If you’re a large-scale manufacturer, getting liquid freight transported in bulk is a non-negotiable complexity. Bulk transportation, especially liquid freight, has its challenges and may seem daunting. But, with the right information and provider, it doesn’t have to be. So, whether you’re new to bulk transportation for your liquid freight or a seasoned vet, this article breaks it all down so you can safely and efficiently have your liquid bulk product transported.

What Is A Bulk Product?

What Kinds Of Bulk Liquid Products Are There?

What Is Bulk Transportation For Liquid Freight?

Complexities Of Bulk Transportation For Liquid Freight

What Can Go Wrong With Shipping Bulk Liquid Freight?

What Kind Of Equipment Is Needed For Bulk Liquid Transportation?

How Do You Transport Bulk Liquids?

Bulk Transportation: Liquid Freight Regulations

WHAT IS A BULK PRODUCT?

Before we dive into bulk liquid freight, let’s go over what bulk products are. The term “bulk” is used in transportation to describe goods that are not in containers and loose, transported in mass quantities or volumes. Bulk products are usually packed in one large container to be moved, such as a tanker trailer. Bulk products are often not intended for general consumers but are useful to manufacturers. Examples of bulk products are raw materials, ingredients for food manufacturing, materials for landscaping, gravel, dried beans, oil, or grains.

Another term to be aware of when working with bulk products is “break bulk”. Breakbulk is when a bulk shipment is broken down into smaller containers. This is important to know because bulk shipments are handled as loose goods whereas breakbulk shipments are loaded individually in some sort of container. Therefore, when you have a product to ship, it’s very important to properly communicate whether your shipment is bulk or breakbulk.

WHAT KINDS OF BULK LIQUID PRODUCTS ARE THERE?

There are many sorts of liquid products that ship via bulk transportation. These types of liquids are often used in manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, and more. Some examples of bulk liquid freight are:

WHAT IS BULK TRANSPORTATION FOR LIQUID FREIGHT?

Bulk transportation for liquid freight involves using a tanker trailer instead of smaller drums or tanks. Bulk liquid transportation usually refers to the act of moving liquid freight by truck over long distances.

COMPLEXITIES OF BULK TRANSPORTATION FOR LIQUID FREIGHT

Bulk liquid freight, especially when it’s hazardous, can carry more risk than other types of freight. For example, an accident involving a tanker truck can cause the shutdown of roadways, manufacturing production lines, and ultimately, the loss of raw material needed for many products.

The first complexity of bulk liquid freight is the way it’s packaged and stored. Unlike other freight, it’s not packaged in totes or smaller containers. Instead, bulk liquid freight is stored and transported in large containers and tankers, and because of their liquid state, they can slosh around and spill.

Since bulk liquid freight shipments transport differently than dry van shipments, you’ll find complexity in its logistics like:

Longer Lead Times

Tanker transportation is considered more of a specialty compared to dry vans, so you’ll notice fewer tankers available. This can make finding an available tanker longer to find.

Higher Rates

Being a specialty type of transportation, it’s easy to see why rates will be higher for this type of shipping. First, carriers pay more for this kind of special equipment. On average a tanker trailer can cost $100,000 to $125,000 compared to the cost of a dry van around $35,000 to $40,000.

Also, your shipping costs will include deadhead miles every time as each delivery requires a trip to wash the tanker. And unlike other types of transportation, you’ll have the same rate regardless of how full the tanker trailer is since different liquid freight cannot be combined for motor carriers to create a “full tank load” shipment.

Different Driver Requirments

No matter the product, tanker drivers are required to have a tanker endorsement, and if the liquid freight is hazardous, they’ll also be required to have a hazmat certification as well.

More Insurance

Carriers hauling hazardous liquid freight in bulk must carry a minimum of $5 million in liability insurance.

WHAT CAN GO WRONG WITH SHIPPING BULK LIQUID FREIGHT?

