How to Pull a Half-Empty Tanker Trailer
A shipper that asks you to pull a tanker trailer that is less than ¾ full is asking you to take a big risk. If the chemical in the tanker trailer sloshes you can be killed due to your tanker trailer going off the road. Follow a few steps to learn how to pull a half-empty tanker trailer.
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Instructions
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Take the turns and curves very slowly. If you take the turn too fast, you risk the chemical sloshing from side to side and causing you to roll over.
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Change lanes very carefully and slowly. Abrupt lane changes can either cause you to skid or the liquid to slosh, resulting in the tanker trailer rolling over.
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3
Brake early. If you brake too suddenly the liquid in the tanker trailer will cause a crack-the-whip-effect, resulting in a skid.
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Straighten out the half-empty tanker trailer and bring it to a stop of you hit a curb or go off the pavement. Never try to straighten it out while you are moving as you risk tipping the tanker trailer. With the tanker being half empty all the weight will shift to the side that is at risk of tipping.
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Keep a following distance of at least 1 second for every 10 feet of vehicle length. If you're going over 40 mph (which is not recommended pulling a half-empty tanker trailer) then add another second to the following distance.
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Tips & Warnings
Put a cage made of heavy gauge angle iron around the battery box when pulling a tanker trailer. Don't weld it to the frame rail. This is so that in the event of a rollover the battery box does not get crushed causing it to spark and catch chemicals from the tanker on fire.
