ATGs and Class C Operators

We often get calls about whether our Class C course is approved by a state UST agency. Sometimes the answer is yes but often the answer is murky, regulatory speaking.

It can be a daunting job to train a UST operator who is brand new to the business.

We have over 500 slides of information for Class A/B operators that we pack into a five-plus hour training, and we can only imagine what the typical new operator must experience trying to slog though so much information.

We pride ourselves on making the UST regulations easy to understand by using pictures and stories, but still, how does a new operator come away inspired to be a better operator? Here is a 30,000-foot view of what we think are the most important things to know.

Great news for busy Wisconsin Class A/B UST operators. We have a new training option: recorded webinar lessons.

Currently in Wisconsin, UST operators sign up for a webinar that we broadcast live. Feedback on the live option has been very positive and folks, especially new operators, say they like talking to a live person. However, scheduling can be a problem and some operators can’t afford to take a whole day off for training. We’ve had numerous requests for recording the lessons so users can watch at their leisure. Now that option is happening for Wisconsin operators. Go to the “Self-Paced” version of the Wisconsin course.

So now there are two training options

1. Live webinar and final exam
2. 10 recorded webinar lessons and final exam

In case you missed the last newsletter, we’ve made some improvements to our Class C UST Operator Training course. We’ve expanded our course material to provide a more in-depth discussion on line leak detectors plus we added a whole new lesson on delivery overfills and safety. Our new online training platform (LMS or Learning Management System) now allows you to create your own private, branded account page and manage any number of users. Want to learn more? See www.USTtraining.com

Folks often ask if a webinar is the best way to train Class A/B operators.

For sure, the traditional “brick and mortar” classroom style is what’s most familiar because it’s a live, in-person experience.

What makes live training tougher these days is cost and scheduling. There is travel to get to the classroom; it’s harder to reschedule if something comes up; it costs more (more overhead). So usually “face time” just is more costly in time and money.

Webinars are now the new meeting communications standard for many business people.  But for many UST operators it’s a whole new concept.

And just because it’s online doesn’t mean it has to be dull. Our webinars are content-rich with lots of real-life pictures and stories. We know it’s tough to stay awake even in a live class so we go out of our way to use images and interactive exercises to make the material come alive so students stay with the instructor through the day.

Should you use webinar technology to meet the training requirement? Here are some things to consider:

Generally there are three types of “classrooms”

Live: Traditional classroom

On Demand: Internet-based, attend whenever you like by yourself

Live Webinar: Internet-based, attend on a specific time and date with others

Webinars require a high speed internet connection and basic computer literacy – operators who don’t have high speed internet or get easily frustrated using the computer should perhaps consider another alternative.

Don’t get us wrong. We’d love to train everyone out there but we’d rather see people have a positive training experience and have it suit their objectives and capabilities.

Most of our webinar attendance ranges from 10-40 students per session but we can host larger groups with a few special requirements.

In June we hosted our largest-ever webinar: 152 students for a dealership training meeting in one large room with a projector, two large screens and an event sound system for Q & A.

The Numbers:

1 Day
152 Students
1 Instructor
5.5 Hours of instruction
1,928 Miles between instructor and students

We’ve set up a comparison of the each option. Use this chart to determine which qualities are most important for you.

*   Can be if designed and/or delivered well.
** Anywhere high speed Internet is available.

The feedback was very positive. Students, and even the instructor, were a little nervous about the distance and number of students. We prepared by having everyone fill out a tanks survey prior to class, so that the instructor knew exactly what the array of compliance was. We knew the attendees worked for a retail c-store, which also helped mold the course to a single user type. We tested and maintained audio and video quality so it looked and sounded great the day of the class.

So webinars aren’t for everyone but for certain situations it makes good sense. For time saving, money saving customization and ease of use, webinars are the way to go.

What make a good tank operator great?

If you’ve read Jim Collins business book “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t,”  you’ll know there are interesting studies out there to determine what makes an average company into a rock star company.

