Bruce Oakley Trucking (Bulk)

You could always have a custom tank built into your fuel tank

 

What are some of the things/items that you have now that you wished you'd had when you started hauling bulk?

I find I need things along the way and experience is a tough teacher. Usually its when I really need these things and I'm no where to get it. Like recently I had water in my air tanks freeze up. Luckily I could get to a garage and warm it up, but I need to get the alcohol for the lines. And I need to get back in the habit of draining my tanks. Just an example.
I already have the rubber mallet and a dead blow. Not looking forward to wearing a hard hat again or the safety vests etc, but like you said. It's what you make of it.
What's your usual running area. are there places you find yourself going to regularly?

 

That's close to what I want. I was thinking of a separate fuel tank to act as a hydraulic tank. I saw a truck with that system and thought it was very clever. My problem is I only have about 30 inches from the back of the fuel tank to the fender. Right now I have toolboxes there. I believe you need 60+ gallons of fluid to run the dump trailer, I could be wrong, but I don't know that one tank would be big enough. Ideally I would like the Hydraulic tank on one side and the apu on the other.

 

Sorry it took so long to respond. Everyone I have talked to on the tank side who switched from end dump has said that they make more money pulling a tank. Tank pays better on loaded and empty miles. There are some drawbacks to tank, i.e. potentially longer washouts and load/ unload wait times but you will never see a scrap yard with a tank. Add in the cost of replacing tires due to running over shrapnel and the tank side looks even better to some. I was very interested in running a tank when I originally talked to Oakley, having some experience pulling them in the past. Living outside of Memphis, I get home every weekend running a dump but was told 2 weeks out minimum pulling a tank. Also, more north east which doesn't interest me. I lived in Jersey for 20 years and ran box trucks into Manhattan for 2 years and have no desire to relive those days. I still do go to western PA and upstate NY on a fairly regular basis which I don't mind.

I have seen a few trucks with side saddle hydraulic tanks but I don't know the size or length. I have thought about switching from the one on my catwalk to a side mount with steps to move my pogo stick back forward. My current tank isn't in the way, but I have rubber air lines that all but touch the catwalk with the pogo stick behind the tank. It would probably be cheaper to have new airlines made the correct length than to switch tanks though.

 

You speaking of a saddle tank and you need a 50gal for a frameless also it’s possible to order a replacement fuel tank that will leave you a hundred gallons for fuel and fifty gallon for hydro

 

That might work on the side with the def tank. That tank is only 110 gal. I could replace it with a 150 and not lose much fuel, get the hydo tank and leave the passenger side open for the apu. Interesting......

 

I completely understand the feeling of not doing manhattan again. i too did the box truck to there for a couple years delivering food and it was the worst. Didn't know it at the time, but looking back, YUK!!!!!
Thanks for the info about the dark side of dump. I was wondering about the tire issue with them because you do go to some sketchy places. When I worked construction in NYC I would do a FOD walk to where the truck had to go because of so many flat tires from nails and such. Yanking the tank was almost civilized compared to some places I had to put that flat bed.

 

Add a grain shovel to that. Helps with cleaning up after a plug.

I tend to stick out west since I'm out of Colorado. I haven't been east of 77 much in a while. Typical for me is to haul out of Cheyenne down to NM (or bounce to NM), then load potash heading to AR/MO/KY then bounce around the Midwest or Gulf Coast a week or two then head back west for a week and go home.

 

Is your intake and blower on the inside or outside of your frame? I had my set up when I was a company driver on the outside, but I see some that put them on the inside, which would save valuable rail space for other things..

 

This is how I did my blower setup but my cab/sleeper sit up high enough the plumbing clears everything between the cross members and the cab/sleeper. I have a 12" Gardner Denver blower mounted up behind my fuel tanks with a short driveshaft.