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Jun 6, 2012 9:45 AM, By Charles E Wilson

One of the unintended consequences  of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety,  Accountability (CSA) program is that it seems to have linked tank truck  carriers and wash racks more closely than ever before. Actions (or inactions)  by wash workers definitely impact equipment inspections by enforcement  officials.

  “We can’t survive without each  other,” said Dan Wright, Kenan Advantage Group. “Commercial wash racks have  become a critical part of our quality control process in this era of CSA. We need  your expertise more than ever before to remain successful in our businesses.”

  Wright was a member of a six-person  panel that addressed the tank wash role under CSA. The panel was part of the  National Tank Truck Carriers’ Tank Cleaning & Environmental Council Seminar  held June 4 and 5 at The Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans LA.

  Steve Niswander, Groendyke Transport  Inc, described how wash rack workers will replace a damaged placard on a  trailer that has multiple placards. The undamaged placards are left in place.  “Unfortunately, the remaining placards won’t be as bright as the as the new  one, and some inspectors will cite the trailer for faded placards,” he said.  “One solution is to change all of the placards, but that is an extra cost.”

  Wright agreed that placards are  getting more attention under CSA. He said even small amounts of product residue  on the exterior of a tank can draw attention (and potentially citations) from  roadside inspectors. Inspectors will target virtually anything.

  Several speakers said condensation  dripping from a clean tank trailer has been tagged as a hazmat leak by  inspectors. “It’s a problem we see with new state troopers,” said Randy Vaughn,  Superior Bulk Logistics. “They are climbing on trailers more than ever before,  and some of them will cite a trailer for water in the crash box.”

  Vaughn said he fights the bad  citations, and gets the scores fixed in CSA, but it takes time. He pointed out  that it is important to fix both the carrier and driver scores.

  Ed Matlage, Miller Transporters Inc,  said it should be the wash rack’s responsibility to make sure everything is in  order before a tank trailer is sent back out on the road. “We need good  communication between wash rack and carrier,” he said. “You are our eyes and  ears while our trailer is at your facility.

  Gene Patten, The Dana Companies,  added “Many of our own wash rack personnel have been to spot maintenance  issues, such as bald tires, bad gaskets, and leaking wheel seals.”

  CSA scores matter greatly, and wash  racks can impact those scores, said Andrew Wood, Bulk Transportation. “We are  measured on those scores by FMCSA and by our customers,” he said. “Shippers  monitor our scores constantly, and they are always pushing us to do better.”