Crude hauler

Crude hauler: A crude hauler is a tanker driver who picks up crude oil from storage tanks at well sites and hauls it to pipeline stations, rail terminals or refineries. Crude is a Class 3 flammable liquid, so the work needs a CDL with tank and hazmat endorsements. Source

What the job involves

Most crude hauling is short and repetitive: a loop between well-site tank batteries and a nearby station, several times a day. At the well site the driver gauges the tank, measures the oil, takes samples, loads through a hose and records the run on a ticket. At the station the load is measured again and unloaded. Roads to the wells are often unpaved and rough, and work runs around the clock in busy fields.

The hazmat side

Petroleum crude oil is UN1267 in the Hazardous Materials Table, a Class 3 flammable liquid. Source In a cargo tank it is a bulk load, placarded FLAMMABLE with the number displayed. Drivers need the X endorsement, or N and H, and the hazmat endorsement needs a TSA security threat assessment. Source

In practice EXAMPLE

A crude hauler starts the shift at 5:00, runs five loads from three tank batteries to a pipeline station 30 miles away, and logs each run on a field ticket. On wet days the lease roads slow every trip. Because crude is heavy, the truck scales out under 80,000 lb well before the tank is full, which the weight limit checker helps confirm. More in our hauling guide.

Hours, roads and pay

Crude hauling is often local or regional, with many short loaded trips a day, so drivers spend much of the shift loading, gauging and unloading rather than driving. Lease roads can be rough, muddy or icy, and many sites run around the clock. Pay is commonly per load, per hour or per barrel, set by the carrier or the producer. Demand follows drilling and production in each field, so work can be very busy for a season and slower the next.

Many crude carriers hire drivers with tanker experience, and new drivers often start by riding along to learn gauging, sampling and the paperwork each producer and station expects.