A lot can go wrong when shipping bulk liquids, so working with an experienced provider is very important. Drivers must be extra careful when pulling a bulk tanker trailer of liquid freight. Just as you must be careful when carrying a glass of water, liquid freight in a bulk tanker sloshes around with movement. If a driver brakes too hard or turns too fast, the weight of the liquid freight can surge to one side and topple the trailer. And if the freight is hazardous, then massive environmental damage can also happen.

Outside of concerns about a toppled trailer, drivers must be mindful of other issues. For example, what happens when you shake or stir liquid? It agitates and causes foam. This also happens with liquid freight during bulk transport. While foam can be annoying when later unloading the trailer, at worst, too much aeration can ruin a shipment depending on the kind of liquid.

Another thing that can go wrong when transporting liquid freight is contamination. Therefore, tank washing is a requirement for every shipment. If a tank isn’t properly cleaned before the next shipment is loaded, residue from the previous shipment can contaminate it.

Lastly, leaky tanks are another serious issue with bulk liquid shipping. If a leak goes unnoticed, even a small one, a significant amount of product can be lost during transport.

WHAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT IS NEEDED FOR BULK LIQUID TRANSPORTATION?

Bulk liquid freight cannot be transported without the proper equipment. Most often, a bulk tanker trailer is needed to haul liquid freight. A bulk tanker is a large, cylindrical metal tank pulled by a standard freight truck.

But there are several different kinds of tankers that can be used for the bulk transportation of liquid freight. For example, there are tankers designed to keep a product’s temperature regulated or tankers with hoppers on the bottom to make unloading easier. In addition, some tankers include pressurized tanks or acid-resistant tanks. Which type of tanker you’ll need is determined by the liquid freight you need to transport.

Some questions to ask yourself, or that your provider may ask of you, to determine what kind of equipment is needed are:

Types of Tanker Trailers for Liquid Freight

Tanker trailers can be categorized into two categories, depending on the content they transport or their structures.

Tankers by Structure

General Purpose Tanker

These tankers are used to transport bulk liquid freight that doesn’t require special care or procedures. They are usually made of steel.

General Purpose w/ Heat Coils

These tankers are the same except for the addition of heat coils to help raise or maintain the temperature of the product.

Pneumatic Tanker

These tankers have a series of hoppers on their underbellies to help with unloading. Although pneumatic tank trailers are mostly used to transport dry bulk freight. They are also effective for liquid bulk.

Vacuum Tanker

This is simply a tanker with a pump to help load bulk liquid from underground or any other location into the tank. These tankers are most used to transport septage, industrial liquids, sewage, or animal waste.

Rubber Lined Tanker

These tankers are commonly used to transport corrosive chemicals.

Aluminum Tanker

These lightweight tankers can carry more volumes before reaching their weight limit and have lower operating costs. They are typically used to transport petroleum and petrochemicals.

Compartmentalized Tanker

These tankers have compartments built into them that allow tanker carriers to ship different chemicals.

Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic Tanker

These tankers are most used for food-grade bulk liquids, corrosive chemicals, and other hazardous liquid freight.

ISO Tankers

These tankers are built according to the standards of the International Standard Organization (ISO) for the shipping of most bulk liquid freight.

Tankers by Liquid Content

Fuel/Petroleum

These carry gasoline, fuel, oil, or propane. Most often these tankers are required to carry a hazmat certification, also making this a more dangerous job.

Food Grade

These tankers carry liquid freight like water, milk, or juice. These tankers can be equipped with heating or cooling systems for temperature control.

Chemical/Acid

These are used to transport many types of industrial chemicals. Some are designed to carry corrosive chemicals.

But Wait, There’s More…

Before we move on to the next section, two things you might want to know about are baffles and tanker weight limits.

Baffles

What are baffles? Remember when we spoke on liquid agitation earlier? That’s where baffles come in. Most tankers have baffles on the inside to help reduce the movement of the liquid. They act as different chambers to help divide the liquid up into smaller compartments, so the entire weight of the liquid is prevented from surging up against the side of the tank.

Tanker Weight Limits

Tankers are not limited by the amount of liquid they can contain, but by their weight. The U.S. Department of Transportation mandates that the maximum weight limit for trucks on public roads cannot exceed 80,000 pounds. So, if the liquid you need to transport is dense, like syrup or paint, you might not be able to fill an entire tanker truck. This is essential to keep in mind when arranging your bulk liquid shipments.

