Solutions symphony: Tank Summit spotlights innovation

LA PORTE, Texas—Nothing gets accomplished in Washington. Or at least it often seems that way to people outside “the swamp.”

Will Lusk insists this notion isn’t entirely accurate.

In his keynote address at the 2025 Tank Summit, National Tank Truck Carriers’ director of education and government relations said the organization is making “exciting” progress on several key legislative and regulatory fronts, despite the highly partisan political environment, spotlighting as examples newly signed legislation—long championed by NTTC—that eliminates duplicative security screening, and reenergized efforts to secure a dry bulk axle variance.

“I’m going to caution you, don’t believe the news when they say that Washington is dysfunctional. There are sound bites to support it, and there are a lot of sensational stories in Washington, but it’s not as bad as it seems.

“And I’m proud to say the future is bright for our industry. It really is.”

The second Tank Summit, hosted by Kraft Tank and Drōv Technologies at Kraft’s new Houston-area facility, was equally productive, connecting 80 attendees from leading tank truck carriers with innovative equipment and technology providers, including ConMet, Dixon Valve & Coupling, PT Coupling, and SAF-Holland. PT Coupling unveiled its “revolutionary” SafeHeat TTS in-transit heating system, and Dixon detailed novel overfill capabilities in development.

“This summit was designed with you guys in mind,” Brian Pursley, Kraft director of sales, told the gathered crowd. “It’s a unique opportunity for all of us to connect, essentially share ideas, and dive into some of the most important issues our industry is facing.”

See also: Kraft up and growing in La Porte

The April 16 Summit included lunch, Lusk’s appearance, short presentations from participating vendors, and happy-hour networking. Fleet representatives were encouraged to ask questions, share what is and isn’t working for them, what’s changing, and collaborate with suppliers to help shape the future of tank truck equipment, technology, and safety. “We’ve proudly partnered with industry leaders like SAF-Holland, ConMet, Drōv, and Dixon, not only because Kraft believes in their products, but also because we believe in what they stand for.

“Together, we want to help our customers run safer, smarter, and more efficient operations.”

NTTC takes on Washington

Lusk also touched on tariff impacts, Federal Excise Tax (FET) repeal, and the need for creative solutions with both issues. “Congress is listening,” he said. “We don’t have all the answers [for FET repeal] just yet, but there are bills being introduced in Congress … that are going to initiate that conversation to help get rid of the fat, and that’s wonderful news for everybody here in this room.”

Legislators also are listening to NTTC’s concerns about electric trucks, particularly regarding the potentially deadly combination of high-voltage batteries and tankers filled with hazardous materials. And NTTC is listening to the many drivers, fleet operators, and law enforcement personnel who overwhelmingly support using pulsating trailer brake lamps to improve safety, Lusk said.

“It’s come to a point where we’re thinking, ‘If it’s saving lives, and we have the statistical analysis to prove it saves lives and reduces collisions, why aren’t we doing more with it?’” he wondered. “It just makes sense. So NTTC will be filing for an extension of its [FMCSA] exemption … and as soon as that’s approved, faster than your head can spin around, we’re going to be filing for a rulemaking. Because we can’t piecemeal this with another exemption every five years.

“If it works, let’s make it into a rule and even the playing field.”

Innovative in-transit heat

The industry standard for heating products like chocolates, waxes, and acids in-transit isn’t working—but Dave Palmer has a solution.

Palmer, PT Coupling transportation products market manager, holds over 27 patents related to improving safety in the tank truck industry, and his latest creation is the SafeHeat TTS, which Palmer unveiled during the Tank Summit. “We think it’s going to change the industry,” he said.

Currently, fleets typically must tap into a truck’s coolant system and use antifreeze heated by the engine and circulated through the trailer’s piping to keep products at desired temperatures. But this method leads to blending coolants from different engine OEMs, potentially damaging new emissions systems, and leaves drivers refilling coolant reservoirs with the engine running—sometimes on the roadside while perched precariously on a steer tire.

“This is an industry-accepted practice,” Palmer lamented.

