East Palo Alto Municipal Code Art. XII Tank Vehicle Regulations

A. Tank vehicles shall not be operated unless they are in proper repair, devoid of accumulations of grease, oil or other flammables and free of leaks.

B. The driver, operator or attendant of any tank vehicle shall not leave the vehicle while it is being filled or discharged, shall remain within fifteen (15) feet of the manual shutoff valve and shall keep the delivery hose and discharge nozzle in his full view at all times.

C. Motors of tank vehicles or tractors shall be shut down during making or breaking hose connections. If loading or unloading is done without the use of a power pump, the tank vehicle or tractor motor shall be shut down throughout such operations.

D. The cargo tank shall be bonded to the fill pipe when loading. The bond-wire connection shall be made prior to opening the dome covers. It shall be maintained in place during the entire filling operation and the dome covers shall be securely closed before the bond-wire is disconnected from the cargo tank.

E. No cargo tank or compartment thereof used for the transportation of any flammable or combustible liquid shall be loaded full. The vacant space (outage) in a cargo tank or compartment thereof used in the transportation of flammable or combustible liquids shall not be less than one percent; sufficient space (outage) shall be left vacant in every case to prevent leakage from or distortion of such tank or compartment by expansion of the contents due to rise in temperature or increase in elevation in transit.

F. The driver, operator or attendant of any tank vehicle shall before making delivery to any tank, determine the unfilled capacity of such tank by a suitable gauging device. To prevent overfilling he shall not deliver in excess of that amount.

G. During loading, hatch covers shall be secured on all but the receiving compartments.

H. Simultaneous delivery to underground tanks from two or more discharge hoses shall be made only when each discharge hose is connected to the underground tank by means of a liquid-tight connection to preclude the possibility of spillage from an accidental overfill. If the tank vehicle is not equipped with the aforementioned liquid-tight connections, delivery shall be limited to one discharge hose at a time.

I. Dome covers shall be closed and latched while the tank vehicle is in transit.

J. No material shall be loaded into or transported in a tank vehicle at a temperature above its ignition temperature unless properly safeguarded in an approved manner.

K. Flammable or combustible liquids with a vapor pressure of forty (40) psi absolute or less at one hundred (100) degrees F shall be loaded into cargo tanks designed and constructed in accordance with NFPA Pamphlet No. 385.

L. The cargo tanks shall be bonded to the fill stem or some part of the rack structure, electrically interconnected with the fill-stem piping, except tank vehicles handling asphalt, tank vehicles loading any flammable or combustible liquids through bottom connections and tank vehicles used exclusively for transporting Class III liquids when loaded at locations where no Class I and Class II liquids are handled.

M. No external bond-wire connection, or bond-wire integral with a hose are needed for the unloading of flammable liquids into underground tanks.

N. All shutoff valves from all tank vehicles used to discharge flammable liquids shall be perpetually maintained in good operating condition.

(Prior code § 4-2.1201)

Smoking by tank vehicle drivers, helpers, repairmen or other personnel is prohibited while they are making deliveries, filling or making repairs to tank vehicles.

(Prior code § 4-2.1202)

A. No person shall leave a tank vehicle unattended on any street, highway, avenue or alley except for:

1. The necessary absence of the driver in connection with loading or unloading the vehicle, so long as the actual discharge of liquids from the vehicle shall not occur during any such absence;

2. Stops for meals during the day or night, if the street is well lighted at the point of parking; or

3. When, in case of accident or other emergency, the operator must leave to obtain assistance.

B. No person shall park a tank vehicle at any one point for longer than one hour except:

1. During the actual discharge of liquids inside a bulk point so long as the actual discharge occurs not less than twenty-five (25) feet from all surrounding property lines; or

2. Within a building approved for such use; or

3. At any other approved location not less than fifty (50) feet from the nearest existing building which is not used for the storage or servicing of tank vehicles; or

4. When in case of breakdown or other emergency, the operator must leave the vehicle to take necessary action to correct the emergency.

C. Tank vehicles shall not be parked or garaged in any buildings other than those specifically approved for such use by the district fire marshal.

(Prior code § 4-2.1203)