“The tanker is clean” is not clearance. Wash removes the previous product. Compatibility answers a different question: may this tank follow that cargo. Mix the two — and you lose days on email and risk the batch at intake.
Wash and load history are different checks
Wash answers: is physical residue gone from the shell, fittings and hoses. Compatibility answers: is this sequence of cargoes allowed for your batch and for the receiver. The questions sound alike and are solved with different papers.
The usual mistake is the same: the shipper sees “tanker clean” and closes the file. The plant can still reject the batch because of the previous cargo, even with a wash certificate on the desk. The reverse mistake also happens: people look only at history and forget to confirm the cleaning type for this product.
That is why trip clearance checks wash and compatibility together. Without those papers lining up we do not confirm the trip — residue risk and sequence risk sit on this batch, not on “average market practice”.
Wash is partner-run; the paper is per tank
KDM Cargo uses partner wash stations. What matters for the trip is cleaning type and a certificate tied to that tanker — not a slogan “we wash after every trip”. A phrase without a document does not pass clearance.
Asking for the wash certificate before loading is normal, not extra bureaucracy. We read four fields: tank number, wash date, cleaning type, and match to the product about to load. A handsome letterhead without those fields does not close the check.
Cleaning type depends on what moved before and what moves now. Pressure water fits some products; alkali or steam treatment fits others. Mixing types “by eye” is not a method — it is decided per tank. The working order is on About — wash.
A wash done “yesterday for another product” may not cover today’s line. The paper must match this job, not “the last wash in general”.
Compatibility is not replaced by wash
Food oil after incompatible chemistry, chemistry after another substance group, ADR after another class — those are batch and intake risks even if the tank looks clean. Residual odour, traces and material reaction are not always visible.
If the receiver requires “only after the same product” or issues an allowed-previous-cargo list — put that in the request on day one. No matching tank available now — we say so before loading, not after the batch is on the road.
For food-grade transport odour and fatty film often decide. For non-hazardous chemicals the metal, gaskets and substance group matter more. For ADR the class pack of both trips sits on top. Detail is in compatibility.
“Same product family” in everyday speech is not the same as “allowed previous cargo” on a plant list. Food oils can be incompatible with each other by odour or by a specific intake rule.
How it looks by transport line
On food-grade loads, smell, fatty film and a strict previous-cargo list usually decide. A wash certificate is required, and without history it is often not enough for the warehouse.
On non-hazardous chemicals the accent shifts to tank material, fittings and substance groups. Wash is still required. A “food-grade” wash alone does not clear a tank whose last cargo sits in another chemical family.
On ADR, class papers are added. Perfect wash does not replace the pack for that haul or a check that the previous dangerous goods may precede this one. The three lines are compared in food-grade, chemicals and ADR.
If the line is still unclear — do not guess it for the form. Describe the product and intake rules in your own words. We assign the line from documents, not from a casual name in chat.
We will match a tanker to your product
Send a phone number and the job in your own words. Product, volume and corridor speed clearance — with no price promised without parameters.
How it looks in the request
At request stage two things are enough: receiver wash rules (if they exist) and whether previous-cargo history is critical. Not every cargo is strict — some technical liquids allow a wider history than food oils.
If rules are not written yet, that does not block the start: send a request marked “I will confirm with the receiver” and add detail before confirmation. How to pack the minimum — in how to prepare a tank request.
Name who sets cleanliness: the loading plant, the receiver, or an internal quality standard. The earlier the source of the rule is clear, the fewer loops of “we thought a standard wash was enough”.
Send a quote or a file of site rules when you have it, not only “wash needed”. “As usual” almost always gets rewritten, because “usual” at origin and at intake rarely match.
For steam-heat batches, compatibility also hangs on the previous load’s temperature: a tank that hauled a thick heated product can leave heat and film that affect the next batch. Equipment logic is in steam jacket on tank trailers.
Typical refusals before loading
Most frequent: a wash certificate exists, but cleaning type does not match this product. Second: wash is fine, previous cargo is not on the receiver’s list. Third: “fleet papers” with no tank number.
The reverse also happens: history fits, the wash date is too old for that site, or the product changed line. We do not “stretch” the trip with promises — we close the gap with a document or another tank.
Sites write “wash not older than N days”. That is as hard as the previous-cargo list. A certificate that is “fresh” for one plant is expired for another.
If data is missing at the start, it is cheaper to mark the unknown than to invent conditions. Invented wording is rewritten later at a higher cost than one clarifying message to the receiver.
How to read a wash certificate without extra paperwork
A working paper needs four things: which tank, when it was washed, which cleaning type, and for which product line. If any of that is missing or vague, the paper does not close clearance — even with a stamp.
We do not collect stacks “for the folder”. We need a readable match: your product ↔ cleaning type ↔ load history ↔ receiver rules. When those four points meet, the trip can be confirmed. When they do not — we say what is missing before the truck leaves for loading.
What you can clarify in words, and what only papers close
In your own words you can already send: product, receiver cleanliness rules, whether previous cargo is restricted. That is enough to start the check and not lose a day on formality.
The wash certificate itself, the exact cleaning type for that tanker, and confirmed last loads are papers checked before loading — not slogans on a call.
What to send first and what can wait is in documents for a tank quote. Bottom line: wash and history are checked together. Product, cleaning type, previous cargo and receiver rules lined up — the trip can be confirmed.
What to line up before loading
- Cleaning type for this productWater, alkali or steam — not universal
- Wash certificate for this tankerNumber, date, type — not a fleet letter
- Previous cargo / allowed listAttach the receiver list if it exists
- Who sets cleanlinessPlant, receiver or your quality rule
- Food vs chemical contourDo not mix histories without a documented wash
- Certificate age vs site rule“Not older than N days” is a hard limit
Телефон и задача своими словами — достаточно, чтобы начать сверку цистерны.
Ask about tank wash and compatibility
Is a wash certificate enough?
No. Plants also look at what the tanker hauled before you. Send the allowed list — we match it before departure, not at the gate.
Do you wash in-house?
Wash is partner-run. We match cleaning type and the certificate for that tanker before trip clearance.
Can food-grade follow chemicals after a wash?
Only if wash, history and the next product allow it. Food-grade after chemicals is a separate clearance, not a default. See food-grade transport.
What if the receiver has not sent wash rules yet?
Write that you will confirm. Start with product, volume and corridor. Guessing a wash programme that later has to be rewritten costs a slot.
When is compatibility stricter than wash?
When the plant lists allowed previous cargoes, or when odour/film from the last load can spoil this batch. Wash removes residue; it does not rewrite history.
We will match a tanker to the product
A phone number and the job in your own words are enough to start.
