Hopper, Dump O/O's & Drivers

Strangest thing I've ever gotten was the load I didn't pick up. A few months ago I got load info on "Sand Clay". I'd hauled sand before, and didn't think too hard about the second word in the description (there's alot of things I haul that don't really fit the name given).

So I deadhead 160 miles, park overnight, and show up bright and early the next morning. The guy walks out with a grin, and says "I can't load you". I replied, why? is the loader broke down? And he says no, it's a listing mistake - end dumps only, and those have to have a liner - this stuff won't come out.

Turns out it was ballfield clay for the base run, and he was right - that would've never come out of a hopper.

Other than that - the strangest load I've seen was a load of "ice slicer" sand from Redmond, UT to Dover AFB, DE for the Air Force. It wasn't so much the product that was odd, just the distance - I covered 1500 miles thinking they had to have sand closer than that......

 

10-4 on the lunch and lies.

 

10-4 I will keep an eye out and tell him the old man is telling stories about him . Stand up or flattop Pete?

 

Well ya see Wheathauler, I showed up to a ethanol plant to load distillers and they rejected my trailer for too much foreign material, which was about 2 hand fulls of corn in each hopper, My arguement was everything here is made of corn they said well we dont know where this corn came from i said well i dumped it here yesterday, so they said well this DDG is the "Dakota Gold" and it is the good s***, so ok i get cleaned out loaded and on my way i get down to dump this DDG on the Ohio River and i then realized all this stuff was getting dumped into the same pit as other DDG and Bean Meal, and it was raining so we were dragging dirt and gravel into the pit, lmao, when i got back i told them maybe they should haul that stuff in a Food Grade Pneumatic Tanker, They asked me why I just said You dont know where this stuff goes either, they looked at me like i wass stupid, I guess that wasnt the strangest load or anything just the largest pain in the butt hopper load, the best part is i had hauled in and out of this place long before and long after

 

Hopper trailers are like a solar oven in the sun - I think I'll try leaving the tarp rolled partway when I'm working in the trailer and see how that goes.

I sweep out after every load (usually while it's unloading), and I have climbing ropes in both hoppers. There are a few places I go that have blowguns (those can be a pain), and one place they actually do it for you. The hardest part about sweepout seems to be the door tracks, and the door surface, and I keep a 3" paint brush in the truck for those.

Awhile back I lost a paint brush in the pit - the guy running the place thought that was pretty funny (man was I glad it wasn't an issue). After that happened I bought some clothes line and a D-ring, and I keep forgetting to rig that up. I also carry a few plastic scrapers, an extension handle and broom head, and a stiff scrub brush. Most of the time, they just want the trailer swept - I've been getting lucky on avoiding washouts lately. The extension broom is only for places that won't let me work on top of the trailer - so I wind up in the doors reaching upward.

I've got my line cast for a replacement trailer, but I may end up with a 43x102x72 - it may work out pretty close, it'll be the light loads that get me. The light stuff doesn't pay much anyway, so I guess it'll work out if the trailer is clean otherwise. With any luck, I'll be headed back out to Kansas soon to take care of that.

Don't forget that the CVSA is planning a safety push between June 8th and 10th (and probably before and after that). It sounds more like the DOT is already working overtime in some areas from what friends have posted here.

 

Have to say coal is one of the biggest PITA loads, but sometimes it pays for the trouble. It's kept outside, so it's wet, and leaves a sloppy black stain in the hoppers. Usually it gets dumped on the ground, so you get to drag your trailer through that sloppy mess, and to top it off you'd better have some dark clothes handy for sweeping out - because the washout doesn't want ANY of that stuff in their drains. Where it usually comes from is no joy to drive, obviously it comes from the mountains (more often the side of one in a deep valley) and I'm thankful for short gears and a 13 speed every time I drive that route.

Decent paying loads pay the rate for a reason - and I usually like to figure it out before accepting it!

 

Probably a sulfate - Diammonium Sulfate did wonders to the last trailer I had - looked like it rusted the heads, and it was only in there for 2 days. I'm thinking about trying that wheel bright citrus solution on the interior of the trailer one of these days. I know some of the trailers are labeled to warn you about using acidic washouts - so I'll have to ask into that. I'm definitely no expert on hoppers, but I try to learn faster than I need to!

Oh, and hauling Lime can be interesting - they usually wind up dumping it all over the truck, and whenever it rains you get these great streaks on the windshield that don't come off for days......