HOW DO YOU TRANSPORT BULK LIQUIDS?

Now that we know what kinds of equipment are used in transporting bulk liquid freight, let’s talk loading and unloading. These proper handling procedures ensure your liquid freight is transported safely.

Loading and Unloading

Before loading, the carrier must have the tanker cleaned so that it is without any residue or odor. The only time a tank washing may not be required is if the tanker is transporting the exact type of chemical it most recently unloaded.

They must also thoroughly inspect that nothing is out of place and there are no leaks. If there is any concern, the entire tank can be filled with water to test for leaks. Not only is a leaking tank inconvenient and expensive, but it’s also illegal.

There are two major methods for loading and unloading liquid freight from a bulk tanker: compressors and pumps. Pumps suck the liquid out of the tank while air compressors rely on pressure to force liquid out. It’s important to know that you cannot use air compressors for any flammable liquids as static electricity could build up and cause a spark.

Fun fact: When you unload a tanker of liquid freight using a pump, you must vent it by opening the hatch on top. The trailer can implode if this step is missed, just like your pressurized cooker at home. However, if you’re unloading with a compressor, make sure the hatch is closed.

When a bulk liquid shipment arrives for unloading, the receiver should always first take a sample to confirm the right product was delivered and in good condition.

Hazardous Labeling

Regulations mandate that any trailer transporting hazardous materials must be labeled. This helps anyone recognize the kind of content the trailer is carrying so they know what precautions are required.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT?

It’s important to know your and other parties’ responsibilities to ensure a safely transported bulk liquid shipment.

Shipper Responsibilities

Receiver Responsibilities

Carrier Responsibilities

BULK TRANSPORTATION: LIQUID FREIGHT REGULATIONS

Depending on what kind of liquid freight you’re transporting in bulk, regulations can vary. For instance, if you’re shipping liquid intended for human consumption, you’ll need to abide by any regulations set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), like the Food and Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

If you’re shipping hazardous liquid freight, you’ll need to abide by any hazmat regulations.

Regardless of the kind of liquid freight you’re transporting, you’ll need to make sure the provider you work with has a tanker endorsement.

Tanker endorsement is one of those regulations that often get some buzz in the trucking industry for CDL holders. What is it? Why is it needed? When did this become enforced? The information that has been published about this online is fairly vague, so we’d like to set some facts straight to help you ensure that you’re hauling your liquid or gaseous freight legally.

Do I Need a Tanker Endorsement?

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has rolled out a regulation meant to keep the roads safe from commercial drivers carrying large amounts of liquid or gaseous freight without the proper training. In order to do this, the FMCSA changed the definition of a “tanker,” which, in turn, has changed the requirements for which drivers are required to hold a “tanker endorsement” on their CDL.  This change means that even those who are driving dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, and box trucks will be required to hold the endorsement if they meet the requirements below. If the following conditions occur, you are responsible for obtaining a tanker endorsement on your CDL:

  1. Your cargo includes liquid or gaseous individual containers larger than 119 gallon capacity.
  2. The containers are loaded, and not empty.
  3. The total combined volume in those containers exceeds 1,000 gallons.

Where is it Enforced?

All states began enforcing this regulation in July 2015.

When Did it Become Law?

The tanker endorsement regulation was originally debuted by the FMCSA in 2011 and it was said then that all states must be in line and enforcing by July 2014. Since that date passed and not all states were on board, this caused quite the confusion for national carriers. The FMSCA finally pushed a hard deadline of July 2015 for enforcing the law.

What are the Consequences of Not Abiding by the Law?

If commercial drivers are found to be driving without the proper tanker endorsement (if their load meets the regulation requirements) they can be charged a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per instance, as well as possible license suspension for up to 90 days, according to the FMCSA Section 383.53.

In other words, this regulation should not be taken lightly. If you don’t follow the law, your job could be on the line.

Why Haven’t I Heard About it?