We like to think most companies out there are committed to a path of continual business improvement – they plan on being around in 20 years and are constantly analyzing and improving operations in order to remain competitive.

The same logic can apply to a Class A/B operator.Here is a list of qualities we see as critical to qualify as great. Does this apply to you or your staff?

1. Organized.
A great operator keeps records of everything pertaining to the UST system in one centralized location that is easily accessible and in good reading order. A great operator knows the challenge is not only having the right leak detection equipment, but also being able to prove leak detection is being done properly and can prove it through good records.

2. Knowledgeable.
A great operator knows exactly what type of UST system he or she is in charge of. If asked, the operator can say something like “I’ve got two 12,000 gallons STIp3 double wall tanks, pressurized double wall fiberglass piping with sump sensors, mechanical line leak detectors and flapper valves.” That operator is way ahead of the neighboring site operator who doesn’t have a clue what might be underground.

3. Responsive.
A great operator takes no signal or warning sign for granted. If there is slow flow, if there is a tank gauge alarm, if sump is full of liquid, the great Class A/B operator knows to investigate pronto. The great operator also knows that the sooner you respond, the cheaper the clean up bill, if a leak is confirmed.

4. Cautious.
A great operator understands that petroleum blends are changing and is on the lookout for signs that alternative fuels may adversely impact their UST system. Because of possible incompatibility issues with modern fuels and older tank systems, the great operator does thorough research and makes informed decisions before changing fuel types.

5. Proactive.
A great operator know how risky spill buckets can be and takes the time to do routine inspections of the sidewalls and bottom of the spill buckets, even if it’s not required. Then he or she takes the time to develop an oily water storage and disposal plan.

6. Skilled.
A good operator knows they have a tank monitor but a great operator knows how to run it. The difference between knowledge of something and the skill and experience to engage the knowledge cannot be overstated enough. A great operator knows his or her tank monitor inside-out or has someone onsite who does.

7. Thorough.
A great operator knows having a functioning tank monitor isn’t enough; it must be able to ensure the third party certification conditions are met. This means that the leak test is not just done but it is valid. If the throughout is too high, if the tank is too big, if the tank is nearly empty, the test result may or may not be valid and the tank may or may not be leaking.

8. Experienced.
Most points above are qualities that UST operators have or can acquire but the truth is, great operators don’t happen overnight. For those in the industry for years, great operators are those who stick around and learn from their mistakes.

Historically the Class A/B operator hasn’t been recognized for the important job he or she does in protecting the environment and the business. Now that the Class A/B classification is becoming a nationally recognized title, we hope that more emphasis will be put on making great operators and not just simply having good ones.

If you are a UST owner needing to hire a Class A/B operator, use this list to consider your candidates.
If you are an existing Class A/B operator and want to increase your status from good to great, consider these qualities.

In February 2011, PTS teamed up with Latin America Petroleum Services (LAPS) to provide what is essentially the first-ever Class A/B UST operator in Puerto Rico—in Spanish. For those who know us, this is a huge step in our dream to provide training to larger, non-English speaking groups of UST operators of the world.

Over a two-week period, PTS and LAPS held classes in Aguadilla, Ponce, Ferjardo and San Juan and trained about 200 owners and operators representing about 300 facilities or a quarter of the entire island Commonwealth.

We developed the content and LAPS translated and delivered the courses. In each class we had technicians to explain how equipment worked plus the classroom was full of just about every piece of ancillary equipment found at a UST site: shear valve, drop tube, tank gauge, probes, spill buckets, dispenser sumps, tank top sumps, even an entire dispenser.

Mr. Frank Aquino explains leak detectors

It’s one thing to look at a cross section of a UST on a PowerPoint slide; is quite another to pick up the part, explain it and pass it around a roomful of curious onlookers. The two instructors, Deborah Caban and Frank Aquino are professional instructors in addition to running tank testing company in Puerto Rico.

I must say the reception was incredible. There seems to be no lack of enthusiasm over the fact that someone had taken the time to bring training from “The States” and translate into Spanish so everyone could follow along.

