Question for Crude Drivers about overfilling a trailer

42 gallons is a "barrel" not 49

 

Its actually 42 gallons per bbl. 200 bbl is 8400 gallons.

 

It comes spraying out of the vapor line, assuming the vapor line is open to the atmosphere and that the manhole cover, washout caps, and pressure/vacuum relief valve(s) are properly secured and not leaking.

 

A 20x400 tank with a top gauge of 10-6-0 will give you 190.38 bbls if you pull it down to 1-0-0.

You may not have overfilled by volume, but you may have overfilled by weight. What was the observed gravity of the oil you loaded?

 

Off topic, but what color/gravity does the oil range from where you've hauled? I've only hauled oil in ND, SD and MT. Ranging from super black 20ish degrees API to 60+ condensate. I've seen green, gold, reddish, orangish, bright yellow, brown, black, super black, honey colored. Just curious.

 

Here in West Texas / Southeast NM, it's usually 38 - 49 gravity, brown to tan-yellow, and some of it glows under a blacklight.

In South Texas I hauled everything from 19 gravity crude that looked like molasses (west of Rocksprings) to 73 gravity condensate that was clear like gasoline (WSW of Encinal). Most of it was dark brown stuff in the mid 30s to high 20s or yellowish-green stuff in the 50s and 60s that looked like Mountain Dew.

 

I still think i

I'm still amazed that it ranges in color like that.

 

Ive blown it out the vent line. Makes a mess quick. Cleaned it up and no one ever knew! We had 1 well n. Of barnhart that put out crude that looked like transmission fluid. Made great aluminum polish with a little west tx. Dirt added.

 

To Rocket79,
I have been hauling crude since January 2012.
I started in West Texas and I have been in South Texas since September 2014.
I have had my fair share of spills and "assisted" Many people with their spills.
I have pulled leases from Ft. Stockton to Pecos To Hobbs To Orla to Mentone to Kermit to Monahans to Gardendale to Big Lake to Andrews. West Texas, East New Mexico, Oklahoma, Gillett/Casper, Wyoming, and South Texas.
In Texas, if your top guage on a 20×400 was 10'06" your bottom gauge would be 1'04" and you would have about 183bbls (1-3 bbls more or less depending on the gravity and temperature).
If you would have overfilled your tank, the oil would have primarily exited out through your vent line. If you had overfilled your tanker, "they" could have just checked your gauges, run ticket, And Most Importantly.....Check The Trailers Vent Line.
I used to run a 220bbl trailer and my (greedy) company at the time didn't care what I loaded, as long as I go the load to the offloading facility. I noticed that if I loaded 210-215bbls I didn't overfilled the tanker but oil was in the vent line and when I offloaded instead of opening the vent line after 10-20bbls I had to wait until 50bbls to open because if not, oil would spill out of the vent line. So, when a trailer is filled to Almost capacity or overfilled, oil will be and remain in the vent line until you cause enough suction to get it out or if you use a bucket and diapers or rags to get it out.
Anyway, I suggest that you come back to Texas. West Texas is Booming, they have man camps in a lot of places, and you won't have a problem getting hired and a place to lay your head. I say, give yourself a good 2-3 years and you can go back to California, if you choose and those 2-3 years of positive work history will override that negative mark on you DAC and you can make some decent money in the process.
Just my two (or three) cents, Sir.
I wish you (and all commercial drivers) the best.
The World Would Not Continue......
If It Wasn't For Truckers.