Genuine question
How dangerous a job is it then? Is is mega dangerous and everyone is so careful that there are never accidents or just exaggerated. The only big incident involving a tanker I can think of was when that one full of Hydrogen Peroxide (IIRC) blew it’s self to pieces on the M3? a few years back.
PS. What caused the Buncefield bonfire, was that tanker related?
Of course it’s dangerous. Get a Gerry can of fuel, open the lid inside a safe, then put anything that can make a spark in there, see what happens.
As you said, basic common sense and procedures stops there being any major incidents, same as it does in most other jobs.
Then, just like other jobs, there’s lots of ■■■■■■■■ rules and regulations, the fire extinguishers for example, if there’s a fire, get the ■■■■ away, only there to tick boxes on the H+S forms.
Of course it’s dangerous. Get a Gerry can of fuel, open the lid inside a safe, then put anything that can make a spark in there, see what happens.
OK wasn’t disputing that, but I drive a petrol engined car and pump petrol into the tank from the pump. To date I’ve never managed to blow myself up or set fire to anything whilst doing so. Although I once managed to set fire to my trousers with the assistance of some petrol and and a bonfire and still have the scars on my leg to prove it. 
It’s not dangerous as long as you obey the rules.
Deffo the best job in transport. Tesco tanker drivers at Grangemouth are on £38k per annum. Hoping to get in there one day soon as i have tanker experience but not with petrol stations.
8wheels:
Of course it’s dangerous. Get a Gerry can of fuel, open the lid inside a safe, then put anything that can make a spark in there, see what happens.
OK wasn’t disputing that, but I drive a petrol engined car and pump petrol into the tank from the pump. To date I’ve never managed to blow myself up or set fire to anything whilst doing so. Although I once managed to set fire to my trousers with the assistance of some petrol and and a bonfire and still have the scars on my leg to prove it.
You just set the hose up then sit back and wait while the tank emptys. A very easy job for most folk.
8wheels:
How dangerous a job is it then? Is is mega dangerous and everyone is so careful that there are never accidents or just exaggerated. The only big incident involving a tanker I can think of was when that one full of Hydrogen Peroxide (IIRC) blew it’s self to pieces on the M3? a few years back.PS. What caused the Buncefield bonfire, was that tanker related?
There aren’t any civilian ‘dangerous jobs’ in any meaningful historical sense, because it’s nowadays illegal to employ people and subject them to danger. Fishing’s probably still pretty dangerous, and jobs where you can fall off things (like window-cleaning and building) are dangerous-ish too.
I don’t think it counts as a dangerous job just because moving petrol around could be dangerous if you didn’t do it reasonably carefully.
IIRC Buncefield was caused by a tank (a fixed tank) overflowing for hours and hours unnoticed because it was Sunday and the instrumentation was broken. As such, it reads like pretty much every other petro/chemical plant accident.
Edit: Here you go: buncefieldinvestigation.gov. … /index.htm
pavaroti:
It’s not dangerous as long as you obey the rules.
What he said… blimey I’m agreeing with Pavaroti! 
So long as the driver follows the specific procedures set down, the only risks should be when outside forces come into play.
Consider this; at many modern filling stations, it’s possible to fill your car up whilst the tanker is discharging. I would presume that the process has been made safer over the years, as it used to be the case some years ago that if you wanted petrol you had to wait till the tanker had finished; at a few older installations this is still the case. Point I’m making is they don’t clear the forecourt, and have the local fire brigade on standby just because the tanker’s making a delivery. There are risks, of course, but they’re suitably managed.
Me too , agreeing with pavaroti (to be fair he agreed with me first!! on another thread)
petrol tankes are POTENTIALLY dangerous, but so are lots of other tanker jobs.
apart from the few carrying liquid chocolate etc., many others carry dangerous goods, I think that is why we have ADR legislation .
That doesn’t, howver, mean that i don’t support the fuel tanker drivers.
ANY campaign that improves or maintains decent pay and conditions for drivers eventually benefits ALL drivers and that is what is important.
Equally, any fight that is lost also affects all other drivers and for that reason alone all drivers should support the tanker drivers.
the long view
I was at south queensferry shell some moon ago when a tanker pulled in. Out got the driver and was looking about, came over to me and asked me how long i was gonna be, even though there was plenty room for him to get to his pipes. He then started moaning about a parked car that was no where near him.
