Bulk Liquid Shipping Basics You Need to Know

The term bulk liquid describes liquid that’s transported in huge volumes using the relevant bulk liquid transport. Typically, bulk liquids can’t be transported conventionally, unlike granules or powders. Such liquids include vegetable oils, crude oil, and certain chemicals.We recognize that such products need special handling in designed carriers and the ability to execute bulk liquid transportation successfully depends on the equipment used. Transport equipment comprises accessories and tools that aid the storage and transport of bulk liquid shipment, including pumps, compressors, etc. If you’re looking to venture into bulk liquid shipping, we recommend you familiarize yourself with these basics.

Bulk Product

The term bulk describes goods that aren’t in containers. Rather, their transportation occurs in mass volumes or quantities. Typically, you’ll find them packed in one huge container, for instance, a tanker trailer. This is beneficial for transporting goods that aren’t meant for general consumers, for instance, landscaping materials, raw materials, and ingredients for manufacturing food.

Bulk Liquid

The term bulk liquid describes a huge volume of liquid that’s transported without packaging into individual containers. Bulk liquids need direct pumping into a specialized truck to enable bulk liquid transportation.

Bulk Liquid Transportation

The transportation of bulk liquids involves the process of transporting bulk liquids over long distances. Since bulk liquids aren’t packed into other containers before shipment, we recognize the importance of leak inspection before transport takes place. After all, even a slight leak could lead to considerable fluid loss over time.

Before pumping liquid products into a truck, we encourage thorough examination for any cracks, dents, or other damages that could cause leaks. If an area of concern exists, you can fill the entire tank with water to test for leaks.

Beware that a leaky tank isn’t merely expensive and inconvenient. It’s also illegal. Depending on what you’re transporting, a spill could cause structural or environmental damage. If you’re shipping with us, you can be confident that we perform thorough inspections before executing our bulk liquid transport services. Various modes of transportation exist for bulk transportation, including ISO containers, bulk tankers, and flexibags.

Regulations for Transporting Bulk Liquids

Unlike the typical hauling of products, bulk liquid transportation is associated with a range of industry regulations that we must adhere to. A major regulation in this industry is the aspect of cleanliness, particularly if you’re dealing with edible items.

For instance, milk transportation can’t occur until USDA inspections take place. Therefore, you can’t move milk products until you ensure you’ve followed the relevant regulations. Keep in mind that heavy regulation can apply to bulk liquids depending on what you’re dealing with. For instance, if you’re dealing with liquids meant for human consumption such as juice or vegetable oil, you must abide by the regulations stipulated by the FDA.

The regulations include sanitary food handling, pest control, appropriate worker hygiene, and employee training. If we’re transporting milk shipment, for instance, we would need to ensure we don’t expose the milk to open air, particularly outside. This implies that the movement and loading of milk should take place using enclosed tubes or pipes.

We adopt stringent measures in such a case to prevent bugs and debris from accessing the milk while preventing possible worker contamination. Furthermore, we recognize the need to sterilize containers before milk comes into contact. Otherwise, the shipment might be deemed unsafe for consumption by the FDA.

Besides cleanliness prerequisites, you might need to issue training documentation, prior notice, and develop a HACCP system.

Possible Risks during Bulk Liquid Transportation

Potential risks exist when transporting bulk liquids, so drivers must be extra cautious. When using a tanker, the liquid inside typically sloshes around with the trailer movement, so if a driver turns too fast or brakes too hard, the weight of the liquid product could move to one side, toppling the trailer. That’s why we recommend the use of baffles.

Remember, a toppled vehicle doesn’t just waste the product. It poses a big safety threat as well to other road users. Furthermore, environmental damage is likely to arise if the shipment comprises chemicals. Even if the vehicle remains upright, reckless driving could cause product agitation, producing foam.

Another possible risk that might arise during bulk liquid transportation is contamination, which can be a nightmare for those transporting edible products such as syrup or milk. If the tank doesn’t undergo proper cleaning before loading the next shipment into it, we recognize that residue from the former shipment will cause contamination even if the two loads were a similar product.

We recognize that leaky tanks can cause a serious issue to liquid shipments. If a leak goes undetected, then you can expect to lose considerable product along the way. Therefore, we warn against cutting corners when it comes to bulk liquid shipping. Don’t just settle for a carrier that offers the best price. Instead, we recommend you work with an experienced and qualified carrier. After all, you wouldn’t want to lose thousands of gallons simply because you wanted to save some money.

Equipment Used in Transporting Bulk Liquids

The tank container describes the place of liquid storage throughout transit. Various containers can work for bulk liquid transport, including tanks, which can comprise one or several compartments for transporting various grades of liquid products in the same shipment. Tanks can be pressurized or insulated to maintain the product in a stable condition. Tanks further come in standard sizes for fulfilling the requirements for bulk liquid transport.

Tank Trailer

This unit comprises the tank chassis and tank container. The benefit of this unit is that you simply need to lease one piece of equipment, making this solution cost-effective. However, it isn’t as flexible because you can’t separate the container from the chassis.

Bulk liquid transport has its benefits but requires compliance with standards that encourage quality and longevity while minimizing the likelihood of contamination. If you’re looking to venture into this industry, you want to familiarize yourself with these basics.