Tanker Questions

one thing you should know. go slow over rail road tracks. one driver went over some tracks way to fast and the trailer collapse. Here in Arizona. R/R crossing out in the boonies are not smooth to drive over. one tanker gone and 15 grand worth of milk gone.

 

When I did my CDL test I remember some stupid rule that I could not be out of gear for more than a few milliseconds because I might lose engine braking or I might not be able to get it back in gear and thereby block traffic. Once I got my CDL I stopped following stupid arbitrary rules created by government employees who don't have to work for a living and I started leaving my tranny out of gear when doing curly Q on and off ramps on the interstate etc. when in deceleration mode. Why, because the on and off of the engine especially with the engine brake turned on can ruin your day on a tight curve. Slow down using foot brake and engine brake before the curve and then coast around using foot brake as lightly as possible until your ready to accelerate. Yes, you have to know your RPM range and speed range for each gear but any good driver does.

Also, don't try to change from first to second gear when turning a tight 90 degree corner because the surge will almost always slow you down too fast and you won't have the speed to get 2nd. Instead do a quick 1 into 2 before you start the turn and then stay in two until you are straightened out. GO SLOW. That is the universal rule of no baffle tankers.

Oh, and don't be surprised when you're asked to haul overweight because many of your suppliers will not have scales and if they do they won't be under you when you are loading. Learn the outage for each material you haul and drive the lightest truck you can buy cause it is not productive to constantly have to drive around scales.

 

Sounds Like An MTS/WDT Truck Driver
if you work for them theni feel sorry for you

 

I started out pulling liquid (chemicals) in shotgun(smooth bore) tanks. That was my first job out of CDL school with Tidewater Transit.

All of the info you have gotten here is good advice. You have to "outrun" the surge, or another way to put it is to say "keep the wave behind you".
Picture a wave moving forward, then hitting the front and reversing. That is exactly what is happening inside the tank. Wait for the hit at the front and then keep the wave moving toward the back. Try to only accelerate when the wave is moving toward the back and be as smooth as possible. Watch on and off ramps and don't make any sudden lane changes.

I have experienced it first hand.... I was rolling I95 S at 70MPH. Car came off the shoulder right in front of me. I swerved to the inside lane. I looked into the passenger mirror and saw daylight under the tandems. It scared the hell out of me but I got it back and was ok.

It takes more patience to pull liquids, but if you are careful you will be fine.

Oh yeah, and lay off the jakes unless necessary. You don't need them and they will probably make life harder on you until you get used to it.



Dave

 

Congratulations and welcome to the world of tanker yanking. It's quite a step right out of school, but it can be done successfully. Just take your time and think about what you're doing and you'll do fine.

Milk hauling is a good place to start, no hazmat to worry about, and will teach you the fundamentals you need to haul anything. I have a cousin up in Canada who's been a milk hauler for years and loves it. Personally I prefer chemicals but I've done fuels too. Hauling gas to service stations will give you a whole new perspective on how dumb the average driver is.... ever see a service station blow up?

Anyways, some helpful hints about tank hauling in general:

LOAD SLAP.... Don't freak about this. You're always gonna have a bit of it but you'll learn to manage it. I generally have a newbie take a half empty bottle, hold it on it's side in your open palm and move it back and forth and side to side. Watch the movement of the liquid. That's a pretty good approximation of what your load will be doing. Slap will scare the #### out of you the first couple of times but soon it will become just a part of life.... you're aware of it but it doesn't control you. Think of it like "talking" with your wife whilst the WWE "divas" are on tv; you're aware of the importance but your mind goes on autopilot, inserting the "Yes Dear" and "No Dear" in the proper places without missing the "action".

UPSHIFT/DOWNSHIFT.... "progressive" shifting is fine in some places but sucks in others. One method I use with my particular combo (ISX, 10 spd, 3:56 rears) is skip-shift on lower side (1-3-5 or 2-4) since the lower gears are so close together. Hi-side as normal (6-7-8-9-10). I find this cuts down on slap when starting on a more or less level pull. You'll figure yours out as you get more used to it. By and large don't downshift to slow down/stop. Use your brakes/jake and shift down to the appropriate gear to pull again. As you get more experienced you can modify this to your own liking. Right now you have enough to get used to.

CORNERING/CLIMBING/ TURNING.... due to the movement of your liquid load I recommend not shifting during these maneuvers for the most part. Particularly if you're doing a tight angle turn. A loaded smooth bore tanker can be rolled at 5mph if you goose it at the wrong time. A steady pull always.

THINGS PARTICULAR TO MILK LOADS......

Forget all the "farmer's daughter" jokes you ever heard. He will not find them funny.

Be careful when accepting invites for a coffee/ snack. Farmer's wives will always tend to feed you..... and you will wind up too fat to get behind the wheel.

Go look first when your load point is "behind the barn". These approaches tend to be one farm tractor wide.

Quickly learn the difference between cow and bull. Bulls typically tend to regard pats and head scratches as a personal insult.

Above all, look where you're stepping. Fresh "cow patty" is not a scent you want inside your truck.

Hope this helps.

 

I'm trying to figure that advice about leaving the truck out of gear by that 3 year rookie. That's about the stupidest bit of advice I've ever heard! Keep the truck in gear! He probably still has a hard time figuring out which gear to be in anyway and just told you to to keep the "tranny out of gear" to see if you screw the pooch!

Coasting around curves out of gear riding the brakes isn't the smartest thing as the truck can start to "push" and with smooth bores the push is usually to the frond and side. I stay in gear and am already going slow enough before I get to the ramp or curve and will keep a little fuel going to pull the truck around the curve thus keeping the product where it belongs. In the trailer and not flowing out all of the cracks you put in the tank when it rolled over!

I've pulled smooth baffled and bulk tankers along with all the rest of the things on my resume. Tankers are my second choice when driving!

When reading advice in the forums look at how long they have beed driving or their age or BOTH then decide if you are getting sound advice!
Good Luck
Rollover!

 

If you tip the tanker on it's tail and haul it down the road that way, you won't have as much movement. Of course, it'll be hard to clear any bridges, and the wheels are in the wrong place...

 

Suppliers should not be surprised when I tell them to pump off few hundred gallons before the load leaves the yard .

 

Light acceeration until the slosh thumps the rear of the trailer. When it does mash on it to keep it against the rear of the trailer. Ease into the brakes when you can. Allow the slosh to move to the front of the trailer and use the brakes to keep it there. There will be times when you wonder if the fifth wheel is going to come off. Be very careful on ice. You'll get the hang of it.