I realised, my instinct told me this fella had never driven an artic in his life. 
He was doing hand motions trying to figure how to get his tanker round to the pipes. Got into a conversation with him by asking him how he got into tanker work, turned out he had come down that day from Aberdeen terminal cos Grangemouth were short.
He gave it the large this bum fluffed youth about how he would never go back to ordinary trucking again. Denied most strenuously he was a newbie driver when i accused him of never having driven an artic in his life.
When paying for my fuel the checkout girl told me had been on the phone before arrival asking how to get to the garage and was there plenty of room for him. 
Having driven tankers for a considerable time, I would strongly argue that a modern fuel tanker is not dangerous at all compared to a GP ADR tank or even a food tanker. You don’t have to clean them out, you don’t have to ensure hoses are clean, you don’t even need to climb a ladder to load or unload them. You could quite easily kill 200 people with a bad dose of food poisoning through contaminating a food product.
There are a lot more dangerous chemicals on the road, maybe not so many with a lower flashpoint, but some are both flammable and toxic or will eat your socks if your boots leak. All fuel stations have to be built to a standard, the hoses are guaranteed to fit both barrel and customer inlet. The trailers have a low centre of gravity, and are designed for carrying fuel, they have little surge as they are compartmented.
Wheel Nut:
Having driven tankers for a considerable time, I would strongly argue that a modern fuel tanker is not dangerous at all compared to a GP ADR tank or even a food tanker. You don’t have to clean them out, you don’t have to ensure hoses are clean, you don’t even need to climb a ladder to load or unload them. You could quite easily kill 200 people with a bad dose of food poisoning through contaminating a food product.There are a lot more dangerous chemicals on the road, maybe not so many with a lower flashpoint, but some are both flammable and toxic or will eat your socks if your boots leak. All fuel stations have to be built to a standard, the hoses are guaranteed to fit both barrel and customer inlet. The trailers have a low centre of gravity, and are designed for carrying fuel, they have little surge as they are compartmented.
How dangerous can a few gallons of petrol be even with the wrong driver behind the wheel.Although admittedly who needs Elf and Safety when there’s some free fuel that needs to be to be collected.
gnasty gnome:
pavaroti:
It’s not dangerous as long as you obey the rules.What he said… blimey I’m agreeing with Pavaroti!
So long as the driver follows the specific procedures set down, the only risks should be when outside forces come into play.
Consider this; at many modern filling stations, it’s possible to fill your car up whilst the tanker is discharging. I would presume that the process has been made safer over the years, as it used to be the case some years ago that if you wanted petrol you had to wait till the tanker had finished; at a few older installations this is still the case. Point I’m making is they don’t clear the forecourt, and have the local fire brigade on standby just because the tanker’s making a delivery. There are risks, of course, but they’re suitably managed.
i think the main reason for closing the stations during a delivery was that someone had to check the dips and supervise the delivery, it was easier just to put a sign out and close rather than run back and forth to sell a kid a Mars bar.
Another reason I would avoid it is because while the tanker is emptying it will stir all the rust and muck up in the storage tank, you don’t really want that in your car tank.
Carryfast:
How dangerous can a few gallons of petrol be even with the wrong driver behind the wheel.
Clearly safe enough that even after an overturn there’s enough time for 200+ looters to gather around before anything catches fire. Very sad story though.
Wheel Nut:
gnasty gnome:
pavaroti:
It’s not dangerous as long as you obey the rules.What he said… blimey I’m agreeing with Pavaroti!
So long as the driver follows the specific procedures set down, the only risks should be when outside forces come into play.
Consider this; at many modern filling stations, it’s possible to fill your car up whilst the tanker is discharging. I would presume that the process has been made safer over the years, as it used to be the case some years ago that if you wanted petrol you had to wait till the tanker had finished; at a few older installations this is still the case. Point I’m making is they don’t clear the forecourt, and have the local fire brigade on standby just because the tanker’s making a delivery. There are risks, of course, but they’re suitably managed.
i think the main reason for closing the stations during a delivery was that someone had to check the dips and supervise the delivery, it was easier just to put a sign out and close rather than run back and forth to sell a kid a Mars bar.
