Miller’s Construction Co., a locally owned and operated site prep company in Anderson, S.C., is currently working on a full site prep for new trade school, Anderson Technology Institute, located in Anderson County, S.C.
“Our challenge to all our areas is that we are scattered, not only this job but other jobs through Anderson County, Pickens and upstate South Carolina,” said Mike Miller, vice president of Miller’s Construction Co. With a fleet of nearly 45 pieces of equipment and various job sites, fuel trucks were spread thin and the cost for another truck was anywhere between $80-$200,000, depending on the set up.
With scattered job sites and rising costs, Miller’s Construction began searching for fuel tanks, found Thunder Creek Equipment and purchased a Multi-Tank Trailer - a unique design that allows the company to haul bulk diesel without a CDL or HAZMAT endorsement.
“Before Thunder Creek, we went in to fuel and lube trucks, but as the fleet grows with everybody you start struggling to keep up,” said Matt Miller, project manager of Miller’s Construction Co. “To extend it out to the fleets, [the trailer is] easier and capable of moving the product down the road.”
“One thing we liked about the trailer that we purchased is that I will be able to haul 460 gal of fuel. I don’t need a CDL or hazmat license to pull it,” said Miller. “I don’t have the expensive insurance that’s on my other fuel and lube trailer, and I can take a standard, at least three-quarter-ton, pickup truck and move this around to whatever job may need extra fuel.”
The ability to transport this amount of fuel is made possible by isolating diesel in four, six or eight separate 115-gal, DOT-compliant non-bulk tanks. The tanks are joined by a manifold to a common pump, creating complete isolation during transport and controlled dispensing of fuel at the jobsite.
The trailer also provides an industry-leading DEF handling solution that ensures optimal DEF quality to protect SCR systems. Each trailer can be outfitted with a 100-gal DEF tank that features Thunder Creek’s closed DEF delivery system, including its proprietary 2-in-1 DEF pump, ensuring that DEF is never exposed to environmental contaminants.
“One thing I like about it is pulling it down the road,” said Miller. “Nobody realizes what you’re actually hauling.” Each trailer is built to maintain a low profile and is configured to provide optimal balance and a smooth ride at highway speeds, as well as on the most rugged off-highway conditions.
For Miller’s Construction, Thunder Creek’s Multi-Tank Trailer makes the headache of multiple fuel and lube trucks a forgotten memory and cuts costs for the company. “Fuel is the life support to any piece of heavy equipment,” said Miller. “We do, in the future, hope to buy more of these. If we run out of fuel, we don’t move any dirt.”
