Determining proper loading weight

It all depends on what your truck weighs empty, and how many pounds you can legally haul. For some it's 133+gravity, for others it might be 137+gravity. The oil temp affects your net barrels, rule of thumb is every 10 degrees below 60 will increase your net barrels by about 1, every 10 degrees above 60 will decrease your net barrels by about 1. Those are rule of thumb numbers for fast figuring, not exact. The wooden backed thermometer is called a woodback and is by far the most overvalued tool in the API arsenal. By API standards the woodback will set you back 10 minutes for what is 99% of the time well less than a 10 degree difference. The first company I hauled oil for actually had a gravity chart with barrel weights by gravity and we had to calculate every load, major PITA.

 

API standard is what the BLM requires. Takes 25 minutes to gauge one tank. 20 minutes before loading, 5 minutes after loading. 5 minute soak on the woodback, while you twittle your thumbs. Oh and don't forget to measure twice.

For the 5 axle trucks I worked, 140 + gravity kept s just under 80,000.

When we went to the 8 axle supers, it was 200 + gravity.

 

Its a different value for different trucks. The empty weight is needed for the tractor trailer combo. Some of our trucks are 130 + gravity. The sleepers are 125 + gravity. Air bag trailers can take one more bbl over the spring trailers.

 

You'll know your loaded when crude comes out the vent line.

 

We have drivers that can't even figure that one out.

 

Old thread, but jeez, you guys make this hard! Just figure how many pounds you can haul, say 50k just for an easy number. Say your oil is 40 gravity, which is 288 lbs per bbl, 50,000÷288=173 bbls. Unless I'm missing something here.