This law may come as a surprise to many, as there wasn’t much media coverage when it was first unveiled in May of 2011. The reason why there wasn’t much talk was likely because there was a three year delay from its creation to the original enforcement date of July 2014. Then years went by with some states taking the regulation into consideration, and others ignoring it, since they were not legally required to enforce it.

How Do I Get the Endorsement?

To get the endorsement, simply go to your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), request the Tanker Endorsement Knowledge Test and pay the fees, which average around twenty dollars. There are a few practice tests available online, like this one.

The smart move is to go ahead and get the tanker endorsement on your license as soon as possible if you plan on carrying any significant volume of liquid and gaseous material, hazardous or not. The process of getting the endorsement is extremely minimal compared to the consequences of being caught without it.

Looking to work with a transportation provider that stays up-to-date on carrier regulations?

Keep your business moving with Trinity!

Note: The information provided in this article is up-to-date at the time of publishing. Trinity Logistics cannot be held responsible if any driver is caught without a tanker endorsement while traveling through a state which was listed as not enforcing the rule at time of publishing. 

Originally written December 4, 2014. Updated by Christine Griffith

What is Responsible Care®?

According to their website, Responsible Care® is the chemical manufacturing industry’s environmental, health, safety and security performance initiative. It is an international improvement initiative of the chemical industry. Companies of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) carry out Responsible Care®. Choosing a 3PL that is part of the Responsible Care® program can be a benefit to your company, especially when shipping chemicals.

Why is it beneficial to choose a 3PL that is Responsible Care® certified?

Working with a Responsible Care® certified broker holds many advantages for your company. The 3PL will:

As of 2018, there are only 103 Responsible Care® Partner companies.

Only 24 of those are 3PLs.

How does Trinity Logistics use Responsible Care® when arranging chemical shipping?

Trinity Logistics has been Responsible Care® certified since 2009. Unlike most brokers, we carry Pollution Liability coverage. We chose to carry such insurance with Environmental, Health, Safety, and Security (EHS&S) in mind. Spills happen and need to be remedied immediately. Pollution Liability covers costs associated with pollution clean-up, and liability claims for pollution-related injuries, illnesses or death.

Our main goal as a company is continuous improvement. To do better today than we did yesterday. We do this by selecting approved carriers given the information our customers provide regarding their chemical shipment.

Trinity Team Members mitigate risk to our customers and carriers through carrier vetting and thorough communication.

Carrier vetting

Carrier vetting avoids the selection of carriers not approved for particular shipments. Doing so reduces the risk for the loss of containment.

Only trained Team Members can select approved carriers for hazardous shipments. Required training takes place each year for those Team Members involved. This annual training keeps those Team Members up to date with any regulations or process changes regarding hazmat certification. Operating procedures are in place for shipments that need specific certifications, such as hazmat or Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT).

We have an entire team dedicated to vetting motor carriers. Our Carrier Relations & Development Team must verify the motor carrier’s operating authority, insurance, certifications, etc. before the carrier may be added in our database as an “approved” carrier.

Operations training

Our onboarding for new Team Members is extensive. Ongoing training is required to maintain the knowledge needed by a Team Member.

Trinity has a complete program to manage its process with chemical transportation. This includes compliance with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements using system wide operating procedures.

Operations Team Members have a role in the sharing of this information. Team Members make sure information is correct and meets standards with our customers. They create shipping documents and communicate that information with the drivers. Communication is the most important part of process safety and is kept open with our customers, carriers, and our Compliance Team.

Outside of Arranging Chemical Shipping

Responsible Care® is much more than preventing and taking care of chemical spills. Responsible Care® is all about sustainability; how we take care of this earth now, so it is still here in the future.

Trinity has Responsible Care® rooted in its company culture. It is a green, environmentally friendly way of life that we have taken ahold of.

As stated by our point person for our Responsible Care® Management System,

“Trinity’s purpose is to “continually improve people’s lives by constantly striving to be our best”. Implementing the Responsible Care® Management System, RCMS, drove greater visibility and accountability. It became an integral part of our daily operations. Having this system in place allows us to reduce risk and strive towards a sustainable future.”

