Liquid freight can be a tricky thing to move. The good news is that with the right transporter, your liquid freight can arrive at its destination safely, securely, and on time.
Here’s what you need to know about shipping liquid freight:
What Is Liquid Freight?
Liquid freight is the process of shipping liquids — usually as liquid bulk freight. Liquids used in manufacturing, food processing, and agriculture need to be shipped around the country using specialized containers and shipping processes. Common examples of bulk liquid shipments include food-grade vegetable oil, alcohol, milk, juice, syrup, vinegar, temperature-sensitive liquids, solvents, and hazardous chemicals.
These liquids aren’t placed in any containers before shipment. Instead, they are placed directly into special tanks for transport. These tanks are hauled by tanker trucks — similar to the trailers used to haul other types of goods. They are often cylindrical in shape but may come in a variety of different shapes and sizes.
Who Is Responsible for Liquid Freight?
There are several parties involved in shipping liquid freight — each with their own responsibilities along the way. The shipper and other parties need to understand their responsibilities to ensure liquid freight’s safe and timely transport.
What Is the Shipping Company Responsible for?
The shipping company is responsible for knowing the properties of the liquid being shipped and providing relevant information to the carrier before the shipment takes place. They also must be knowledgeable about any regulations or certifications required for shipping the liquid freight and providing the carrier with any placards, seals, or paperwork that the shipment is required to have while on the road.
Additionally, the shipping company is responsible for the pre-departure inspection of the trailer to ensure that it’s clean, dry, odor-free, and ready to go. Before hitting the road, the shipping company also must provide personnel to help load the trailer.
What Is the Carrier Responsible for?
First of all, the carrier or freight broker is responsible for providing a well-trained and appropriately licensed driver who is capable of transporting liquid freight. The carrier is also responsible for providing a clean trailer with any necessary hoses, fittings, blowers, vacuum units, and other equipment needed for loading, unloading, and safety purposes.
Finally, the carrier is responsible for maintaining adequate insurance coverage for the trailer being used to transport the liquid freight should anything happen to the shipment while on the road.
What Is the Receiver Responsible for?
The receiver is the last player involved in shipping liquid freight. Therefore, they are responsible for verifying upon arrival that the shipment is correct. They are also responsible for ensuring that there’s enough room in the silo for the liquid and that the liquid is unloaded into the correct silo.
Finally, they are responsible for providing someone to monitor the unloading process at the silo since the driver will be working at the truck.
Special Tanks for Liquid Freight
The transport of liquid freight requires specialized tanks that are usually made of stainless steel or aluminum. Here’s what you need to know about these specialized tanks:
Temperature in a Liquid Transport Tank
Some types of liquid freight require temperature controls for a safe shipping process. There are insulated tanks available to protect and maintain the ideal temperature throughout the duration of the journey. In addition to insulation, these tanks may also come with steam coils that use steam to help maintain the temperature within the tank.
Another potential feature of temperature-controlled transport tanks is special piping that’s able to take the antifreeze from the truck’s radiator and circulate it around the tank while it’s actually on the road. This feature is useful since the steam coils can only be utilized when the truck is parked.
This antifreeze system is able to both heat and cools the trailer. As a result, it’s important to work with a logistics provider like RPM that is well-versed in the intricacies of liquid freight so that you can have the peace of mind that your freight will stay at the optimum temperature throughout its journey.
Weight and Volume in a Liquid Transport Tank
Most liquid freight trailers will be able to hold 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of liquid freight. However, there are also “tight fill” tanks that have a smaller capacity of 5,000 gallons. Using these smaller tanks can help protect liquid freight from agitation during the shipping process since it’s completely filled.
While gallons are the most common unit used when working with liquid freight, occasionally, pounds are used. In this case, you should be able to transport up to 45,000 pounds of liquid material on a single truck since the vehicle’s gross weight needs to be below the 80,000-pound limit set by the Department of Transportation.
Pressure in a Liquid Freight Transport Tank
The final components in a liquid freight transport tank are the pumps and compressors designed to maintain the pressure in the tank in addition to loading and unloading the liquid freight itself.
Air compressors might be more convenient than pumps, but they cannot be used with flammable liquids. This is because pumps need to be cleaned after each use since the liquid actually comes into contact with the pump.
That being said, air compressors don’t necessarily work well with all other types of liquids. Some simply work better when pumped rather than pushed by air. However, corrosive liquids cannot be pumped since the components will eventually eat through the metal and ruin it.
How Liquid Freight Is Transported by Truck
There are three steps involved in transporting liquid freight by truck: loading, unloading, and tank washing. Here’s what you need to know:
Step 1: Loading
The first step in the liquid freight transportation process involves loading the liquid freight into the tank. Before the loading process begins, make sure that you have all the right equipment and parts. You should also inspect the tank to ensure that it’s clean, dry, and free of any holes.
Step 2: Unloading
The second step in the liquid freight transportation process involves unloading the liquid freight into the tank. After the shipment has arrived at its destination, the receiver first takes a liquid sample to ensure that it’s the right product and is in the right condition to be accepted.
The receiver also needs to ensure that the liquid flows from the tank into the right secondary container.
Step 3: Tank Washing
Finally, the third step in the liquid freight transportation process involves washing the tank. This is performed at a tank wash station. Unfortunately, tank wash stations can be few and far between, so drivers may need to travel long distances to reach one. However, if the same exact type of liquid is going to be transported next, the tank may not have to be washed.
Before your liquid freight is loaded into a tank, make sure to ask the driver for a washout slip from the wash station to ensure that the tank was properly cleaned between shipments.
How to Find a Liquid Freight Transporter?
Not everyone transports liquid freight. So how can you find a liquid freight transporter? Here’s what you need to look for:
- Network: Make sure that your transporter has a large and experienced network of carriers that can transport your liquid freight
- Experience: Make sure that your transporter has a proven track record of safe and secure shipments
- Speed: Make sure that your transporter can get your shipments to the destination in a timely manner
- Reviews: Make sure that your transporter has good reviews from clients, and feel free to ask for references
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the best liquid freight transporter, look no further than RPM. RPM meets all the above qualifications and then some. In terms of network, we leverage over 30,000 independent carriers.
In terms of experience, our leadership team has a combined 300 years of industry expertise in supply chain solutions. In terms of speed, our reliable carriers have a 98% on-time delivery rate. Finally, in terms of reviews, we are currently working with more than 2,000 customers.
Reach out to RPM to see how we can help with your liquid freight needs.
Sources:
How to Ship Liquid Freight | Bulk Connection
How Does Bulk Liquid Transport Work? | Truckload Shipping
Tanker Wash & Sanitation | TankerWash.org
