Have you ever wondered why bulk customers are such a pain?

Much of this has to do with the sand haulers. At one point Heil had a six month wait for a new trailer. Stephens also was running about six month behind. So guys were buying anything that looked like it might have a chance of getting the job done, and most dumped stupid money into really old trailers.

Doesn't mean old is bad. Our oldest is a 1975, and still will pass any DOT inspection with no problem. And it works better than some of our new ones.

 

We're happy. And yes, Austin enjoys having a weird reputation. Thank goodness our daughter is in San Antonio so we can escape town to a place a little more in line with our cultural attitudes.

 

Some of those trailers are weakened by years of wear on the inside from cement, etc. being pumped out of them. That stuff grinds away at that aluminum like fine sandpaper.
Doesn't help either when some drivers beat on the sides with metal hammers instead of using rubber mallets.

 

Ours never see any type of hammer. That would be sort of like sleeping with the owners wife. Its Something you just don't do.

Sand is probably the most abrasive product I've hauled. Our guys hauling sand to the wells were wearing out the tees on the bottom of the hoppers every month, and they were steel. By comparison, we have a trailer that has only ever hauled fine lime, and cement. The tees rusted through

 

Yeah I see what you're saying. Never thought of it that way really. But I couldn't tell you the last time I blocked up. It just is a very rare occasion for me. Wasn't always that way, either. When I started pulling these tanks, I spent a lot of time unblocking. What helped me was something the old guy that trained me stressed. "Go a bit slower, don't block it up, and be home before the guy that's in a hurry"

 

#### those are all hell holes. Glad my job isn’t like that lol.

We had fly ash blowing all over for like 5 minutes and they sent a dude up the pipe to weld it shut right away.

We also have street sweepers going through a lot and us ready mix drivers like to fill our drums with clean water and back spin them all over the yard to keep dust down.

 

I delivered to a plant that had no bag plant, pipe came down to a drum of water, which was fed by the same hose the drivers used to wash their mixers after loading. Waded through that muck to put that hose back several times every offload. Not that it worked, it was just a little less worse.

But that's not all...
The auger for fly ash leaked when it ran, so there was a cloud of fly ash coming down over where I was standing whenever they were making batches. Which they waited to do until I got there because they never ordered until they were dead empty.

Reported it to my supervision, went back and it was still broken, stopped taking those runs. Nice little town, wonder if the residents know what's floating around in their air.

Meanwhile the sweetest fastest unload I did was at a politically correct newer plant with all the cleaners and fittings. I was half done before my appointment time. And I didn't need my respirator.

Also, try fuel. It's amazing to use hose connectors that aren't beaten up or egged, the ears close just like that. And clean trucks, not covered with dust everywhere and blowing out clouds if you forget to turn on recirc before hitting the plant.

 

All my dry bulk experience is with flour so we're always dust free. Oir unloads take for ever cause we have to pump through a screen with 1/4" holes but its clean work.