pneumatic tanker first day

Watch your tank pressure, and avoid plugging up.

Shortest hose is best.

 

Dont panic when you DO plug up lol. I really enjoyed my limited time with Pneumatics. I wouldn't mind doing it again. I just really dislike the Lime plants around my area.

 

I didn't like the hearing protection the company provided, so I purchased some good protection like ear muffs from a gun store. Protection like they use on a shooting range. Unloading dry bulk cement and fly ash is noisy and can damage your hearing.

 

This cannot be stressed enough! For me, shooting ear plugs worked just fine, I found that my shooting ear muffs muffled the sound a bit too much so I couldn't hear subtle changes that were going on. The fellow that trained me didn't bother with hearing protection, that's why he has hearing aids to hear now.

As stated above, keep an eye on tank pressure. The other guys where I used to work would get things running, then get back in the truck... Well they seemed to plug up a lot. I stayed outside the truck keeping an eye on things and never did. Say for instance, you have a leaky seal that air is escaping from when you start up so you have your valves adjusted to make up for that so you can keep pressure up enough to off load and then things heat up and the seal suddenly seals, now the pressure goes way up, if you're in the cab you cannot react fast enough to keep it from plugging up. Does it suck babysitting that trailer in all kinds of weather? Sure does but not as bad as having to clear a plug up in the same weather and where I worked, all the loads paid a flat rate so the time wasted clearing the lines wasn't compensated, I preferred to not have that happen.

 

Been hauling lime for about two years now- just love it, dust and all! Something you might wish to consider: Figure out the best way to load your trailer. This is important for a couple of reasons: First, if you load it right then it will ride better. Second, if you don't have real big power under the hood (I don't) it will pull the hills a little easier.

Of course this depends on what type of tanker you have. Experience has shown that with a 3-hole tanker if I load most of it in the middle, a little less up front and the balance in the rear hopper this affords the best ride and pull quality. Too much in the front and it rides like a covered wagon. Too much in the rear and it wants to pull you backwards down the hill.

You have the right idea staying with the load. Oftentimes the air and pressure valves will need minor adjustment and if you aren't right there to catch it it can plug up in a big hurry.

Of course you know that if you DO get a plug, the FIRST thing to do is shut the product valve! No sense in dumping more into what's already plugged up!

Don't forget to do a final clean-out. On my trailer there is usually some left in the middle hopper after it goes empty. What I like to do for the final clean-out is to pressurize it with top air - I bring it right up to about 14-15 PSI, then open the air valve about halfway before opening the product valve. Doesn't hurt to shake any remaining product down off the sides using the vibrators either.

Pneumatics aren't for everyone, but I really enjoy them- beats the he!! out of grocery warehouses and flatbedding.

Good luck, be careful.

 

I love pneumatics. My dispatcher not so much lol. Hate Ms. Lime in Ste Gen. Mo and any Carmeuse lime plants. We affectionately call Ms Lime the **** hole. Other than that, pneumatics can be a well paying career depending on the loads you get. Percentage worked well for me.

 

unloading cement is as simple as it gets. Close the vent, build up to about 12 pounds. Open line air wide open then open products slow, adjust line air to keep it at 12 to 14 pounds.

If and when you plug, never disconnect the product line, never it just makes an extra mess you get to clean up. Dump your tank pressure completely with product called closed. Idle your blower line air open, let the pressure build till pop off opens, then quickly open and close the product called and it will stick the product back into the trailer.

For flyash I unload it with mostly to pair, once it gets going I cut way back on the line air also, but watch it.

 

i start orientation for a local bulk cement tanker job on the 21st. im so excited. i guess i guess i'll be training on pneumatics too. are you home daily? how is the pay? hourly, salary, cpm?

 

The company I ran pneumatics for paid flat rate by the load, which is why I never left the load unattended once I got product running. The loads didn't really pay enough to begin with let alone wasting extra unpaid time clearing lines. I was home most everyday as senior drivers snapped up all the out of town runs because they had to to make a half way decent living at that place. I only ran for the one pneumatic company so I can't tell you how the others pay or home time, etc. For any kind of local work though, I would suggest finding a gig that pays hourly as that's really the only way to make decent money with all the delays most types of trucking has.