Tank cleaning chairman calls for improvement

June 1, 2005
IMPROVING the tank cleaning industry is one goal of Bill Miller, new chairman of the National Tank Truck Carriers Tank Cleaning Council. We want to zero

IMPROVING the tank cleaning industry is one goal of Bill Miller, new chairman of the National Tank Truck Carriers Tank Cleaning Council.

“We want to zero in on how we can improve and/or upgrade the standards of our industry,” Miller said.

He urged members at the Tank Cleaning Council meeting March 28-29 in Phoenix, Arizona, to encourage other wash rack managers to join the organization so they can take advantage of the operating information and standards that are available from their peers.

Steps aimed at improving tank cleaning facilities include developing job-specific policies and procedures. In addition, he said there should be adequate equipment to handle whatever job is underway, and that policies and procedures require management and other personnel to have knowledge of the operation.

Miller said he favors a move for carriers and shippers to join with the tank cleaning industry to boost quality at wash racks. He also called for more cleaning standardization from shippers and carriers, noting that the tank wash is ultimately responsible for defining a “clean” tank trailer.

Most companies ask for “clean, dry, and odor free” cleaning, but without standardazation the results can vary, Miller said.

Wash rack managers also are faced with the challenge of deciding whether they are responsible only for the cleaning, or do they also have an obligation to report other problems detected on the vehicles.

There are concerns about information on material safety data sheets (MSDS) — that the data is too general and may mislead tank wash workers. “We may end up experimenting with the unknown,” Miller said.

Anyone who is interested in joining the Tank Cleaning Council or in obtaining more information about the organization should contact NTTC at tanktruck.org or call 703-838-1960.

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