The self-contained SafeHeat system uses the engine’s alternator to maintain load temperatures through an innovative inverter/heater design that uses its own antifreeze to preserve heat—instead of stealing it from the truck’s engine. The fully electric, corrosion-resistant system features a 12-volt power input, built-in filtration, two temperature gauges, and a fluid-level gauge; and it easily mounts to the back of the cab using the hose rack’s U-bolt bracket, without any drilling or custom fabrication, in only four hours, Palmer said.

The unit on display during the Tank Summit also featured a TankTronics tanker control module, which unlocks remote product-tracking and temperature-monitoring capabilities.

See also: Kraft introduces Omni composite tanker

“We’ve got two in the field right now—one for two years, another for 18 months—with perfect results,” Palmer shared. “Now we’re going to produce 10 more. We don’t want to go into full production until fleets come by and say, ‘This is everything you said it was.’

“So we want to find 10 fleets that are interested in working together.”

Palmer also touted PT’s new high-velocity crude pumping system, which he said moves crude oil at up to 512 gallons per minute—a claim backed by frequent collaborator Phillip McCracken, Energy Transfer senior fleet manager. “Dave and I have worked together on several projects in the past, with innovations to pumping systems, and we started this project about 2½ years ago,” he told Bulk Transporter. “So far, we’ve reduced our loading times by 30% and increased our fuel mileage by 2 miles per gallon by using Dave’s processes.”

Next-gen overfill protection

J.C. Dollinger, Dixon Bayco national sales manager, previewed the future of petroleum tank overfill protection in his presentation.

The 109-year-old equipment manufacturer based in Chestertown, Maryland, is collaborating with technology providers like Drōv to develop next-generation capabilities, including telematics and communications integrations, self-diagnostics and testing, level and temperature management, remote sensors, product identification, and anti-theft provisions. The goal is to improve operational efficiency, reduce errors and loss, and unlock predictive maintenance.

McCracken said he was impressed by Dixon’s efforts, too. “We may end up running a pilot with Dixon’s overfill system,” he said.

Overfill advancements will allow fleets to detect faulty probes before they reach the loading rack, more accurately measure the retain in tank compartments, monitor product temperatures—which impact load weights—and distinguish different fuel types, helping prevent cross drops. “We can differentiate between diesel and gas today,” Dollinger said. “We’re not quite there with the technology that will separate high-grade, mid-grade, and regular gas, but we’re getting close.”

The company also plans to use sensors and geofencing to better secure loads by generating alarms, reports, and lockouts as needed.

“That technology will be included in our next-gen overfill systems,” Dollinger said.

Drōv optimizes utilization

Bob Davis, Drōv vice president of business enterprises, and Brent Hickman, Pilot senior manager for equipment, maintenance, and fleet sales, broke down how the Tank Ai smart trailer system, powered by Drōv’s AirBoxOne control module, helps fleets boost uptime and driver safety by integrating ABS fault codes and brake wear sensors, tire-pressure monitoring, hub temperature and vibration sensors, axle-weight sensors, and tanker cameras—all on a single platform.

See also: Pilot helps advance smart tanker utility

Hickman, a long-time system proponent, says dynamic tire inflation and deflation, combined with load and weight sensors, are helping Pilot minimize tire maintenance costs and maximize load revenues. By his estimation, a trailer filled with an extra 50 gallons across 1,250 loads will deliver 62,500 more gallons of fuel—the equivalent of eight additional loads—and generate an extra $3,125 annually at an average per-gallon freight rate of $0.05.

“That means you can either downsize that piece of equipment or add more business, but that number—based on your business and the cost of your equipment—adds to your ROI,” Hickman said. That was enough to pique the interest of Bryan Elsberry, R.B. Stewart director of maintenance.

“We mostly rely on the telematics we use,” he told Bulk Transporter. “We’re running Samsara, and we have the side-mounted cameras on the trucks, so we can see all the way down to the rear taillight, and that’s working for us right now. But we have so much technology involved in what we’re doing today that the integration of it all really is the problem.”