tanker question and my maybe plan

that's the thing with the tanker you either start out or finish up at top weight. When i hauled.nitrogen in the oil fields 1/3 full was the most lively load you were going to pull. Pulling a tanker is not like pulling anything else, it's kind of like dancin or taking a goat for a walk on a leash.you gotta learn how to manage it and work with it.in a smooth bore you look just like a scared porcupine when you realize you went into the curve a little too fast because you know that fluid is just going to climb up on the wall and want to pull you over when you turn..yeah that's real good advice on the Jake, don't drive in the mountains without a Jake. you gotta have real slow and smooth moves on curves. You can overturn and correct and then try and get back in the turn again and your product will be up on the sidewall wanting to pull you over. Which it will do if you give it the chance. I came up on one of our new nitrogen drivers going down a mountain pass in Colorado and he was all greasy side up and crumpled cab. The man was lucky he hit a short bit of road cut. A little sooner or a little later and he would have been 1200 feet down. The nice thing about liquid nitrogen is that when you have a spill it just turns into air. We were all glad the man wasnt seriously hurt and the company never said anything about losing a million dollar trailer ( all nickle and non-magnetic stainless), but the driver could not bring himself to get in a truck again. its a good gig, but you gotta stay at the top of your game.you won't be checking out too many tight pants, bare knees or hooters, or fiddlin much with your music box. But good luck a above all have fun.

 

Out west some states are 84000# on state highways and 80000# on the Interstate. Then there are triple axle trailers and tag axle tractors. These oilfield water haulers are long an heavy, triple axle 100,000# i think they are. fresh water that is, not production water,,, thats hazmat.

 

So you fuel boys seem to be happy. I just got my hazmat again and have an application in with Alta Transportation in Colorado. Some mountain driving icey driving stuff like that but it might be a good gig. I see thier ad every 4 months or so, they claim they're expanding, but they just might be running through drivers fast. La Veta pass on Hwy160 can be a #####, it could easily scare a flatlander into quiting when its frozen or in a cloud. And of couse my wife doesnt want me to do it.

 

I would be bored if I didnt have that angry beast sloshing around back there. I love it.

 

Never know until you try. I started in the tanker field about a year after I started driving. You get use to the winters and icy roads pretty quick and I think knowing what your hauling behind you just increases your level of vigilance in the truck your operating when you realize what could happen the minute you loose respect for it. Its not for everyone but I always enjoyed it.

 

I ran chemical tanker for 12 years and we were maxed out on weight 99% of the time. Every once and awhile you would get a load where they can only handle a half of a load and they were nice loads but normal load was always maxed out. When you go to load they weigh in on a scale and weigh out on a scale so they know what they can load on you.

 

Titianium Di Oxide slurry, 22 lb per gal. Max load was 2250 gal [49,500#] and we used what Matlack called a 'tight fill' latex trailer; about 5000 gal capacity. Felt like a boulder rolling around behind you.

 

I used to use those Latex trailers for Latex and they were so cool because you would load 5000 gallons into a 5000 gallon tanks pulled real nice then turned around and headed back empty! those were the days lol

 

Ya I did one load of that stuff. 2000 gals in a 7000 gallon tank. Those were the good old days ( I guess). Lol.....