Examples of our Responsible Care® initiatives at our offices include:

We perform regular checks on our environmental, health, safety, and security performances. We then measure and define our improvement objectives.

Trinity Logistics upholds Responsible Care to keep all of our stakeholders safe. This includes our customers, carriers, Team Members, and our community.

Discover how our chemical customer, Albaugh, came to chose Trinity Logistics as their one source logistics provider in our case study.

Download Now

Read more about what goes into shipping chemicals safely in our blog post, Chemical Shipping and Storage: What You Need to Know.

If you’re ready to work with a transportation provider that is Responsible when shipping chemicals, click the link to get started. Request A Quote

Originally posted February 3, 2020. Updated July 14, 2020 by Christine Griffith

If you play a big role in the transportation and logistics industry, you know that a lot of behind-the-scenes work has to take place to arrange a shipment. There are additional requirements, monitored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Department of Transportation (DOT), to ensure shippers are compliant in how they ship hazardous materials. For those who arrange transportation, you’ll want to find a trusted source for shipping hazmat – which is something we’ve been arranging for more than 40 years.

In the automotive, agricultural, industrial, and specialty chemical fields, there are different requirements for transportation of hazardous materials, known as hazmat shipping. Not only do we have the best operating procedures in place to ensure safety in arranging transportation for hazmat chemicals, but we also have the right contacts in place with reliable trucking companies. Read more to find out how we can save you time, money, and headaches when it comes to shipping hazmat.

Are you shipping hazmat freight? We understand your logistics has some additional requirements and we wanted to help. Watch our quick video and find out what you need to know about hazmat shipping.

What shipments are Hazmat Shipments?

While the word “hazmat” may sound daunting, the materials considered in this realm are necessary to keep the economy moving. Industries requiring hazmat materials include farming, manufacturing, mining, the medical field, and more. While hazmat shipments are needed every day, there are necessary security measures put into place to make sure these materials are transported safely.

Hazmat Certification

FMCSA regulates hazmat shipping. To qualify to haul a hazmat load, both the carrier must have a hazmat certificate registered with the DOT, and the driver performing the load must have a hazmat certificate on their CDL. Our compliance team monitors carrier certificates and ensures trucking companies and drivers are adhering to these regulations before arranging hazmat loads. This ensures best possible safety in transit with trained, qualified drivers, while helping mitigate risk for customers.

Tanker Endorsement

In 2014, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) rolled out a new regulation meant to keep the roads safe from commercial drivers carrying large amounts of liquid or gaseous freight without the proper training. All states began enforcing this regulation in July 2015. In order to make these changes, the FMCSA changed the definition of “tanker endorsed,” meaning even those who are driving dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, and box trucks were required to hold a “tanker endorsement” on their CDL. Our Carrier Relations team works with our carriers to make sure those hauling hazmat loads have this education under their belt. Read more about these requirements in our blog about the regulation.

Hazmat Capacity

When shipping hazmat, it can become tough to find a carrier for your shipment, especially in harder to service specialty moves or those requiring additional certification. We’re in compliance with the requirements set forth in the Department of Transportation HM-232 Hazmat security plan regulations. Thanks to our relationships with specialty hazmat carriers, we can help you with capacity for your hazmat shipping needs – even if they are harder to service.

Responsible Care ®

In 2009, we became part of the Responsible Care ® Partnership Program to further our dedication to the chemical shipping industry.  As part of this partnership, Trinity has committed to following Responsible Care’s program, through endorsing their guiding principles; measuring and publicly reporting our performance on an annual basis;  implementing the Responsible Care Product Safety Code, Process Safety Code and Security Code; implementing the Responsible Care Management System ® to achieve and verify results; and obtaining independent certification that a management system is in place and functions according to professional specifications. As a Responsible Care ® partner, we are committed to improving our environmental, health, safety, and security performance for all of our functions. You can find out more on how Trinity implements Responsible Care ® in our blog here. 

Choose to save time, money, and headaches with your hazmat shipping.

The hardest part can be filling out a form. We’ll handle the rest.

Get A Quote

Originally published April 20, 2017. Updated by Christine Griffith. 