As with any language, converting technical jargon into common language is tricky and our translator with LAPS went to great length to make sure the subtitles of “tank slang” were captured. I learned that an under dispenser containment sump was called a “condungo,” which everyone thought was hysterical. Based on feedback from students, much of what was covered was new or not fully understood. Technical explanations and audience questions flew all day in an expressive and festive atmosphere. Folks seemed to end the day with lingering questions rather than just bolt for the door.

Vapor recovery was the surprisingly hot topic, not because of the new federal Stage I laws but because most operators thought buying “hot” fuel was basically stealing from the dealers. We talked through a translator about how you must do leak detection properly first before you can think about business theft.

Our largest class in San Juan

One operator at the closing of the last day made a personal challenge that everyone in the room had an obligation to find everyone they know who owned a tank on the island who didn’t attend and basically make sure they knew how important this was. Even not knowing Spanish, his sense of determination and urgency was obvious. If that’s not a high compliment I don’t know what is.

For those who don’t know, Puerto Rico is made up of many independent UST operators who largely operator older, single wall systems. Tank gauges are not common and many operators still use a stick and may or may not even be doing inventory reconciliation. Tank and line testing is common but credentials testers seem few and far between.

Two sites I visited had Veeder Root TLS 350s but were not set up for testing, only inventory. Because the large oil company divested the site to a local owner, they added the tank gauge before they left but it’s basically an electronic stick. And of course the spills buckets were full of product.

On a day between classes, I visited a number of “mom and pop” gas stations to learn firsthand what type of systems folks had; what sort of attitudes folks had on compliance and what sort of challenges operators faced.

I met Jose, a third generation station owner, and his wife Patricia, who graciously showed me around the property that Jose’s grandfather first built in 1927. Jose couldn’t make it to class because the store manager just quit and he had to cover the shift. I said since I was there I’d be happy to give him personalized onsite training instead.

Jose has two small tanks, a 4,000 and a 5,000 gallon steel gasoline tank, laid out in a large L that starts on the street sidewalk and turns under what used to be a carwash. Jose has a homeless man who frequently sleeps above the fill area because it’s under a carport. The tanks do have containment sumps and double wall piping but the lid seals are in poor shape and the sump is full of water. The sump is shallow so the line leak detector pokes out of a hole in the sump lid that was cut to make room. Jose wasn’t sure what the detector did and seemed appreciative when I explained how it worked and what to do about a “slow flow” event.

Spider webs mean no gasoline vapors in the sump

The dispensers have sumps and cobwebs (I explained the cobwebs show there’s no vapor loss—the vapors otherwise eat cobwebs) and appeared dry, mostly because the tanks are nearly empty and Jose cannot order enough fuel to sell (he cannot order enough fuel to get the better discount because his tanks are too small.) Jose showed me what I thought was going to be the tank gauge but turned out to be the POS system. I talked about inventory control but when I looked at Jose’s self-styled sheets, they didn’t allow for monthly reconciliation. Fortunately for me, Jose and Patricia’s English was excellent plus he had web access at the store so we got online, downloaded the EPA publication on Inventory Control and SIR, and walked through “doing it right”. I left recommending keeping his sumps clean and upgrading to SIR or an ATG pronto. He’s doing cathodic protection testing, and line and leak detector function testing with LAPS. He’s debating whether to try selling bio diesel as a boutique market or where to get out or fuel altogether and stick with c-store sales.

Jose is an iconic operator in many ways: multi-generational owner, amiable, bright, hard working, wanting to do the right thing on a small, cramped site with busy traffic, living on slim margins and periodic holdups (5 so far.)

What will help Jose move ahead? Absolutely. Knowing what UST parts he has and how they work is really the first step. The next is knowing the risk they pose. Jose wasn’t too worried about not doing leak detection because

“if it was really bad it would show up in a groundwater well onsite”

as he put it.  After that comes knowing the rules and the enforceability of those rules (he’s never been inspected). I think after spending an hour with Jose he was much more comfortable with his system and much more ready to ask questions. And a good operator is one who isn’t afraid to ask questions.

–Ben