Written on: March 10, 2025 by Alan Carver
Delivery is essential to the retail fuel marketer as is installing new systems and repairing and maintaining current ones. However, the rise and fall of companies ultimately rides on the number of gallons delivered each year, particularly during the Winter months.
Drivers are often tasked with long days and a high demand to deliver that fuel. Along with the high demand and workload, there may be a greater risk of something going wrong. Let’s look at a few of those risks and how to avoid them.
Daily Routine
Before you can even embark on the deliveries for the day, a pre-inspection of the vehicle must be done. Yes, it is a laborious task, yet necessary. It is important to walk around the vehicle, check for any damage or anything out of place. From the minute to the major, these include lights, fluids in the engine, and hose reel and brakes, to name just a few. Tires are one of the crucial safety features on any vehicle—the only part to touch the road. Steer tires are to have a minimum of 4/32 tread and rear tires of 2/32 tread.
It is very easy to get complacent, hop in your truck and head out, especially when you have 30 stops to do. These steps help ensure the safety of the driver and others.
Once your check is completed and you head out for the day, there are situations that arise that you must deal with.
For starters, many roads and driveways you have to navigate are not made for the size of these trucks. We often find ourselves on roads where two vehicles can barely pass by each other. However, it’s imperative to keep the truck on the road and never deviate; there might be a soft shoulder that could roll the truck.
Backing into narrow and steep driveways can also be a challenge, especially on a main road or where there is a blind spot or a curve. You may want to back in as quickly as possible to avoid the oncoming traffic; however, driver and vehicle safety are more important. Never allow traffic to make you feel like you have to rush; that’s when mistakes will happen. Always put the hazard lights on (or strobe lights) prior to backing into a driveway. We live in an impatient world; I have had people try to go around me, cut me off and of course, lean on their horn. Defensive driving is the best approach when operating a large truck.
These situations are compounded in inclement weather. Anyone who has driven a delivery truck in bad weather has had some scary close calls. The reality—cars handle better in the snow than delivery trucks do. For example, once trucks start to slide, they don’t stop very easily. Snow, ice and slush can easily make a truck slide off the road, or worse.
Regardless of what anyone says, you are the captain of your ship. It is ultimately your decision if it is safe enough to navigate on the roads or make it up someone’s driveway. It is not worth anyone’s safety or crashing the truck to make a delivery if it is dangerous. Even if you can make it up the driveway, it doesn’t mean you can make it down without sliding or losing control.
Most customers understand, although there will be the occasional ones who do not. I have had irate customers demanding I go up the driveway and deliver. I simply say it is not safe, and I cannot deliver today. Never let a customer bully you into making a bad decision.
More Tips
Some more tips for safe delivery: Always put your chock blocks down, no matter if fully loaded or close to empty. While out of the truck, look around to make sure there are no other issues that developed while out delivering.
Also, mainly pertaining to propane, always carry the remote shut-off. All new trucks have them. It’s great to use for the PTO, but its most important feature is the emergency shut-off button, which will completely shut down the truck. I only had to use it once. I was delivering to a farm and the truck had to be parked partially on the grass to reach the tanks. We had a truck that had the exhaust on the bottom of the truck, facing down. While delivering, the heat from the exhaust pipes started to set the grass on fire. I used the emergency shut-off, shut down the engine and was able to prevent a fire.
Lastly, while enroute, always have the main valve/belly valve closed. Not only is it a DoT violation to keep it open, it is much safer to keep it closed.
Safety is always key and if unsure, always remember G.O.A.L. (Get Out And Look). ICM
