[LightsChromeHorsepower]

Thanks Skywalker.

I seem to be doing fine with the sucrose, I just need to get the timing on the syrup down.

After a quick 1600 miles with a van I was almost home when my lovely dispatcher calls & asks- "I've got your tank pre-loaded in the yard, can you run it up north & deliver it tonight? They're really looking for you."

So, back under the tank & off I went. I knew the product had been in the trailer for 12 hours & adjusted accordingly. No thumps, bumps or anything. One of our local big straps passed me just before the first gnarly 2 lane. He had a load of super soil on a flat & I stayed right with him, smooth as could be, til we got back on the 4 lane & hit the first big hill. It's almost like getting away from it for a couple of days made it easier. Sort of reminds me of some relationships I've been in.

Has anyone ever noticed haw different dispatchers ask for things or try to push you? When mine says "They're looking for you" it means we have a problem. "They're really looking for you" means it's a cluster bomb, please save my posterior.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by LightsChromeHorsepower

Thanks Skywalker.

I seem to be doing fine with the sucrose, I just need to get the timing on the syrup down.

After a quick 1600 miles with a van I was almost home when my lovely dispatcher calls & asks- "I've got your tank pre-loaded in the yard, can you run it up north & deliver it tonight? They're really looking for you."

So, back under the tank & off I went. I knew the product had been in the trailer for 12 hours & adjusted accordingly. No thumps, bumps or anything. One of our local big straps passed me just before the first gnarly 2 lane. He had a load of super soil on a flat & I stayed right with him, smooth as could be, til we got back on the 4 lane & hit the first big hill. It's almost like getting away from it for a couple of days made it easier. Sort of reminds me of some relationships I've been in.

Has anyone ever noticed haw different dispatchers ask for things or try to push you? When mine says "They're looking for you" it means we have a problem. "They're really looking for you" means it's a cluster bomb, please save my posterior.

Keep something in mind..... If you are pulling tanker for a company that even only once in a while pulls a placarded load..... They will possibly look closer at you than they will others. Bottom line: Keep it right, keep it legal, and if the dispatcher got his butt in a bind, a crisis on his or her part is meaningless to you..... Its your logbook and your fines, not theirs...... I've seemed to gotten more logbook checks and such when I'm pulling a clean tank than a loaded one....and if this happens to you..and the tank has already been washed....make darned sure that you have the washout ticket with you...in your possession or on the tank.....you gotta have it or there will be problems. If you are hauling a "dirty tank"....make certain you have at least one copy of the BOL for the previous product that was loaded....even if not hazmat....gotta have it also.

Just remember....if the beast climbs the wall, and it exceeds 18 degrees tilt.....you're in deep trouble....

Be safe out there!! Take care and keep all the round rubber things on the road!!

[wonderman]

I work for Miller Trans. and have pulled mostly resin loads which can thump you pretty badly,you have to always feather the shift and never get in a hurry. It only takes one stupid mistake to ruin your day. The best advice I can give is to listen to the older drivers and never let a billy big rigger who has never pulled a smooth bore tanker give you advice.

[Phreddo]

I say get a mouthguard so you don't bite your tongue when that stuff hits.
BAM!
I was playing around with a load of some sort of biocide, something they put in paper. Anyhow, i was kinda using the throttle to get the stuff moving just to see if i could. After a few hits i decided i'd better knock it off before the damn thing came undone on the highway :/

[LightsChromeHorsepower]

Had a syrup load today, first one in about 3 weeks. I stand humbled, chastised and almost ready to check in to the nearest CDL school. I swear that sometimes the stuff just thumps you, no matter what you do. For some reason (Product temperature?) this load was really pushing me around on the roller-coaster 2 lane sections.

I am so ready for tomorrow, and a sugar load, just to prove to myself that I really can drive.

Thanks for all the advice. I was really considering getting my hazmzt & seeing if I could leverage this experience into a good tanker job. Right now I think I'll be very happy going back to a flat when the season is over.

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by LightsChromeHorsepower

Had a syrup load today, first one in about 3 weeks. I stand humbled, chastised and almost ready to check in to the nearest CDL school. I swear that sometimes the stuff just thumps you, no matter what you do. For some reason (Product temperature?) this load was really pushing me around on the roller-coaster 2 lane sections.

Its all about the "timing".... When you first start moving....you have to feel the truck and the load.... If you start out easy enough, and get up to your shift rpm....hold it there for a few seconds....you will feel a little bump at the rear and then it will feel as though you are moving a little faster even though you aren't....that's when you want to shift and start to accelerate...just before the surge hits front, and repeat that through the gears. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. Takes some patience and time to get it down.... But you can do it. You also have to be more in tune with the whole rig...load and all.

:lol:

[LightsChromeHorsepower]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

Its all about the "timing".... When you first start moving....you have to feel the truck and the load.... If you start out easy enough, and get up to your shift rpm....hold it there for a few seconds....you will feel a little bump at the rear and then it will feel as though you are moving a little faster even though you aren't....that's when you want to shift and start to accelerate...just before the surge hits front, and repeat that through the gears. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. Takes some patience and time to get it down.... But you can do it. You also have to be more in tune with the whole rig...load and all.

:lol:

Thank you!

That is 100% correct, I'm starting to get it. Only prob is I get very few syrup loads, so the learning curve slips back a bit between loads. The other product I'm pretty comfortable with. I still screw up often enough to keep me humble- which I can also say of trucking in general- There's always something new to learn.

[repete]

Originally Posted by Skywalker

Its all about the "timing".... When you first start moving....you have to feel the truck and the load.... If you start out easy enough, and get up to your shift rpm....hold it there for a few seconds....you will feel a little bump at the rear and then it will feel as though you are moving a little faster even though you aren't....that's when you want to shift and start to accelerate...just before the surge hits front, and repeat that through the gears. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. Takes some patience and time to get it down.... But you can do it. You also have to be more in tune with the whole rig...load and all.

:lol:

HMMM Never yanked a tank and never thought about it before, but I bet that surge can really mess up your shift if you time it wrong. Prolly make you look like a real green newbie, have fun with it !

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by repete

HMMM Never yanked a tank and never thought about it before, but I bet that surge can really mess up your shift if you time it wrong. Prolly make you look like a real green newbie, have fun with it !

Actually.... if you start from a dead stop too quick....if you shift at the wrong moment, it will stop you dead in your tracks and even pull you backwards....maybe even give you a chance to leave a face print on the windshield....

[Fredog]

if you shift like have a surging load all the time, even when you dont, you will get better fuel mileage and you wont have to keep learning how to drive when you get one of those loads.
I hauled some fertllizer a few months ago, it weighed 17 pounds a gallon, had 4100 gallons in a 6500 gallon smooth bore tank. went from California to Memphis. what a ride!!
One more very important thing, NEVER pick your nose while pulling a surging load, when the surge hits the front, you will poke a hole in your brain..