Tank modifications, suspension maintenance, lighting top TTMA session
Feb 1, 2010 12:00 PM, By Rick Weber
View all NTTC Cargo Tank Maintenance Seminar photos
THE Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) Report during the National Tank Truck Carriers annual Cargo Tank Maintenance Seminar and Equipment Show October 26-28, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee, included sessions on trailer modification, air-ride suspension maintenance, and lighting technology:
Documenting Tank Modifications
Duane Plumski, Research & Development Engineer, Polar Tank Trailer, LLC
Plumski said modification is defined by 49 CFR as “any structural change to the original design and construction of a cargo tank or Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle (CTMV) safety equipment,” including adding a manhole, stretching a trailer, adding a thermometer well, stretching overturns, or modifying a bumper. Excluded are lights, truck or tractor powertrain components, steering and brake systems, suspension parts, changes to appurtenances, and replacement components of a similar design and size.
Credentials required to perform modifications:
CT number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA): registration with the Department of Transportation (DOT) for modifying, repairing, etc.
R Stamp From National Board for Repairs: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) requirement for repairing or modifying ASME and DOT vessels.
Design Certifying Engineer (DCE) approval prior to cutting metal.
Registered Inspector (RI) approval after completion of work on a CTMV.
Authorized Inspector (AI) approval on modification design, and after completion of work on ASME-code vessels.
Plumski said a DCE is “a person registered with DOT that has the knowledge and ability to perform stress analysis of PVs and otherwise determine whether a cargo tank design meets the applicable DOT spec.” That person must have an engineering degree and one year of work experience in cargo tank structural or mechanical design; is currently registered as a professional engineer; or had at least three years experience in performing DCE duties prior to September 1, 1991.
An RI is “a person registered with DOT that has the knowledge and ability to determine whether a cargo tank conforms to the applicable DOT spec.” That person either has an engineering degree and one year of work experience relating to the testing and inspection of cargo tanks; an associate degree in engineering and two years of work experience relating to the testing and inspection of cargo tanks; a high school diploma (or GED) and three years of work experience relating to the testing and inspection of cargo tanks; or at least three years experience performing RI duties prior to September 1, 1991.
An AI is an inspector who is currently commissioned by the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors and is employed as an inspector by an authorized inspection agency. Many AIs work for insurance companies. He said a person employed as an inspector or design certifying engineer is considered to be registered if the person's employer is registered.
Next Page: A Lighting Technology Update
