RP No.

105-13

TTMA April 26, 2013

Recommended Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association

8506 Wellington Rd. / Suite 101
Manassas, VA 20109

Practice (703) 549-3010

www.ttmanet.org

Title: Cargo Tank Risk Management Committee (CTRMC) Vision 2020 for
Common Tank Trailer Ladders, Walkways & Dimensions
Previous Editions: Originally issued April 2013

1.0 Preface for this and all TTMA publications:

1.1. No part of this document No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system
without written permission from the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association.

1.2. Recommended Practices and Technical Bulletins are furnished by the TTMA as a guide to general practices in the
manufacture, use, and repair of truck trailers. However, the scope of the TTMA's Recommended Practices and
Technical Bulletins is not exhaustive of all general practices in the manufacture, use, and repair of truck trailers
and there may exist such general practices which do not appear in either the Recommended Practices or Technical
Bulletins.

1.3. Recommended Practices and Technical Bulletins represent the state-of-the-art that existed at the time of its
preparation. Users of Recommended Practices and Technical Bulletins should familiarize themselves with
advancements in practices that have occurred subsequent to the Recommended Practice's or Technical Bulletin's
publication date.

1.4. The TTMA has not undertaken any evaluation of all the conceivable ways in which Recommended Practices or
Technical Bulletins may be used by manufacturers, users, or repairers of truck trailers nor the consequences of
such uses. Everyone who uses Recommended Practices or Technical Bulletins must first satisfy himself or herself
that his or her safety, the safety of others, or the safety of the truck trailer and any other equipment will not be
jeopardized by their use of information contained within the Recommended Practices or Technical Bulletins.

1.5. The Recommended Practices and Technical Bulletins may contain terms or words with specialized meanings.
Definitions for such terms or words may be found in TTMA RP No. 36 - Tank Trailer and Tank Container
Nomenclature or TTMA RP No. 66 - Trailer Nomenclature.

1.6. Within the Recommended Practices and Technical Bulletins, "shall" is used wherever conformance with the
TTMA publication requires that there be no deviation from the specific recommendation. "Should" is used
wherever deviation from the specific recommendation is permissible in complying with the TTMA publication.

1.7. Conformity with TTMA publications by manufacturers, users and repairers of truck trailers is voluntary and any
non-conformity with such publications is not indicative of the non-conforming practice being deficient.

1.8. Any inclusion of Recommended Practices or Technical Bulletins within any contract, document or standard is
voluntary, and any such inclusion shall not imply any endorsement or approval by the TTMA due to the multitude
of ways in which the Recommended Practices or Technical Bulletins may conceivably be used.
RP No. 105-13 2 April 26, 2013

2.0 Purpose and Scope:

2.1. This Recommended Practice is intended to suggest a ladder and walkway configuration for new
one compartment tank trailers with a capacity up to 8000 gallons (or, about 70” ID – at center most
manhole) intended for side access. As practical, these suggestions can be applied to other design
types.

2.2. The suggested configuration may be employed by industry stakeholders (especially, carriers) in
specifying new equipment commencing about 2020. Advance publication of this Vision 2020
allows such entities to plan for changes in their equipment and processes. Most tank trailers have a
useful service life approaching 30 years, and so, the suggestions put forth in this document will
require decades for full implementation.

2.3. The suggested configuration is aimed to preclude workers (especially drivers and any other
authorized person without access to fall prevention and fall arrest devices) from accessing the top
of subject tank trailers.

2.4. The suggested configuration has other salient uses, too. For example, architects and engineers
designing loading, unloading and wash facilities can reference the attributes presented to optimize
their respective work.

2.5. The design and construction of ladders, walkways, and handholds shall comply with applicable
local, state, provincial, and national regulatory requirements.

3.0 Background

3.1. Founded in 2010 the Cargo Tank Risk Management Committee (CTRMC) is a group of cargo tank
industry stakeholders that meets regularly to improve safety for workers in the liquid bulk tank
industry. During General Meetings of the CTRMC, all attendees are called upon to suggest ways
our industry can work together to better protect ‘Workers on the Top of Tanks’. At the 2nd
General Meeting of the CTRMC a plurality of participants felt our industry should develop a
document outlining a Vision for future common tank trailers.

