Bulk tankers

imo if you can get a job in the patch take it but only if you are prepared to work your butt off

 

I cant speak for food but back in the mid 90's I hauled cement and fly ash for a buddy of mine, watching tank pressure as others have stated is critical....plugged hoses are a royal PIA and messy !!

 

I currently haul frac sand in North Texas.....I'll second the work your butt off in the oil patch comment. Good $$$$$$$ IF you get with the right company.

I've also hauled cement and flyash..........I'll take sand......any day.

 

Another thought.....my company has a loading facility at a local rail spur in Midlothian, Texas.........


Dealing with the rail road folks isn't the problem many think it is........


Watch what they're doing with the trains........pay attention......and, always remember that an accident with a train, even a minor one is NEVER pretty.

 

For U Redd..... watch out for Superior Silica Sands and Flex Frac of Ft. Worth. Superior is owned by Insight and Flex Frac is in bed with Insight. Flex also owns controlling interest in HTC.

Superior is financially weak and so is Flex Frac. FYI Bud.

 

Need a new Mac with the pop-up hand rails.

 

That is pretty cool. I used to drive down the road thinking of a system like that. It's really simple without the automated stuff. There is no reason to not make all tankers better. That includes liquid.

Some of those old junks I worked with, we had to put that black traction tape on top. They didn't even have metal traction walks.

 

I haul milk, cream, condensed milk (9.7 lbs per gallon # 6500 gallons+ per tank) skim milk, and the like, a smooth bore tank can be tricky, especially when shifting and braking, but like anything else, is a challenge and keeps you on your toes, personally, I would rather pull a van, but right now I am stuck on the tanker, the only good thing is I don't touch anything on the tank, unloading, loading, sealing is all done by the plants that I go to.

 

I drive for Dahlsten and that is what we pull, pneumatic tankers. As stated, they aren't considered tankers so you don't need a tanker endorsement.

I've hauled salt, sugar, flour, limestone, powered "clay", "cast".....I like it. The unloading is not hard as long as you pay attention and listen. Loading flour you need to make sure your trailer is dry before loading. A dry trailer is crucial for any product but especially flour.

We go all over and usually unloading time is a minimum of 90 minutes. It all depends on how the set up is where you are unloading. If you are blowing into a long run of horizontal pipes it seems to take longer than blowing it straight up into a bin.

If you are unloading and they want to shoot water on it to keep dust down, as they do with salt sometimes, make sure they don't turn water on until you have product going for a few minutes. Also, in situations like that, I've found that I run my bottom air(what blows product through the line) wide open. Normally, I never have it more than 3/4, max.

You will learn your own system the more you do it. I have guys tell me they only build pressure with their vibrators and others who use top air on some product and others only vibrators. What I've found is each trailer is different. Like the one I have now, I'll build pressure with the vibrator in the hopper I'm unloading first. While I build up to 10-12 psi, I'll crack the top air some. Once I'm up there, I'll open my bottom air around 1/2 way and close the top air. I'll slowly open the product valve and watch the line pressure. Once it gets close to what the tank pressure is, I stop and give it a minute. There might be slight adjustment made to the product valve or the bottom air. After a couple minutes and things are all set, I will grab my chair and wait. Or get in the truck and fix something to eat. All depends on day etc....

Be prepared to use a rubber mallet. You have to beat on the side a lot, especially with flour and limestone. You'll also find that any small air leak flour will find the hole. If a lid up top is spewing out product, I keep a pair of old glove around. I'll pop loose the latch where the leak is and put a folded glove between the lid and latch.

Again, it's not difficult. Only if you make it that way. I've only plugged when I did something wrong. When I was hurry and that was twice. Both times I opened the product valve before the line air jumping from one hopper to the other. One was a simple unplug and the other required me shutting everything down and popping hose off.

It's common sense for the most part.

 

If it would only pick up a little, I'd go back to it. Right now I am hauling out of Big Brown, Ash Grove, Monticello, Oklaunion.