The word “chemical” may sound a little scary. But it covers many different items, including some items in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. When people talk about the challenges of chemical shipping, they’re often talking about materials that need special care. These might include materials that could explode, ignite, emit toxic gases, or cause serious harm if not handled in a safe manner.

There are many safety rules to keep hazardous chemicals from spilling or leaking. Anyone who transports or stores hazardous chemicals must understand how to handle those types of products. If a company or person violates certain rules, they may come face to face with civil and criminal penalties and thousands of dollars’ worth of fines. This chemical safety stuff is no joke! So, what could happen if chemicals aren’t stored and shipped properly?

What Could Happen

If rules and regulations for chemical storage and shipment aren’t upheld, a dangerous situation could occur. In February 2014, a facility near Carlsbad, New Mexico experienced an impactful issue.

An issue occurred at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant facility that was responsible for storing waste from the making of plutonium bombs. This operation was a result of a clean-up effort of old nuclear weapon manufacturing sites. A storage drum containing plutonium waste broke open because of improper packaging. This resulted in waste being sprayed into the air and 22 employees were exposed to small amounts of radiation.

The incident ended with the closure of the New Mexico repository. Investigation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory also occurred. This was where the plutonium waste was being packaged in a way that led to the occurrence.

Storing Chemicals

There are a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to storing chemical materials. One wrong thing and you could literally have an explosion on your hands. To protect the environment and people that work where hazardous materials are being stored and used, containment is important. This is to prevent contamination.

Regulations are created at the state and federal levels to help prevent incidents from happening while chemicals are being stored and moved across the country. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and other agencies all have specific requirements for handling chemicals.

Douglas Brown, of Brown Chemical Company in Oakland, NJ states that his company must interface with nine different agencies just to open the doors every day. Along with OSHA, DOT, and EPA, those agencies include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), and the FBI.

There are also safety steps companies enforce to prevent spills, leaks, and injuries. Some safety rules include forklift speed limits, passageway traffic rules, and safety training. Other safety measures could be:

Other typical storage considerations may include temperature, ignition control, ventilation, segregation, and identification. There are even special types of equipment that should be used in these environments. For example, EE-rated non-spark equipment prevent any spark from igniting a vapor or gas. In addition, special padding and static guard helps to ensure electrical equipment doesn’t set off accidents. All proper storage information is on Safety Data Sheets (SDS). An SDS must be on hand for every hazardous chemical in your workplace.

Shipping Chemicals

There are extra requirements that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and DOT track to make sure shippers are compliant when transporting chemical materials. In order for a carrier to haul a chemical load that contains hazardous materials, both the driver assigned to the truck must have a hazmat certificate on their CDL and the carrier must have a hazmat certificate registered with DOT. Before shipping chemicals, a best practice would be to vet common carriers to be sure they have the above requirements. Using a third-party logistics company like Trinity will give you peace of mind when trying to get this information.

Our Carrier Compliance Team monitors carrier certificates and ensures trucking companies and drivers adhere to these requirements before arranging a chemical load. This provides the best possible safety and lessens the risk for shippers.

Responsible Care® partnership is also something to consider when shipping chemical products. This is the chemical manufacturing industry’s environmental, health, safety, and security performance initiatives. Trinity is a proud Responsible Care® partner and is committed to following the program through endorsing their guiding principles; measuring and publicly reporting our performance on an annual basis; implementing the Responsible Care Product Safety Code, Process Safety Code and Security Code; implementing the Responsible Care Management System ® to achieve and verify results; and obtaining independent certification that a management system is in place and functions according to professional specifications.

Another thing to consider with chemical shipping is capacity. Capacity is already an issue because of the driver shortage. But in the chemical industry, shipments often involve regional trips. These long-distance hauls can be unattractive to drivers. Finding tanker trucks for bulk chemical shipments proves especially tough.

Using a third-party broker like Trinity Logistics, will help take the guess work out of shipping your chemical materials. 

Need a quote? Click on the button below to fill out our quick form. Request A Quote

Originally published August 16, 2018. Updated by Christine Griffith.