Recommended Practices on Static Electricity in a Tanker Truck

Tanker trucks are large semi-trailers that hold liquid for transportation. Often, this liquid is kept refrigerated and sealed from the outside world. Other times though, this liquid is flammable, such as gasoline. To stop fuel from being ignited while it's in a tanker truck, there are procedures recommended to keep the driver, and everyone else who may be exposed to the risk, safe.

Grounding

• The first recommended procedure for dealing with accumulated static electricity in a tanker truck is to ground it. Grounding means you provide a pathway so the accumulated electricity flows from the truck and into the earth, "grounding" it. It lessens the risk of the static charge igniting any flammable liquids in the truck either while it's filling or out on the road. Drivers can ground the trucks by using a simple, portable clamping system.

Monitoring

• Another recommended practice, according to newson-gale.com, is to have a system in place that monitors the static charge in the tanker. This monitoring system should be connected to the truck as well as to the device that fills the tanker. If a static charge is detected in the tanker, perhaps because of improper grounding procedures, then no fuel will flow into the truck's containment unit. Monitors usually have a green light to indicate no static charge and a red light to indicate a static charge is present.

Order

• While monitoring and grounding are both procedures that deal with static electricity, they must also be done in the proper order and at the proper time. For instance, before the tanker truck is loaded or off loaded, the monitoring system should be connected to it. Then, the truck should be grounded to eliminate any static charge on the body. Once the monitoring light changes from red to green, the off loading procedure can continue safely.