[joettanne]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

Well, I learned something tonight!! I was not aware that your AZ License covered everything like that. Here you have to have a tanker endorsement which is "T" on the license (CDL-A) and if you are going to pull hazmat and get the "H" endorsement..... it changes your tanker endorsement to "X" for tanker/hazmat. Food grade people generally only have T, but the ones that pull the alcohol used in liquor have to have the X. We don't have an indicator on the license for air brakes as the CDL-A includes air brakes. There's a separate test for it....but no letter for it.

The 18 degrees is what they told us in school.... All of us at Superior have to go to Kingsport, TN for a week of tanker training.... its a very thorough course for the week, and thats where I found out about the 18 degrees. And a lot of the training there is on HM126F training. I've pulled hazmat for 13 years now....and when I got there.... I found out just how little I really did know.... Ouch!! But I know it now!!

I'll take their word for it. I'm not the least inclined to try and find out. And I don't even want to see a tank teetering on a 5th wheel. I can well imagine you got out of the truck carefully.... 8)

Yes, I never knew much about the licencing in the States till I bought a computer and started reading these message boards. I find it all very informative.
There has been talk for years of changing the licencing requirements. (I can only speak of my province, for it is the one I know). It is way too easy to obtain a truck licence. The Government here has been talking for years of changing the licencing and having endorsements for tankers, etc. But....as with anything to do with Government, it will be talked about for years before anything is done.
So wow, you guys are pretty strict!

I had to learn as I went along. A lot of common sense. Most of the new drivers I know in my industry are experienced drivers when hired, but not on tankers. I'm know there are tanker companies that train their drivers to a certain extent.

I was chuckling a little about the 45 degree thing, because as I said, I learned all about that from experience. And re-reading my post, I didn't word that very well. ops: What I meant, was, I drove out of that situation very carefully. ops:

I can certainly understand the strictness of hauling dangerous goods and the extra training required. I imagine Superior does the same here.

But with food liquid food grade products, well, at least it won't catch fire or anything like that.

Thanks for the expertise!
Annie 8)

[rcso]

We (SNBC) drop loaded tanks all the time, fully loaded ones, empty ones, compartment loads, etc. Most of our OCs have the concrete strips to put the landing gear on, there are no chocks or blocks or what have you when we drop these trailers.

If it's anything but concrete and you're fully loaded then you are supposed to and should put down something beneath the legs to help spread out the weight (wood, concrete blocks, whatever is handy).

Of course if the ground can't handle the weight of a trailer being dropped, then you're probably already in trouble as you shouldn't be on that patch of land.

From what I've seen we use Brenner and Polar brand tanks. Whether or not the trailers we use are rated for such a thing, I don't personally know, but it's no less than a common occurance, and that's how we were taught to drop them the same way loaded or empty. Disconnect and slowly come out with your truck still underneath the trailer 'in case' the trailer falls, it'll fall on the frame. We don't have dump valves on our company trucks, the airbags 'flate' depending on whether or not their is weight on them. It's all about smoothness.

If customers use special means of bracing tanks after I've gone I can care less as long as they don't break the thing.


Being a 'Superior' driver (lol) I'm sure you're seen SNBC drivers doing this all over.

[Useless]

Guess that I'm out of face with a few people here, but that's okay!!

I still maintain that a driver should crawl before he/she walks. Read that to mean, start with something that is a little more forgiving. In my opinion, (for whatever it's worth!!) I would rather that my family share the roads with a tanker driver who gained proficiency in smooth shifting, being cut off by idiot four wheelers, emergency braking, etc. by starting out as a van or flat bed driver.

[Larry Heyns]

My tanker memories are from the 1980s. I thought is was difficult work. For some reason I did not take any photos, and I regret that now. I remember collecting 28% nitrogen with milk jugs from empty tankers and using it as lawn fertilizer. The product washes off the walls during the empty backhaul. I remember the day a co-worker had some problem at the asphalt plant and his hose plugged when the flow stopped. Our dispatcher came out to help. They lowered the hose into the hot product in the tanker to warm it up. I remember the load of transmission fluid to GM Truck & Coach, Pontiac, MI. The guard told me that a pipe fitter would meet me at the unloading area. I thought, "Wow! I'm going to get some help hooking up." A man appeared wearing a sport coat and tie. He said, "I'm the pipe fitter. There is the pipe you unload into. I will be back in an hour to sign your bills." Then he went through a hole in the chain link fence to a tavern across the street. :lol:

[DOT_victim]

Lots of good arguments both ways. Thanks for the thoughtful replies - I don't have to make any instant decisions, so no worries. Guess I'll keep lurking and reading.

[rcso]

I'll amend what I said earlier, Nalco just made me use a 'jack stand' and put it under the loaded hazmat I dropped at their plant last night. :twisted: :P

[mike3fan]

Originally Posted by LilBit

I remember pulling some liquid filled containers on a flatbed awhile back, not the same as a tanker I know but just being able to see the liquid in those containers and wonder how that all works inside the tankers had got me to look at that

I hope you had a tank endorsment when pulling this load....just sayin'

[joettanne]

I have trained many drivers on my job and they all looked like this when the first 'wave' hit.... :shock:

Annie 8)

[LilBit]

No tanker endorsement was needed to haul those containers on the flatbed, looked into that when we were given that load amongst other things.......wasn't that bad of a load just 'different' and was at the time enough to make me wonder about the tankers, and respect them all the more too....I know if that liquid could move in those containers how it did it's really got to inside those tanks.........and for me personally I'd want more experience and training in hauling them before I'd consider it long term myself

[Larry Heyns]

Originally Posted by joettanne

I have trained many drivers on my job and they all looked like this when the first 'wave' hit.... :shock:

Annie 8)

Did they come back the next day, Annie? I trained more than a few on molten aluminum. Technically, I suppose the crucible is a tanker. The driver does not feel any surge because the crucible is filled to the top, but if the gaskets under the lid are not adequate, hot metal can escape on a turn or sudden stop. In fact, we tested the gaskets at the shipper by accelerating and sudden stopping in their building. The unloading process discouraged many job applicants and they never returned. Some said that their wives did not want them hauling hot metal. Whatever.