Non-hazmat liquid and pneumatic dry bulk
Tanker dispatch that starts from your last product
In tank work, the next load depends on what was in the trailer last. We plan loads around your product history, wash locations and unloading times, and every load is offered to you first. Placarded freight lives on our hazmat page.
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Fill my tanker's weekLiquid tanks and pneumatics: what we book
Liquid tankers
Food-grade liquids like sweeteners, oils and juices; water for construction, oilfield and dust control; and non-hazmat industrial chemicals. Liquid loads move and surge in the tank, which changes how the truck brakes and corners, and weight limits often stop you before the tank is full.
Driving a liquid tank of 1,000 gallons or more takes the N endorsement, whether the product is hazardous or not. 49 CFR 383.5Checked October 2026
Pneumatic dry bulk
Cement, fly ash, lime, sand, flour, sugar and plastic pellets, blown off with air pressure. Loads are usually heavy for their volume, so you hit the 80,000 lb gross limit before you fill the trailer. 23 CFR 658.17(b)Checked October 2026
Unloading time is the hidden cost: a slow blow-off or a receiver with no silo space can eat half a day. We ask about unloading equipment and wait times before we offer the load.
Food-grade tank work
Food products moved by truck fall under the FDA's sanitary transportation rule. Carriers keep equipment clean and able to hold the temperatures the food needs, and when they take responsibility for sanitary conditions they train their people and keep records. 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart O; FDA FSMA rule pageChecked October 2026
In practice, food shippers usually want a trailer dedicated to food, a fresh wash ticket from an approved wash, sealed hatches and valves, and sometimes kosher certification. We only offer food loads to trailers that meet those requirements, and we plan wash stops so you arrive at the shipper ready to load.
How we plan a tanker week
Product chains. We look for loads that can follow each other with little or no cleaning, so the trailer earns instead of sitting at a wash rack.
Wash and unload timing. Wash locations, their hours and the receiver's unloading speed go into the plan, because a four-hour blow-off or a closed wash can cost the next load.
Plant approvals. Many plants and terminals approve carriers before the first load and require site training. We prepare the packets and tell you what each site asks for.
Your yes on every load. We call with the product, last-product requirements, wash terms, unloading details and rate. You agree, then the broker sends the rate confirmation to you. A no costs nothing.
Surge, outage and the half-full tank
Liquid moves. In a partly filled tank, the load surges forward when you brake and sloshes sideways in a curve, pushing the truck in ways a dry load never would. Baffles help, smooth-bore food tanks have none. Outage, the empty space left at the top for expansion, means a full load is rarely a full tank.
We tell you the product, its weight and the expected fill before you accept, so you know how the truck will handle.
Water and oilfield work
Water hauling feeds construction sites, dust control, drilling and completion work, and sometimes emergencies. Oilfield water work can be steady while a field is active and stop quickly when drilling slows.
We look at how long a project is expected to run, how loads are counted and how you get paid before we commit your truck. Hourly and per-load pay both show up in this work.
Frac sand and heavy bulk
Frac sand moves from mines and transloads to well sites in pneumatic trailers and end dumps, often on rotations while a well is completed. It is heavy, so the weight limit decides the load, and site access and wait times decide the day.
We weigh steady rotation work against how long it is likely to last, so a few busy weeks don't leave the truck without a plan when the work stops.
What tank shippers check
Your authority and safety record, liability and cargo insurance, trailer type and condition, wash records, and often the last three products hauled. Food shippers add sanitation procedures and training records, and many plants require driver site training before you can load.
We send packets only where your trailer and records fit, and we keep track of which plants have already approved you, so the next load there books quickly.
Tank mistakes we help you avoid
- Arriving without a wash ticket. Many shippers turn a trailer away on the spot without one.
- Forgetting the product history. One past load can rule out a trailer for food work for good.
- Loading to the top. Heavy liquids hit the weight limit long before the tank is full; outage is needed for expansion.
- Ignoring unload time. A slow blow-off with no detention pay can turn a good rate into a poor day.
Starting out in tank work
Many tank haulers start with water or non-food liquids, where the wash rules are simpler, then move into food-grade or pneumatic work once the trailer and the record allow it. Get the N endorsement first, then confirm your insurance covers the products you plan to haul.
We help a new tank carrier pick a lane of work that fits the trailer, and build plant approvals one at a time instead of chasing every product at once.
The trailer you buy decides the work you can do for years. A stainless food-grade tank, a lined chemical tank and a pneumatic trailer each open a different set of shippers, and switching later is expensive. If you are still choosing, talk to us about the lanes near home before you sign for one.
What tank carriers ask us
"I lose a day every time I wash." Then the sequence of loads is the problem. We plan product chains and wash stops near your drops so cleaning fits into the route.
"Receivers keep me waiting to unload." We ask about unloading equipment and typical waits before we offer the load, and we push for detention terms on the rate con when waits are likely.
"Can I haul hazmat too?" If you hold the H and N endorsements, or X, and carry the required insurance, yes. Placarded tank work is covered on our hazmat and tanker dispatch page.
New to tank work? Our guides to the tanker truck, the pneumatic trailer and bulk hauling explain the equipment, and the terms food-grade washout and surge in tankers cover two things every new tank driver needs to know.
The tanker fee EXAMPLE
Say a food-grade load pays $1,300 for a 350 mile run. At the standard rate the dispatch fee is $65 and you keep $1,235. A new MC pays 7% for its first 6 months, and fleets of 2 or more pay 4% while that limited-time rate lasts. These figures are an example.
You pay nothing to start, face no minimums, and owe nothing when idle. Check that a heavy bulk load stays legal with the truck weight limit checker, and see every tier on the dispatch fee page.
Tanker dispatch questions
01Do I need a tanker endorsement for a non-hazmat tank?
For liquids or gases, usually yes. The tank vehicle definition covers tanks over 119 gallons each and 1,000 gallons or more in total carrying liquid or gas, hazardous or not, and driving one needs the N endorsement. Pneumatic trailers hauling dry solids generally fall outside that definition. Confirm with your state licensing agency.
02Who pays for a tanker washout?
It depends on the load. Some shippers and brokers pay for the wash or include it in the rate, and others expect the carrier to arrive clean at their own cost. We confirm the wash terms before you accept, and we plan product sequences that reduce how often you need to wash at all.
03What do pneumatic tankers haul?
Dry bulk that flows: cement, fly ash, lime, sand including frac sand, flour, sugar, plastic pellets and some chemicals and minerals. The trailer is loaded from the top and unloaded with air pressure from a blower, often on the truck. Unloading time and the receiver's equipment matter as much as the rate.
04Can you book food-grade tanker loads?
Yes, for trailers that qualify. Food-grade work usually needs a trailer dedicated to food products, a clean wash ticket before every load and sometimes kosher certification. The FDA's sanitary transportation rule sets carrier duties for clean equipment and temperature control. We match food loads only to trailers that meet the shipper's rules.
05How much does tanker dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one truck on an MC older than 6 months, 7% while the MC is under 6 months, and 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more while that limited-time rate lasts. No setup fee and nothing in a week you don't haul.