes arbitrary manner.
*Pay plan emphasizes rushing while paying lip service to safety
*Pay is poor but probably consistent with local area standards for this industry.
*Pay is based on a company estimate of how long it should take a driver to deliver a load, but those estimates are weighted in the company's favor, rather than the driver's.
*You'll work 50 to 60 hours a week but be paid for 40.
*In-cab driver surveillance cameras.
*Health insurance is self-funded so there are many exemptions to federal laws requiring insurance companies to provide preventive care benefits.

With Penn Tank Lines I had a good 3 years. I worked out of the Albany, GA site. My typical day was getting there Monday thru Friday from 8am-5pm billing onto a computer. I use to do about 3,000 bills a week. I was the fastest in the building so the manager provided me with the most bills to do. That was a problem for me because I love to work. The hardest part of the job was the fact that my manager smoked in the building we were in.  We were in 3 bedroom house covered in cigarette smoke. I'm not a smoker. When asking the manager if she could smoke outside, she would get upset and irritated. The most enjoyable part of the job was always having work to do. It was never a day where you just sat around having nothing to do. I love to keep busy.

Seriously, the company has made great strides over the years. This is a difficult area of commerce for a business. Penn does not own any product, just provides equipment, drivers and management services. The petroleum business itself is cutthroat among similar carriers.  Other companies are quoting low rates that do not offer the stability of Penn Tank.  It appears the senior management treats the lower & middle level management well.  Company has tripled in size thru acquisitions in last 4 to 5 years. Having worked for several petroleum carriers in my lifetime, Penn Tank is near the top in what they offer employees.  Terminal Managers are working hard to create a good place for drivers to work.  The company has been in business over 50 years in a hard to compete market. 

Terrible . Wouldn’t recommend. Dispatch is horrible tell you one thing about ullage and it will fit then you get to gas station and it doesn’t fit. Everyone wants to blame the next dispatcher instead of owning up to their actions and being accountable. Then after running all of your stops for the day and are almost out of hours for the day an emergency might occur for unknown reasons. They still will ask or tell you to run the stop. Very unsafe and inconsiderate. If you have family emergency or anything as such, they will deduct points from you. The pay is decent but the disconnect of communication is the problem. 

Favoritism is the name of the game. The culture is toxic. When you are new expect to be treated poorly and get the worst loads. No matter how long you stay, you will be lied to and deal with not getting paid for meetings, forced to take low paying loads you don't want and be treated like a rookie regardless of experience. Expect to be talked down to and not heard about your needs for time off for family or doctors appointments scheduled well in advance. If you are a company driver they are somewhat competitive compared to similar companies. If you are an independent contractor be wary.

The job was great, though the hours were long and weekends were typically mandatory during peak seasons. The hard work was definitely worth the benefits and salary package though. There was just too much drama, primarily in the office. Drivers acted afraid of the terminal manager and referred to her as "vendictive" and "spiteful" and said that she appeared to "dislike men". She had a reputation for retaliation, so many problems were just tolerated out of fear of being fired or mistreated. Driver turnover was very high, indicative of the environment. 

As a mechanic you are on your own. Demanding Terminal manager that knows very little about repairs.  Mechanics supervisor is not local and sometimes hard to get ahold of. Pay is good, benefits are good, but day to day work evironment is stressful. The computer system the mechanics use is not user friendly.  There's a reason why mechanics don't stay long. Might be a great fit for a young man getting started but the company has no respect for experience or knowledge. Shop is not very well equipped. Overall the shops are understaffed and the amount of equipment you're expected to maintain is not reasonable.

My day would start at various times day to day. I was originally hired for night shift and was forced to go to daylight. After doing a pretrip and departing, some days would go smooth, but usually there would be issues on the information provided to load or the load would not fit. the day would finish up with comments on my write ups on the equipment, which later I found out that the bonus for the terminal was effected by the maintenance costs of the equipment. Pre and post trips are not paid for and there is no overtime.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 37 salaries reported	$91,149 per year
Tanker driver 25 salaries reported	$1,530 per week
Diesel mechanic 9 salaries reported	$31.28 per hour
Owner operator driver 15 salaries reported	$4,150 per week
Fuel dispatcher 6 salaries reported	$55,833 per year

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