Oil trucking is a critical part of many businesses. The movement of crude oil to refineries and refined oil products to consumers affects nearly every aspect of business life. Shipping oil is a difficult and dirty process requiring specialized transport systems both on land vehicles and on water-going vessels.

When dealing with petroleum transport, there's more to the process than trucks. While oil trucking is among the most important links, it doesn't make up the entire transport chain. Finding a reliable waterborne transport company to move foreign oil to you or move your oil to places where it's needed is vital to the process. It's also important to familiarize yourself with the rules pertaining to oil transport and make sure you have all of the proper forms set before beginning. Consider the following when looking at an oil truck:

1. Finding a good company involves more than picking one off an oil trucking list.

2. Using tank containers allows your oil to quickly switch between trains and oil trucks.

3. Hiring established oil tanker companies lets you ship your petroleum products all over the world.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find oil trucking and cargo specialists

Oil and gas trucking is often done internally by the companies that hold the oil. But there are several independent companies that will transport both crude and refined oil products all over the U.S.

I recommend: Crude Marketing & Transportation services the central part of the U.S. They allow both their workers and their clients to access load scheduling and pick-up information directly through their website. Plains All American Pipeline offers both oil pipeline and trucking services. They provide a wide range of petroleum and natural gas services.

Use tank containers to turn oil trucking into intermodal transport

Tank containers are a specialized transport system used to haul liquid cargo using multiple transport systems. These containers are connected to a flatbed truck but can be removed and placed on a train or cargo ship without removing the oil from its container.

I recommend: M&S Tank Container is a European-based company but leases containers to firms all over the world. Chassis King has a variety of containers and also leases the flatbeds that you can use to haul them.

Reserve space on tankers for your oil truck cargo

In addition to an oil trucking provider, many oil transport specialists work closely with a waterborne transport company. This is often a mutually beneficial relationship, as oil tankers are always looking for additional land-based resources for loading and offloading.

I recommend: Maersk Tankers is part of an international conglomeration of shipping and natural resource companies. They have a proven track record and large fleet. The General Maritime Corporation does most of their hauling in the Atlantic, Europe and Middle Eastern arenas. They have one of the largest fleets in those areas, and the majority of their ships are less than 10 years old.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  There are two types of oil trucks: crude trucks and product trucks. Crude trucks deal with the oil after it has left the ground but before it gets refined. Product trucks deal with the refined petroleum product. Make sure you have your oil trucking information straight before you begin work with a company that specializes in one or the other.