Pulling smooth bore tankers

I watched a driver bring a load of Sulfuric Acid [15+lbs/gal.] back to the shop after finding it loaded w/ a flat.

He pulled up and rolled back a few times b/4 pulling into the shop and immediately locked the parking brakes.

I could hear the acid sloshing around as he grabbed the [green] mechanic by the shoulders and pushed his face almost against the bad tire Just as the acid slammed into the front of the barrel.

The whole rig moved ahead 10" - 12" while leaving black rubber marks on the concrete floor.

Tanker Yankers always know when they cross the top of the hill or bridge....

 

I typed up an better explanation, and forgot to send from the tablet at home. I'll post it tonight.

 

If the truck moved 10 inches with the brakes applied then they need to down that rig for the absolute worst brakes I have ever heard of. And I have pulled sulfuric acid many, many times.

 

So he pulls in, stops, sets the brakes, gets out, walks back to the mechanic, grabs him and puts him in position, and then after all that time the surge finally hits? Riiiight.

 

I don't know of any specific circumstances but when I'm loaded I start in 2nd (10 speed). I skip 3rd and sometimes skip 5th.

 

So hey, does this liquid surge affect your mph at all? Or is it just rpm. Basically is this really all that "scary" ? I am a cautious driver to begin with and never take turns at the posted speed. It's always below the speed

 

No there is absolutely nothing scary about it. A huge hit can affect you mph a bit but not much.

 

That's good. It sounds like this liquid surge is some war story people like to talk about. "That liquid surge pushed me into the intersection and caused a six car pileup; then I caught it sleeping with my wife." I should be okay. I can't believe I actually landed this job, which was made official today. Moving on up like George Jefferson .. It pays some pretty good bank.

It is my understanding that there are some special kinds of tanker courses available, and I've read something about anything more than an 18 degree turn is a recipe for disaster. Are there any other rules one should be aware of in dealing with the smoothbore trailer ? I gotta know as much about this as possible. Nothing worse than being seen as incompetent on a new job.

 

You need to stop over analyzing this thing. You're looking for hard and fast rules that aren't there. No two loads act the same, no two trucks drive the same. If you are a good smooth smart driver that knows how his truck reacts, has good common sense, can hear and feel what is going on, can feel when things are not right and when they are, you will learn and do fine. If you can't do that, you will find out soon enough, one way or the other.

 

On the average, tankers are not aerodynamic, so your mph is not as good pulling a tanker as pulling an outfitted van that has all the advantages of being aerodynamic.