Oregon was the first state in the nation to require Class A/B UST operator training (first class taught by Ben Thomas, president of UST Training) and Oregon continues to provide great technical outreach services to their operators.

Check out this handy guide as an example of how to do things right.

https://www.oregon.gov/deq/tanks/Documents/tanksTankline0623.pdf

What we like about it:

• It’s very friendly and easy to read.
• It’s available in multiple languages.
• Great pictures.
• Great use of the QR code.
• Leathers Oil Company, referenced in the guide, is a good friend of ours: we met them many years ago when we first started training in Oregon in the mid-2000s.
• We created and continue to maintain the Oregon Fuels Association Compliance Binder shown in the handout (page 4)

A major emphasis of our Oregon (and other states) Class A/B UST operator training courses also focuses on ensuring your next compliance inspection runs smoothly. Have any ideas for what makes a smooth inspection or need some help about the important topic? Contact us anytime. [email protected]

Online UST training is convenient, self-paced, and becoming the standard to accommodate our busy lives. With us issuing over a million certificates since 2007, we understand that online training makes the most sense for most UST’s operators.

But…it’s not live.

The most common advantages we hear about live training include: the value of social interaction and community building; being able to ask questions and learn about site-specific conditions; getting out of the office and away from the computer; and, if possible, going out and doing a real life field trip to a UST site.

Over the last two decades we’ve provided UST operator –as well as inspector –training in many states throughout the country, literally from Guam to the US Virgin Islands and many places in between.

So would you:

• Rather have a live class from a UST professional?
• Want an instructor-lead field trip to a real live UST site?
• Want to get your team together to all hear and see the same thing?
• Have a decent sized group?
• Have a training budget?

If your group or organization would prefer live training, let us know! Would be happy to give you a quote. Email us at [email protected] or call 866-301-8265

Here, UST Training, we try to make our UST content interesting, relevant, and engaging. We think we are the number one choice in the industry, but don’t take it from us: see some recent feedback from our Class A/B UST Operators regarding what they like about our training.

• Well organized and explained with great visual aids.
• Easy to follow and very informative.
• I liked that it was at my pace and that I could go back and review lessons. At time it was hard to get time without distractions and I was able to go back with out losing information.
• It was easy to understand. I was terrified I wouldn’t understand or pass the course. I started and was able to understand and follow along nicely. I didn’t even have to use my study guide. I was able to retain the information during the exam. Wonderful job.
• I like the way the course was very clear and easy to understand the content. Ben Thomas spoke to us the way a regular person would.., no tricks.., very informative.
• It made me realize how much I didn’t know about our fuel system and how important my role in the organization is to ensure that my staff and I are adequately trained and knowledgeable about the system.
• The lessons and pace were very simple and convenient. The explanations of different technical elements of UST systems were well thought out and very clearly explained.
• I like that it was just very straightforward, had good examples, and Emphasized common issues. The format was easy to digest, easy to follow along with the audio. I also chose your company since you’re not some giant national company. I really like the ability to start and stop lessons at my own pace, especially since I had to balance it with other duties.
• The length of each segment was just enough where it wasn’t too much at once.
• I liked how much information was in the study guide and videos. I learned so much!
• Short, brief, straight to the point lectures, pictures and diagrams to aid explanations, easy to follow for a novice or recap for experienced users.
• Informative. Not a robot reading to me.
• Very easy to understand, instructor had a calm voice that made it easy to take notes.
• The tank components were covered very well.
• It addressed the most common causes for UST problems such as ignoring alarms.
• Small units and frequent break times made it easy for me to know when to stop and rest.
• Online training is easy and convenient.
• The course was well-organized.
• How it got into the more technical aspects of UST and the questions it asked at the end of a lesson.
• Great information and it’s great you include all the forms.
• Material was very useful and easy to follow along with. Also the online class was nice so you can go at your own pace as time allows.

We found this great safety training video for Class A/B and C UST operators, who fuel their own vehicles. This can be useful for a cardlock commercial retail or a private fleet fueling operation.

This is a great compliment for any Class A/B or C UST operator training. Enjoy.

UST Training is proud to welcome the Utah Petroleum Marketers and Retailers Association (UPMRA) as an affiliate member to provide our online Class A/B and C UST operator training.

Check it out

The Utah Petroleum Marketers & Retailers Association is a non-profit trade association with over one hundred and twenty members, including sixty-eight members directly marketing petroleum products through over 900 locations across the state of Utah.

• Have a large number of Class C UST operators?
• Have a large geographic area to cover training?
• Frustrated with high turnover rates?
• Have your own in-house company training program?

License our software and and save time, money and effort using our nationally recognized Fueling Station Safety for Class C UST Operators course.

Benefits

In case you missed the May 24, 2023 Zoom webinar by Franklin Fueling, here’s a copy available now on YouTube. Thanks again to Bill and the Franklin fueling team for this great presentation.

As pioneers in the field of UST operator training, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our service and make training more relevant and applicable to your particular situation. Here are all of the different ways we can provide training for you:

Learn Savvy.  Our new and improved Learning Management System makes it even easier to get yourself and/or your team trained. Select Class A/B and train through Learn Savvy.

Licensing Class C. Have high turnover and lots of Class C operators? License the course from us and run it on your own LMS. License our Class C course.

Sponsorship. Are you a trade group or association with lots of Class A/B or C operators and want to look like a hero? Become an official sponsor of our training.

