Advice for a newbie to bulk dump? Specifically loading and Unloading?

Yeah. Run down to Vulcan or Martin Marietta in Cayce and get a load of number 4 stone. That should clean her out good. Just kidding.

Don't know what to tell you about the load sticking. It does. That's why you see shovels and such bungied to the trailers. Sux but that's dumps. Be careful. Learn the sticky products and make DARNED sure you are on solid, flat, level ground; tractor straight in line with the trailer and the air out of the airbags in the tractor and trailer both. Keep an eye on her going up and if she's wobbling or starting to lean then down her fast. And always wear your seatbelt when dumping. If she does go over and goes over on the passenger side then you DON'T want to be thrown into the passenger door as it's hitting the ground.

Gotta watch coke, flyash, bauxite and clay. They all like to stick. If it's coke or flyash and you are loading it outta a silo; check to see if they are wetting the silo first thing in the AM to get it going. If they are then make them run the "coal mud" all out til dry is flowing before you load. Not much you can do about product sticking but dig it out or wash it out. The had a wash pad with a reclamation area. Wash it out, scoop up the mud with a front end loader and put it in a pile of the same product. When it dried we'd reload it. Do it all again. Bedliners help, but not all that much for the afore mentioned sticky stuff. Millscale outta Nucor isn't too sticky but it's real dense and heavy so there's not as much of it as the other stuff so it stays in the bed til it's way up so it makes the top heavy up high too but then it cuts loose and slides right on out.

Never haul man size rip rap in an aluminum trailer. Them basketball size boulders do a world of hurt to aluminum on their way out. Loading ain't too keen on it either.

Stay tarped both loaded and empty. Cuts the aero drag way down and gets the MPG up a bit.

Try not to go home with a load of anything fine on. It settles during the down time and is harder to get off. Going down the road keeps it a little looser and it flows out better.

Always VISUALIZE that both tailgate latches came open or one day one won't have and either the tailgate will tear off or you'll tip over because it ran to the back, couldn't get out so it came out the side putting too much weight on one side.

Try and get the loader to start loading at about where your landing gear is and work his way back toward the tail. Don't let them load tail to nose. They'll overload you every time. That works pretty good for weight with the 32, 39 and 41 footers.

Leave the frameless to the experienced guys for a while.

Always wash out between salt and sand or rock going to a ready mix operation. Salt and cement at a ready mix plant don't mix. Salt keeps the concrete from hardening right on the job.

You load at a lot of mines so keep in mind that any pit or quarry also comes under MSHA and they have a ton of rules they are super strict about. May seem like a relaxed Mom and Pop and it might be but the guy in the black SUV with government plates pulling in ain't relaxed at all and you ARE on regulated mine property so the mine rules do apply to you too.

I don't know. Lots of other stuff too. Dumps is a tough game for sure. Best of luck and be safe.

 

Idle going up, watch for leaning and keep yer fingers crossed. And NEVER dump in a crosswind or beside another trailer. I always tried to dump with the truck facing the wind. Keeps the dust off the hood.

 

We all hate coke. Wear a mask and safety glasses too. That shiez has wicked effects on the lungs and eyeballs. Better a "geek with a mask and glasses" than a Blind Black Lunger. Shiez is worse than cigarettes by ten tons. Think about it. it's COAL. Nothing wrong with coal at all for energy production but it IS wicked bad on the body breathing the particles and absorbing them through your skin and eyeballs. There's a REASON for the PPE Rules. Getting it on your skin ain't so bad. KEEP IT OUT OF YOUR EYES AND RESPIRATORY SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!!