Trucks. Loading, unloading, and keeping it all safe.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Pneumatic Tankers

Image: Dave Swift

Pneumatic or "Dry bulk" tankers are used to haul powders and granular products. Many products that are transported in pneumatic tankers can also be transported in end dump, hopper or live floor trailers, but the pneumatic system has several advantages. These trailers are completely enclosed, keeping the load safe from contaminants, they don't have tip-over issues, and many facilities are dependent on this system to accept loads.

Common cargoes are foods like sugar and flour, cement ingredients, and potash.

The tank can be loaded two ways. Most often, they are gravity loaded through hatches at the top, but they can also be loaded through the bottom using the pneumatic system.

The pneumatic system works like a giant vacuum cleaner. It adds air to a tank to create an area of high pressure. When a valve is opened, the high pressure air naturally moves toward an area of low pressure (the destination tank), carrying the product with it. Aerators at the bottom of the hoppers also push air into the product, creating tiny spaces between the particles so that the product can flow efficiently. This same process can be used to load from a rail car or other tanks.

Some trucks are equipped with pumps while others rely on pumps at the unloading facility.

Pneumatic tankers come in several styles that operate in a similar manner. They all have some sort of hopper shape with a "product pipe" attached to the bottom of the hopper(s). The product pipe carries the product to its destination.

Watch a trucker explain the unloading process with only one PG word in a ten minute video below.








Image: Dave Swift


Image: Dave Swift







Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Ford Used to be a Player in the Big Truck Market

Now for a nostalgic break:

Ford used to build lots of Heavy Duty Class 8 and Class 9 trucks. Having started building big rigs in the late nineteen-forties. They generally followed industry design trends, building lots of cabovers in the 70's and culminating with the slippery AeroMax in the 90's. 

The Big Truck era ended when Ford sold the truck division to Freightliner in 1997. Freightliner would build the Ford designs for several years, badging them as Sterling trucks. 
Ford C-Series (1957 - 1990) Drawing credit: David Swift




Photo: Dick Coppello/Harry Patterson
A true relic by the time it retired, the C-Series was produced for more than four decades. Cosmetic changes were minimal. The most noticeable change in appearance might have been the appearance of the blue oval logo in place of the F O R D text and the old cog-and-lightning emblem.
Ford Aeromax (1988 - 1995)


The Aeromax was Ford's entry into the modern era. Following Kenworth's lead, Ford focused on aerodynamics to improve fuel efficiency. The Aeromax was based on the L-Series "Louisville" trucks (not covered here)





Ford W-Series (1966 - 1977)



Back in the day (before 1982) cabovers were necessary to comply with length limits. The STAA law did away with overall length limits, allowing conventional tractors to pull the long (53') trailers on most important highways. The W series was Fords entry for a decade before being replaced by the CL Series.