First tanker job

#1 - Ask Questions.
#2 - the only stupid question is the one you did not ask!
#3 - rinse and repeat.
#4 - PPE is your friend!

 

Take good notes, in a notebook small enough to carry with you.

Consult it often.

Do things the way your carrier wants them done. All the time every time.

If you take shortcuts and have a big spill, they will not back you up in court.

Wear your PPE, plus everything else wis bang said.

Good luck. There's money to be made as long as you don't #### up.

 

The biggest part of unloading is, get your routine down. While you're with a trainer take notes of everything from start to finish. Example,
Hook up hoses
Ensure there is room for all of the product
Check all connections
Hook up air/turn on pump
Open all valves
Ensure product is moving

When you're disconnecting your hoses, lift them off the ground. If they're heavy, there's still product in them. Light, they're empty. Take them apart slow and listen for air hissing. Pressure can mess you up big time and result in a spill. If air does hiss when you're disconnecting a hose, let it bleed slowly until it stops, then disconnect. If it continues, double check to make sure all valves are closed.

Pre trips on chemical tankers are crucial, especially when the tank is clean/just washed out. You need to make sure all wing nuts on the valves are tight, all steam connections are closed, all washout caps up top are tight, and the lid is secured. Lots of tank washes leave everything open in order to dry the tank out.

It's a lot to learn at first but within a week most of it will be second nature. It sounds more intimidating than it actually is. Just remember that chemical tanks are made to withstand about 25-50 lbs of pressure, but they can only withstand about 3 lbs of vacuum. If you're pumping off, you have to make sure the lid is open or the trailer will collapse.

 

The first clean tank with a new trainee was over an hour before we left the yard.

First time I showed/told them what was what...second time I just watched....

Be careful with hoses that may be under pressure, you may not hear the 'hiss' described by Dave1837 above.

With enough pressure those Cam-loc fittings can pop open with the least movement of a cam and the only hiss you will hear is the hose end flying by....

1# PSIG yields around 100# of force so a couple pounds of air pressure packs a punch.

 

You are not going to repeat every word you have heard in training. First they are going to tell you. Then they are going to show you. Don't spend all of the time in class resisting the info and telling yourself it is too much stuff they are throwing at you and on and on. If they were telling you next week's lottery numbers you would pay attention and write stuff down.

 

Great advice.