Fuel guys:“I wish my trainer would’ve told me.....”

i have always heard. try to get all of the rack cards.

 

1st tanker work I did was asphalt 2 days training riding with someone .....on my own

Winter comes hauling fuel oil ... follow another driver (2 trucks ) to rack and heating oil dealer. 1 load then on my own....

Gas never was trained just go do it......

So what’s this training you speak of.....?

 

Everyone has buried the colored product hatches to underground tanks below plain copper painted lids to discourage fuel theft.

I hope to god you have a reference card to match the correct product to the correct hatch.

 

All I can say is that Reo is a national treasure. It's always the little details he has that are very good to learn.

I watched a B&B tanker man deliver gas while we got our own one day in one of the towns here. And I examined his routine. It was clear to me that his mind was totally on the job or his body rather. By rote motion. here, then grab that, turn this walk there, measure here round and round.

What I am getting at is when you set brakes above your tanks (Or on the job rather in any kind of big rig) follow ONE routine beginning to end ready for changes or problems. Round and round you go and soon enough everything is wrapped up, papers in hand (Or uploaded rather) and off you go.

 

Carry a six foot length of aircraft cable and some U-bolt connectors. If the wire snaps to open your internals you can do a quick fix. If you have air internals then don’t worry.

Strap or bungee cord camlocks closed when doing a pump job. You don’t have to worry about them shaking open. Still walk your lines anyway.

Make sure you have caps for your hoses. If you have to do diesel last they will keep everything clean. Always try to drop diesel first and then gas to clean out the hose.

Run through the different scenarios that can happen and carry the fittings to deal with them. The fitting box is NOT a junk drawer.

Carry a few extra cones. There will be stations you’ll be glad to have them.

A king pin hook is handy to open the fill pots and pop the caps.

Carry an extra set of clothing and gloves. I only got drenched once but I was glad I could change.

Carry extra spill pads.

“Burping” a hose is when you carefully open one camlock to let a little air into your hose so it will finish draining into the tank. Make sure your internals are closed. You are “stuffing” the tank. This is likely against policy and should rarely if ever be done. Always get a reading and stick the tank.

Get a six foot product “Jumper hose”. It is amazing how handy it can be.

Never do anything you wouldn’t want to have to explain later.

If you have a camlock ear thats loose do what REO6205 said but a paper clip will work too.

If you set up the Truck & trailer wrong and your trailer won’t clear the pumps when leaving borrow a floor jack, put it under the rear axel and move the empty trailer over. Not me but it worked for the guy.

Once you are in a station you own it. Never let anyone try to order you to do anything to compromise safety.

At first you’ll be slow but as you get it down you’ll naturally get faster without skipping safety steps.

Never ever, EVER carry anything in your shirt pocket. That little product pipe is a black hole that craves loading cards and expensive sunglasses.

 

When (not if, but when) the Scully light won't turn green you have three options:

1. Clean the metal contacs with a spill pad dipped in gasoline (but if the rack operator asks, tell him you used a pencil eraser).

2. Carry 2 gaskets big enough to fit around the Scully connector on your trailer. Put one of them on and then try to connect the Scully again. If all of the contacts don't touch, remove the Scully, stack the second gasket on top of the first, and then reconnect the Scully again. You'll probably have to give it a good push before you twist it.

3. Find creative ways to hang the cord.

 

I've had to cross the Scully's on one trailer and that seemed to do the trick.