Gasoline Tanker: Tips on how to make fast drops at stations

Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by aquaman58, Dec 27, 2011.

  1. aquaman58

    aquaman58 Bobtail Member

    4
    0
    Dec 27, 2011
    windsor locks, CT.
    0
    I'm new to the gas hauling business. Can someone share some tips on how to keep my drops at the stations down to 30min. Time seems to be a big issue for the contractor i work for.
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. stanman63

    stanman63 Light Load Member

    106
    51
    Jul 17, 2008
    newalla ok
    0
    30min is pretty tuff day in and day out, your speed will come with time, sounds like you may be working for a hard #####!! what ever you do dont let him rush you bad things happen when your not thinking and using your head!!
     
    Jay5GS, bzinger, Higgy and 1 other person Thank this.
  4. GasHauler

    GasHauler Master FMCSA Interpreter

    6,257
    4,358
    Oct 23, 2005
    Vegas/Jersey
    0
    I dropped 12,250 gallons in 20 minutes but everything has to go perfect. The most important is to get into a routine and stay with the same. Always read the tank tags twice and verify the load going into what tank. That's the most important item you'll do. The time it takes to drop all depends on how the truck is set up. I had two short hoses, one 20', and one 30' with extra fittings.The truck was setup for our own stations. I knew which underground tank was where and how much it would hold before I even started the flow.

    However, time should NOT be your most important factor, safety and correctness should. As you do more drops time will come down if you stay with the same routine. Your company should know this. How many contaims do they have and does it seem hurried or unsafe? If it does then slow down until you feel correct and safe then avoid complacency.
     
  5. Rug_Trucker

    Rug_Trucker Road Train Member

    3,335
    867
    Aug 7, 2009
    Near Nashville TN
    0
    Don't stick the tanks, don't stick for water before or after, don't fully drain, don't stick afterwards, don't use vapor recovery, pray you don't mix.

    8800 gal 5 holes, in 45 minutes doing it right. That is getting a VRM reading and sticking the tank.
     
    meechyaboy Thanks this.
  6. chalupa

    chalupa Road Train Member

    3,757
    1,640
    Jul 22, 2010
    Houston,Texas
    0
    Agree with Rug.... Been awhile for me but still the same idea. You dump in 30 mins your going to mix something or forget a dog ear on the shotgun and have a mess.

    My hoses held 150 gallons between the valve and the shotgun....very messy and dangerous if that gets loose plus what about the rouge strapping gauge? You do go inside and get the sheet....and compare it to the tank tag.....and stick the tank...and calculate before you drop...yes????

    30 mins? From pull in to positon / calculate / drop / recalculate / pack up and sign? Sounds more like an hr. for a 8800 drop done right.

    JMO
     
  7. Rug_Trucker

    Rug_Trucker Road Train Member

    3,335
    867
    Aug 7, 2009
    Near Nashville TN
    0
     
  8. pathfinder1361

    pathfinder1361 Light Load Member

    256
    39
    Aug 19, 2011
    miami, fl
    0
    do you get paid by the load or by the hour?

    the way i was trained: (i was paid by the load)

    pull in to station, then verify your bills address to the physical number on the building, (to confirm you are at proper station)

    check your markers on trailer to make sure they still match your paperwork when you loaded (i did have a marker change on me once from premium to regular)

    on our directions card was also diagram of tank locations make sure you identify the tanks. next we were "supposed" to connect the vapor,
    before sticking the tanks. (i would just stick the tanks)

    to me the above you need to do everytime. if you don't do the above
    faithfully eventually you gonna have a cross-drop or drop at the wrong station. ( i was in urban south florida, it all kind of looks the same, stations, streets, etc.)

    like some of the other posters said, it is much more important to be correct and safe. if you save 5 min., but cross-drop, more than once
    you may find yourself out of a job anyway.
     
    aquaman58 Thanks this.
  9. pathfinder1361

    pathfinder1361 Light Load Member

    256
    39
    Aug 19, 2011
    miami, fl
    0
    how many compartments do you have? (unit in the photo)
     
  10. GasHauler

    GasHauler Master FMCSA Interpreter

    6,257
    4,358
    Oct 23, 2005
    Vegas/Jersey
    0

    5. 2 up on the truck and 3 on the trailer. The truck has 3200 in first compartment and 1550 or 1650 in the rear. The trailer has 3250 in the front, 1550 or 1650 in the middle and 2800 on the rear. The drawbar is long about 20' or so but it allows us to stow extra hoses there along with all the fittings we need. The fittings are secured in a rack and right behind that is a box where we stow spill packs,extra fittings, caps, and any other parts we may need like gaskets. The trailer and truck has a mounted rack to hold a metal bucket and sometimes we'll keep a spill pack in there if it's not raining. The only item that I and others wanted changed was we didn't have a drybreak fitting for our vapor hoses. So when you uncapped the hole you may have some product in there depending on how cold it was. Chevron trucks had the drybreak fitting and they never had to worry about product coming out in the winter or if a driver overloaded the truck. They may have it by now, I hope so.
     
    pathfinder1361 Thanks this.
  11. mnpitman

    mnpitman Bobtail Member

    6
    6
    Dec 29, 2011
    Minnesota
    0
    Delivered fuel here in Twin Cities for 4+ yrs before going to dry bulk. Vapor recovery will always be slower; multiple products on truck will speed it up, but also increase chance for cross drop. Slower in cold weather, particularly if you've got diesel to drop. MUCH, MUCH better to do things right than to do things fast.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.