This tragic story about ignoring alarms used to happen often some years ago, and we here at UST Training hope to see  fewer of these in the future as trained UST operators know how to respond to suspect releases.

State sues gas station over leaky underground tanks

Court documents allege the owner of Cenex in Elgin has released pollutants that pose “significant risk” to both residents and the environment.

ELGIN, Minnesota — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is suing the owner of a southeastern Minnesota gas station, accusing them of failing to address a fuel leak that polluted soil groundwater while putting both residents and the environment at risk.

Read more

Franklin Electric’s EVO™ Series Is More Than Just An ATG
Wednesday, May 24, 2023, 10:00 – 11:00 AM Pacific Time
Register here

Back by popular demand! We had over 500 signup for our last webinar. Don’t miss it this time.

Everything you needed to know about automatic tank gauges but were afraid to ask.

Class A/B UST operators, as well as UST inspectors, are encouraged to attend this lively and down-to-earth (ABCs) webinar about automatic tank gauges (ATGs).

Ben, Thomas, President of UST Training will share his many years of experience explaining how ATG’s first started, as well as their purpose, functions, and applicability. From the 30,000 foot view all the way down to the programming level, there’s something here for everyone interested in automatic thank gauges. Improve your understanding of automatic tank gauges in one hour, or less, guaranteed!

Wednesday,  June 14, 2023, 10:00 – 11:00 AM Pacific Time

Register here

Seating is limited to the first 500

SIGMA Share Groups are BACK in 2023!

September 12-15 | San Antonio, TX

SIGMA is an organization that supports education for employees at ALL levels of our members’ companies. Share Groups were created to provide networking and education for staff in their specific roles in business. We are happy to announce that Share Groups are BACK in 2023!

SIGMA will be offering 6 Share Groups that will be split into two sessions. Register TODAY! Don’t miss this opportunity to connect in person with others operating in the same space.

September 12 and 13

• Transportation Share Group |  Learn More
• Maintenance and Environmental Share Group |  Learn More
• Mobile Fueling, Tankwagon, and Cardlock Share Group |  Learn More

September 14 and 15

• IT Share Group | Learn More
• Fuel Buying Group | Learn More
• Credit Group | Learn More

This excellent article about spill response for Class A/B and C UST operators, courtesy of Fuel Market News is an interesting take on the historic and common use of kitty litter, which may not be the best clean up method. And thanks to CAF Outdoor Cleaning.

Hello State UST agencies

A simple idea to help improve compliance with your regulated community – make it easier for UST operators to start using your 30-day walkthrough inspection form.

Here at UST Training, we put a lot of stock into ensuring not only do Class A/B UST operators understand the regulations, but they actually know what actions to do after they become certified. Take, for example, the 30 day walk-through inspection. Ben Thomas, President of UST Training often calls the 30-day inspection the centerpiece of an excellent compliance for any UST system.

This requirement ensures that someone– hopefully the Class A/B UST operator– is checking your system every 30 days, noticing potential problems, and fixing them which is the best way to stay out of major trouble. For all of our state-approved Class A/B operator training courses we provide a complementary copy of each state’s 30 day walk-through form to make it easier for people to start doing it after class.

UST Training is pleased to publish the Veeder Root webinar we hosted on January 24, 2023. Ben Thomas interviewed Veeder Root’s Field Marketing Manager Lee Girard who explained how to prepare for the phase-out of the popular Veeder Root TLS 300/350 and the many reasons why an upgrade is both inevitable and necessary to UST operators nationwide.

Click here for more information about Veeder Root TLS 300/350 and the Veeder Root TLS 450Plus.

Click here for Tank Savvy Minute videos about the TLS 300/350 and the TLS450Plus.

For information about Class A/B and C UST operator training nationwide click here.

In 1982 at the tender age of 18, I was (what is now considered) a Class C UST operator at a Mobil/Howard Johnson’s  rest area on I-95 in Connecticut, working the graveyard shift. I was taught to stick a tank to do inventory reconciliation by jamming a stick down to the bottom of the tank as hard as I could and see how high the stick would pop out.

My how times have changed. If you’re an old timer in the industry like me, to this day I continue to be amazed at how many improvements we’ve seen to the UST Program nationwide. Check out EPA’s timeline from 1983 chronicling the major milestones of success that make the UST program what it is today. Like many of you that have been in the business a long time, I’m very proud of those who have been witness — and perhaps contributor — to these many improvements to prevent another generation of leaking UST’s.

Milestones In The Underground Storage Tank Program’s History

We were excited to meet our friends at the M-PACT trade show in Indianapolis Indiana April 4-6, 2023.

M-PACT
April 4-6, 2023
Indianapolis, IN
Stop by our Booth 1115 and say hi

Also hear Ben Thomas present a technical talk on Automatic Tank Gauges April 6 at 10 AM.

Want to schedule a meeting with Ben in advance? Contact us at (866) 301-8265 or [email protected]

Interested in providing higher blends of biodiesel and ethanol, but concerned that your UST equipment is not fully compatible? The Federal government is offering incentives to improve and upgrade existing UST systems to handle higher blends of biodiesel and ethanol. I pass along this great incentive program for all of our Class A/B UST operators.

What is the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program?

The purpose of the HBIIP is to increase significantly the sales and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel by expanding the infrastructure for renewable fuels derived from U.S. agricultural products. The program is also intended to encourage a more comprehensive approach to market higher blends by sharing the costs related to building out biofuel-related infrastructure.

Learn more here