Questions about what it's like to drive a tank

Make sure you are a neat freak when it comes to asphalt. Stuff makes an awful mess. Also, take the time to get a good drain on the trailer, on your last load of the day. If you don't, you will screw yourself, when that asphalt hardens up. ALWAYS, start the customer pump and check for suction first, before opening valves! If the line is plugged you will now right off. It is also good to do this, because a plant may not have a check valve and if you open all your valves and theirs with out the pump going it could back feed into your trailer and send asphalt flying everywhere. This happened to one of my coworkers last year.

I've never hauled asphalt even though, my company hauls lots of it, but it seams like its straight forward and not too difficult. I have hauled lots of #6 oil, caustic soda, bleach, clay slurry, leachate, and propane. Make sure to take your time, load the right product, unload in the right tank, and make sure the tank can hold it. Cross contamination and spills are very expensive to clean up. Most importantly, have fun, stay safe, and welcome to the world of tankers!

 

I will say this make sure you look over the hose before hooking up you could get hurt pretty bad if the discharge hose fails while unloading especially if you aren’t in your suit

 

@Adrienna Brown , I'm sorry that things were a little rough in the beginning but it sounds like things are much better for you now. Hopefully they will treat you right and you'll make good money. After you get your Hazmat and a year of experience, many doors will be open to if you feel like exploring other options.

 

Thanks to you all. Any and every tip is appreciated. Also as far as hazmat goes, I have already passed the background check. I just have to be fingerprinted (which I have an appointment for at the end of the month) and then take the test (I'm studied up). So I'm halfway there.

 

Fixing to start my first fuel hauling job going from hauling Coca-Cola to hauling fuel

 

I'll stick to 6122 or 3257 asphalt. Hot, but not hazmat... yeah, the ppe but not the robot suits, haha!! Always steel toe for getting on the catwalk.~!

Be safe, m'lady...my wife drives too...

 

Ask what they will have you do when winter hits. Sorry if you already said it and I missed it. Im starting a new gig too and am dead tired. But welcome to the world of tankers. I've only hauled a few asphalt products a few times and it was a nightmare each time, but only because my old compant didnt haul the, often and it was very difficult to get a tankwash with petroleum products. I had a 1700 mile deadhead one time to find a tankwash that would take the tank. Once you get some experience, you'll be amazed. Most tanker customers are so far past most dryvan customers, its not even funny. Flatbedders get good customers too, but I've seen the places flatbedders have to go and I'll stick to my farms and plants lol.

 

Are these videos watched everytime you visit a new plant?

 

Yes at each you haven't been too. The videos are required by osha. But if it was a five minute video on muster points and plant hazards it would be fine. However there is always 25 minutes of other info that a driver can't use. Like we started in a barn in 1880. Well that's nice but I'm trying to deliver in 2018 to a 20 acre facility.

 

And most seem to be made around the same time the th videos made for schools were.....1950ish