Another reason I would avoid it is because while the tanker is emptying it will stir all the rust and muck up in the storage tank, you don’t really want that in your car tank.
Blimey I’m surprised they haven’t cut the job down to minimum wage by now. 
wilbur:
8wheels:
How dangerous a job is it then? Is is mega dangerous and everyone is so careful that there are never accidents or just exaggerated. The only big incident involving a tanker I can think of was when that one full of Hydrogen Peroxide (IIRC) blew it’s self to pieces on the M3? a few years back.PS. What caused the Buncefield bonfire, was that tanker related?
There aren’t any civilian ‘dangerous jobs’ in any meaningful historical sense, because it’s nowadays illegal to employ people and subject them to danger. Fishing’s probably still pretty dangerous, and jobs where you can fall off things (like window-cleaning and building) are dangerous-ish too.
I don’t think it counts as a dangerous job just because moving petrol around could be dangerous if you didn’t do it reasonably carefully.
IIRC Buncefield was caused by a tank (a fixed tank) overflowing for hours and hours unnoticed because it was Sunday and the instrumentation was broken. As such, it reads like pretty much every other petro/chemical plant accident.
Edit: Here you go: buncefieldinvestigation.gov. … /index.htm
Well said!
Carryfast:
Wheel Nut:
Having driven tankers for a considerable time, I would strongly argue that a modern fuel tanker is not dangerous at all compared to a GP ADR tank or even a food tanker. You don’t have to clean them out, you don’t have to ensure hoses are clean, you don’t even need to climb a ladder to load or unload them. You could quite easily kill 200 people with a bad dose of food poisoning through contaminating a food product.There are a lot more dangerous chemicals on the road, maybe not so many with a lower flashpoint, but some are both flammable and toxic or will eat your socks if your boots leak. All fuel stations have to be built to a standard, the hoses are guaranteed to fit both barrel and customer inlet. The trailers have a low centre of gravity, and are designed for carrying fuel, they have little surge as they are compartmented.
How dangerous can a few gallons of petrol be even with the wrong driver behind the wheel.Although admittedly who needs Elf and Safety when there’s some free fuel that needs to be to be collected.
Absolutely nothing to do with the driver, apart from turning his truck over, the reason it exploded was the locals were helping themselves and filling coconut sheels, flipflops and worst of all plastic buckets. It was static electricity that killed 230 people
Wheel Nut:
Having driven tankers for a considerable time, I would strongly argue that a modern fuel tanker is not dangerous at all compared to a GP ADR tank or even a food tanker. You don’t have to clean them out, you don’t have to ensure hoses are clean, you don’t even need to climb a ladder to load or unload them. You could quite easily kill 200 people with a bad dose of food poisoning through contaminating a food product.There are a lot more dangerous chemicals on the road, maybe not so many with a lower flashpoint, but some are both flammable and toxic or will eat your socks if your boots leak. All fuel stations have to be built to a standard, the hoses are guaranteed to fit both barrel and customer inlet. The trailers have a low centre of gravity, and are designed for carrying fuel, they have little surge as they are compartmented.
Exactly.
I guess it is all about perspective really… I always muse about the signs on the back of tankers such as milk tankers that says “Non Hazardous”… Now thats just as may be when there is a pint of the stuff in one of those bloody stupid carton things but when they put several thousand gallons of it in a tanker its still going to sting when it hits you
iDriver
pavaroti:
It’s not dangerous as long as you obey the rules.Deffo the best job in transport. Tesco tanker drivers at Grangemouth are on £38k per annum. Hoping to get in there one day soon as i have tanker experience but not with petrol stations.
Blimey we was earning a bit more than that on fina back in 1996
wilbur:
Carryfast:
How dangerous can a few gallons of petrol be even with the wrong driver behind the wheel.Clearly safe enough that even after an overturn there’s enough time for 200+ looters to gather around before anything catches fire. Very sad story though.
Great so going by that information picture the scene at a London Fire Brigade 999 call centre.
Caller there’s a tanker just turned over on xyz roundabout.
Operator does it say what’s in it.
Caller Yes it’s got Sainsbury’s written all over the side so it must be foodstuffs but it smells like petrol for some reason and the driver has zb’d off somewhere and he seemed to be shouting something in Polish.
Operator no problem we’ll call you back later when we’ve arranged for the breakdown services.