Hauling Tankers

Once you yank tank you won’t go back to a box

 

Actually, most tanks are 43ft

 

Since the tank is the frame the overall length is limited so most tanks are under 45 feet,

Slosh is dependent on the product viscosity, the size of the tank and how full it is and how smooth the driver is.

A medium density product 75% full isn't much to worry about.

We did a TIO2 slurry around 22.5 #/gal so we loaded around 2300 gal in a 5000 gal tank.
Morning traffic on the BQE and it felt like the boulder from Indiana Jones was rolling around back there.

7500 gal of something really light like Acetone in a tall 8000 gal skin tank and it jiggles like a bowl full of jello going down the road. You have to let it rock and roll; fighting it WILL put you in the ditch.

2.5 years training drivers and I only had one chicken out due to the slop.

You have to respect it.
You always know the moment you cross the top of the bridge.
Any time you dis-respect it you get a smack in the back as a reminder.

Tanker yankers are a special bunch.

 

Tankers are the bees knees. Started on liquid, went to flatbed, then dry bulk. I was insanely happy to be dedicated to liquid again. Easy work, however, some of the facilities you deliver to were discovered by Christopher Columbus and require a decent skill set in backing. Generally nothing is rushed either. I have yet to talk to another tanker yanker that is scrambling to make appointments. As long as you find a company that is willing to pay for your detention time, you're set.

 

Some tanks have baffles in em. The LPG tanks we used at my last gig all had baffles. Except for this one old tank they called Fireball, it was a smoothbore lol - apparently it caught on fire one time. Nobody got hurt and no explosion.
I pulled it for awhile. Didn’t care for it.

 

I went back to the box and hate it.

 

Yeah many tanker customers have ancient facilities and I almost never did a blind-side back until I pulled tanks. With my customers, maybe 20% required something like a blind-side back. Visibility around the trailer is so much better in tanks and there is no tail-swing so backing is just easy compared to a 53 ft box.

 

Good point the load is part of the whole package and each load is different depending on viscosity and weight per gal..

Part loads can be the worst.

A Film on roll overs shows a 90 degree hookup gone bad as the slop away from the tractor before the pin latched and you watch the trailer just roll away.

Somewhere in my 'stuff' is a front page from the Toronto Sun. Provost had a small amount of hot resin climb the side as the driver went up and over the overpass, flopped the whole rig right over.

Picture shows all 16 lanes of the 401, in the heart of Toronto, empty at noon; kinda like closing off every exit to Manhattan, a colossal nightmare traffic jam.

Shut down over about 1200 gal of flammable resin [HOT] in the center hole of a three compartment wagon.

Driver's tattle tale showed 10 KPH at the time...