Tanker Trucks

There's no set policy. Whatever the company feels comfortable with and whatever they think the drivers will handle okay is most likely what they spec in a new truck.

 

i delivered 4 new ones to a tanker company in houston last yr. and they were all manual. i forget the name of the company but the tractors are maroon?


If anything, i should think that most companies would spec the tractors with a manual because there's a certain shifting rhythm involved due to the surging of the liquids. It's as if you're really driving the liquid with the trailer surrounding the liquid. It's sort of like walking while balancing a book on end on your hand, sort of. (?)

(?)

 

If a company pulls gasoline or diesel in the amounts that keep the compartments full, or almost full, then an automatic would be great. The same can be said for a smooth bore tank if the same product is hauled all the time, and the tank is always full.

I would not want an automatic in a smooth bore tank that is not full. You really have to time the shifts and clutch in a smooth bore tank that is not full, sometimes to the point of skipping gears or letting the surge catch up with the truck before releasing the clutch.

The tank I have is a smooth bore, but is ran totally full 99.999% of the time. I used an automatic for a week and really liked it. I run on two lane roads with stop signs, and up hills a good percentage of the time. At the end of the night I was much more relaxed and refreshed with the auto.

 

The company that I work for has both Autos and manuals. I drive a manual because I like to control when I shift. I haul mostly caustic acids in the range of 48000 to 50000 lbs which put your total at about 79200. Now what makes it interesting the tank is only about half full. Caustic weighs 12.96 lbs per gallon. You get a lot of surge hauling. You try to shift with the surge but it does not always work that way. The surge will blow you by a gear in the low ranges.

Alan

 

That's what i thought---about the shifting; i am not that stupid after all.

But i've never hauled tanker. And never will.

 

Mines not. It's a super 10!

 

Everybody is concerned with surge and you just don't have it with gasoline tanker. The tanks have bulkheads along with baffles so there's very little surge. Also most all of the tankers have 4 to 5 compartments. I drove a super tanker that could carry 13,000 gallons but we cut it back to 12,450 gallons because of weight restrictions. I've had half loaded compartments and every possible load you could think of with this type of truck. I've returned to the terminal with one compartment full. That's what we call a retain. I've driven with one compartment half full after a tank test at the service station. In the rain you have to be careful but that's not from surge it's because of the weight.

There was one time where I could feel the surge and that was a load of diesel. Diesel is heavier than gasoline so we would have have full compartments on the whole truck. But still it's no where near a smooth bore tanker.

Our company always spec'd the trucks. Since I'm retired now I'd have to call a few friends to see if they went to auto shift. I would say they have because it makes more sense. Almost all of our driving is local and in the city. So what they would look for when spec'in the truck is cost and safety. That's the items the companies look at. I'm sure before the company goes out and spends any money for the autos they will check the adaptability to make sure they work within our scope.

 

I have been pulling tankers for the last 8 years I just started pulling for the Kings of oil where we have nothing but auto-mated 12 speed kw's I never thought I would like an automatic but this type is nice clutchless and the computer will shift it if you want it too. You can take control on the hills if you like but in congested areas or short hops its the best only downside is on hills it will roll back being automated makes it a regular transmission without the clutch and the computer prevents you from grindin!