Tanker Yanking
 

I have drove for about 9 years now. Perfect record. Got a real good job offer pulling a fuel tank. So I took it. I have not talked to very many tanker drivers to know the pros and cons about it. Everybody I have talked to said I have lost my mind. Too Dangerous! Come on guys and gals. Give me some positive words to come back at these people with.

Re: Tanker Yanking
 

It's the last job I hope I ever have.I don't believe it to be any more dangerous than any other trucking job,sure you deal with volatile freight but under the watchful eye of a professional driver you will be fine.Just remember there are plenty that have been doing the same thing for years and years you're not the first.

It will also make you a better driver,I know that I am defintely a better driver now.

Like I have stated on other threads,the tanker world is bizarro world compared to hauling a dry van around,you are actually respected at the shipper and recievers.... :lol:

Re: Tanker Yanking
 

Buckhot,

To coin a popular phase " Just Do It"! You will not be sorry.

I've been hauling fuel for a year now and I love it. I work Monday through Thursday with good pay and benefits. The people I work with on a daily basis are pleasant to be around and always respectful… I actually enjoy going to work.

I have been working in the fuel industry for just about a year this month and I have to say that I love it. The fact that you are hauling fuel does make you a bit nervous a first. It took me awhile to be comfortable hauling fuel around. I drive a tridum trailer and we can haul up to 105,000 lbs total gross weight on a combination tractor/trailer on a tridum. Just take it easy around the corners :)

***Update*** Ok here goes, I have worked Sat,Sun,&Mon. Now 4 days off. Made about $600.00 I took a gas bath the first day on my own. The man I picked the truck and trailer up from had apprently left about 150 gal. in a 1300 gal. tank. OOPS! I know I should have checked the tanks but it was dark and I assumed they were empty. I tried to put 1200 gal in and it shut off. At 1080 Came out the vapor recovery (big mess). Other driver told me to hold a bucket under the cap and drain it. Yeah Right! Like a fire hydrant. Soaked my britches. Of course he had a rock under the cap. It has been a long 3 days. Now I am uneasy about it and starting to miss throwing chains! Thanks for all the comments. Have a Great Night Yall!

did you do that while you were loading? Do you not have sensors on your trailer that let you know if there is any product retained? I've hit the top sensor before because I put in the wrong amount but all I had to do was get a bucket and drain it out. You shouldn't have left your internal open while you were draining it out. I'm assuming that's why it came out so fast. So keep your chin up about the whole experience and just know that you can drive another day!

It had the scully system hooked up but I guess it didn't stop it before it came out the vapor recovery. I got the heck out of the refinery and made it to the station which was about 3 miles down the road before I tried to drain it. I am sure that was plenty of time to build alot of pressure. Live and Learn!! I will climb up on the trailer and look if there is any in the peep sights on one I just pick up.

Re: Tanker Yanking
 

I have been hauling fuel for a couple months now. My opinion is that it's the safest type of driving because you never forget whats behind you and knowing that one little mistake could be your last. When I pulled double's and long box's I always pushed it, probably more than I should have. Now that I'm pulling a tanker I pay close attention to every thing that I do.

If the trailer had 150 gallons left in a compartment it should have never loaded without resetting your tank sensors. We load diesel from one rack and if we need gas we have to pull up to a different rack. If we have one compartment full before entering the second rack we have to reset the scully to get a green light to load the rest of the compartments.

one reason i don't feel bad about starting with a smoothbore.
one big hole in which to shine in a flashlight.
i'm just -super- paranoid about dropping the light.

I don't know about chemical tankers, but I did food grade for a little while. Yeah, the surging can be a pain in the ass (food grade tankers can't have baffles in them), but, personally, I find it a lot more easily adjusted to and predictable than something like cattle (which can be very unpredictable).
And I think you've already figured this part out, but it should be sufficient to say that you can never assume than a tank is either a: empty or b: washed out without a thorough visual inspection.

Fuel is a good gig.

Tapping the tanks should be part of your regular routine. Something hard that you carry in your pocket works great. I check right in front of my partners when changing shift and they take no offense. also check before loading and after unloading, only takes seconds. Tap at bottom of each section and you will get used to the sound of an empty compartment in addition to sight glasses and setting the trailer brakes and opening the internals.

Trust your driving partners but don'nt!!!!!

Give it time, the first few months will test your nerves and your head needs to be in the game at all times to avoid costly mistakes.

The guy who you relieved either did'nt want to set off an alarm and stopped the flow and did;nt want to deal with a retain, was on a big ass incline so the compartment would'nt drain and was to lazy to reposition the truck. Bottom line is a station got shorted some gas and that pisses the customer off.

Best of luck,
PEACE OUT 8) 8)
FUELMAN

:lol: :lol:

anyone here has info on energy dispatch? fuel transport company in the southeast

I'm seriously considering switching to tank from dry van. I have to go get my TSA and hazmat first.

I've drove dry van all but 6 months out of the last 8 years. I'm just getting tired of it.

I'm in north-central WV. Does anyone have any recommendations for companies around me? I know that Superior Carriers and Dana both have terminals close. The bad part is that I can't find any pay info on either company. They only list their driver requirements.

A good friend of mine was a company driver before he bought his truck,and he said 60k is easily possible as a company driver here,with that terminal in Friendly or Nitro you could get home regularly too.Pay I think is 22.5% of gross.Call Jeremy in Friendly at 888-784-3262

Will definitely do that tomorrow.

I'm not only fed up with dry van freight, but getting there quick with my company as well. About 3-4 weeks ago, I took my truck into the shop because it had a "whining" noise in the transmission in 9th/10th gear. Nothing was done or said.

A week later, the noise is worse. A mechanic rode with me and said that the noise is normal. Hmmm - 8 years behind the wheel and I've yet to hear that noise before.

This weekend I was in southern Florida. Now, the transmission is grinding like hell going between the high/low ranges (this is an autoshift truck). I called in - they said run it.

I grab my load out of FL and head to New Jersey. About the time I was going past Richmond, the transmission now is grinding like hell between every gear. Again - I call in - they said if it's still movable, run it.

Well, luckily I was pulling a light load into Jersey, and another light load going to our terminal or it probably wouldn't have made it. I get in last night, write it up, explain the problem to 2 mechanics, red-tag the truck and head home.

This morning I call to see what they found out. The shop foreman said the truck was fine and to run it. When I asked if they'd drove it, his reply was along the lines of "Well, ya - we had to pull it in and out of the shop."

So, I go in, pull out on the road and it immediately is grinding. So, instead of dealing with the shop, I went to speak to one of the owners. I explained it to him and that the shop said it was fine. I then had him go on a test run with me. We made it less than 1/4 mile and he told me to turn it around and put it back in the shop.

I call this evening - the truck is going to be down for at least a week. When they pulled the access plate on the side of the tranny, they pulled out handfuls of gear teeth.

The truck I've got to run until mine is finished is - well - an utter pile of $hit. No A/C, you have to use starter fluid to get it running, drivers side window won't roll down, etc. If I could afford it, I'd just call off until my truck is finished...