STRONG DEMAND in southern California for gasoline and diesel kept Superior Tank Lines scrambling during the past year. Management expects the brisk pace of business to continue throughout the rest of 2007.
Keeping up with the fuel demand has brought steady growth for the Colton, California-based petroleum hauler. The six-year-old fleet currently is growing at about 20% a year, but the company isn't afraid of faster expansion under the right circumstances.
“We're more than willing to pursue growth through acquisition, and we're looking beyond California,” says George Theodoridis, vice-president of Superior Tank Lines. “We're very optimistic about the future for our company. We believe we've come a long way in a relatively short time.”
Theodoridis started the tank truck carrier in 2000. He had worked since 1988 in his father's petroleum marketing business, which included two truck-and-trailer tank transports. By 1999, his father had decided it was time to get out of petroleum marketing and retire. Theodoridis was given a chance to buy one of the transports.
That single truck-and-trailer was the beginning of Superior Tank Lines. Today, the carrier runs 22 tanker units, hauling product for a mix of customers that include major oil companies and petroleum marketers. Fifty-three drivers keep the power units running virtually 24 hours a day. The fleet serves customers throughout southern California, Arizona, southern Nevada, and parts of Utah.
Main office
Most of the fleet is based at the Colton headquarters terminal, but the carrier has established satellite locations in Daggett and Los Angeles, California. Plans are in the works to open an additional terminal in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It took plenty of hard work for Superior Tank Lines to reach its current size and success. “Competition is tough in this area,” says Theodoridis, who is also chairman of the tank truck council at the California Trucking Association. “We've seen a lot of one- and two-truck operators enter the petroleum hauling market with very low rates. We also face the challenges of the driver shortage, rising worker compensation costs, and higher vehicle operating costs.”
Drivers have been a big part of the carrier's ability to meet the competitive challenges, and the company works hard to find and keep the best available candidates. “We look for experienced tank truck drivers,” Theodoridis says.
In return, Superior Tank Lines expects its drivers to demonstrate a strong customer service focus. “We want them to show up for each shift properly dressed and prepared for 12 hours of work,” Theodoridis says. “We want a good pre-trip inspection. Product is to be delivered to the correct service station and dropped into the proper storage tank. Drivers need to show safety awareness at all times, and that includes putting out the orange cones during product deliveries. Care should be taken to position the transport at the service station to avoid impeding customer traffic.”
Driver qualifications
Basic driver qualifications include a minimum age of 24 and at least 18 months of over-the-road truck driving experience. Applicants must have a commercial driver license with valid tank and hazardous materials endorsements. The carrier reviews the applicant's worker compensation history and requires an agility test along with the federally mandated physical.
Even the most experienced drivers attend the new-hire training that lasts up to five weeks. Instruction comes from driver trainers. Refresher training on various aspects of hazardous materials transportation is provided throughout the year.
Superior Tank Lines also schedules monthly safety meetings. Topics include reviews of recent incidents and new regulations (both state and federal), vehicle operation tips, and maintenance advisories.
New hires receive a thorough hands-on orientation on the tractors, trucks, and tank trailers used by Superior Tank Lines. The fleet runs tractor-and-semi-trailer rigs and truck-and-trailer combinations. The mix currently includes 15 tractors, 16 tank semi-trailers, and seven truck-and-trailer sets.
“We've bought primarily tractors and semi-trailers, but the truck-and-trailer is here to stay in the western states,” Theodoridis says. “However, truck-and-trailer combinations are more difficult to operate, and we're using tractor-trailer rigs as much as possible.”
Premium tractors
Most of the power units in the fleet are from Peterbilt, but the carrier added five Kenworth W900 conventionals in late 2006. “Both PACCAR brands offer good products with premium specifications, but Kenworth came out with a very competitive pricing scheme,” Theodoridis says.
He adds that Superior Tank Lines replaces trucks and tractors on a four- to five-year schedule. Over the course of a typical cycle, a power unit will accumulate 500,000 to 650,000 miles.
Most of the power units in the fleet are Peterbilt 379 and 385 conventionals. They are specified with a low tare weight that will allow a payload of 8,800 to 9,000 gallons of gasoline. Typical truck and tractor tare weight is 25,000 pounds.
Engines are specified with 430 to 550 horsepower. Trucks operating within California are governed for a maximum road speed of 62 miles per hour. Those dispatched out of state have engines set for a maximum road speed of 75 miles per hour.
Other components include 10-speed manual transmissions, drive tandem rated at 34,000-lb capacity, MeritorWABCO antilock braking, low-profile radial tires, and aluminum disc wheels. Five of the tractors in the fleet have Blackmer product pumps with the control manifold from Safety Pumping Systems.
All of the trucks and tractors are specified with an on-board security system to guard against potential highjackings. Every tractor carries a Xata global positioning satellite tracking system that offers the ability to geofence every customer location. Power units also have an idle shutdown system that is linked to the engine electronic control unit.
The tank truck carrier also is putting television cameras in the trucks and tractors as accident liability protection. The camera provides a wide-angle view in front of the vehicle, as well as a view of the cab interior. Actuated by pre-set g-forces, the system captures video and audio on an internal hard drive. The data can be downloaded wirelessly from the vehicle.
The Beall semi-trailers used by the fleet can carry 8,800 to 9,000 gallons of product. The newest truck-and-trailer tanks from Weld-It Company have a 9,900-gallon capacity.
Tank trailers are outfitted with air-operated Civacon internal valves, vapor vents, and API adapters. Trailers also have Truck-Lite LED lighting, polished aluminum wheels, and Hendrickson Intraax air suspensions. Truck-and-trailer units are specified with Betts valves and domelids and EBW API adapters.
The fleet gives Superior Tank Lines the capability needed to keep pace with surging demand for gasoline and other refined fuels in southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. Most importantly, the carrier is able to meet that demand with efficient, safe, and secure service.