3.2. TTMA RP No. 59 - Tank Trailer Ladders and Walkways provides recommended design
considerations for basic tank access. All attributes of the suggested configuration should comply
with RP No. 59.

4.0 Suggested Configuration

4.1. Zone 1: Side of Tank

4.1.1. The ladder should be positioned on curbside, near the center manhole. (See Figure 1.)
However, at the discretion of the owner of subject tank trailer(s) the ladder may be
positioned on roadside, or, both curbside and roadside. (All ensuing text and figures are
based on a curbside ladder: These concepts may be adapted for roadside use.)
RP No. 105-13 3 April 26, 2013

4.1.2. The ladder should terminate at a side walkway, near the ‘beltline’ of the cargo tank
(between 2 o’clock and 3 o’clock position). (See Figure 2.)

4.1.3. The side walkway should be high enough to assure compliance with OAW constraints (e.g.,
96”, or, 48” from centerline), and allow workers of below-average height to access all
fittings and equipment in the manhole area. The side walkway should be at least 48” long
and 12” wide (nominally). (See Figure 2.)

4.1.4. The side walkway should have guard rails on the front, ladder-side and rear, approximately
36” tall. The ladder-side guard rail may be collapsible (especially, if the guard rail - when
vertical - is taller than the top structure of the tank trailer) to prevent interference with
platforms at loading, unloading and wash facilities. The opening on the ladder-side guard
rail for ladder access should be offset, if practicable, from the primary anticipated position
where workers will stand on the side walkway, and may have a chain for the worker to
engage during side walkway presence. (See Figures 1 & 2.) The collapsible guard rail
should be operable from ground level – by hydraulic, mechanical, or pneumatic means – if
practicable. A brake interlock assembly may be provided at the location of the collapsible
guard rail actuation.

4.1.5. A longitudinal grab rail should be provided atop the inner surface of the side walkway.

4.2. Zone 2: Transition Area

4.2.1. An access ladder should be provided between the side walkway and top walkway, located
immediately to the rear of the manhole area to aid workers with fall arrest and/or fall
protection devices in transitioning between the two walkway surfaces. If practicable, the
access ladder should have a platform-type top step. As an option, another access ladder
may be offered between the side walkway and the top walkway, located immediately to the
front of the manhole area. To accommodate this second access ladder, the front-most top
walkway should be at least 24” wide. (See Figure 4.)

4.2.2. Grab handles should not be provided on the top walkway near the access ladder, as this
upper surface is intended to accommodate racks for loading, unloading and washing.

4.2.3. On all jacketed cargo tank motor vehicles reinforcement should be installed under (or
above) the jacket surface between the inner edge of the side walkway and the manhole area.

4.3. Zone 3: Top of Tank

4.3.1. The top walkway should be positioned to the front, roadside, and rear of the manhole with
minimum widths of 12”, 12” and 24”, respectively. (See Figure 5.)
RP No. 105-13 4 April 26, 2013

4.3.2. Unless absolutely necessary, no top fittings should be provided outside of the boundaries of
the center three sided top walkway. Specifically, cleanout nozzles near the tank ends
should not be used, if at all possible. (Spinner technology has been developed to thoroughly
clean many tanks from the center manhole area.) Relatedly, no top walkway outside of the
boundaries of the center three sided top walkway should be provided.

In some cases, top fittings will be required outside of the boundaries of the center three
sided top walkway; for instance, top unload assemblies on straight round tanks. In these
rare cases, a side walkway should be provided from the ladder area to the remote top
fittings.

4.3.3. The top walkway should be positioned as close as practicable to the tank top (not raised
more than ½”). (See Figure 6.)

4.3.4. To keep the top walkway surface clear for loading, unloading and wash racks, no guard rails
should be provided to Zone 3. (See Figure 5.)
RP No. 105-13 5 April 26, 2013

Figure 1:

Curbside View of Zone 1

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Figure 2:

Rear View of zone 1

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Figure 3:

Rear View of Zone 2

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Figure 4:

Top View of Zone 2

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Figure 5:

Top View of Zone 3

RP No. 105-13 10 April 26, 2013

Figure 6:

Rear View of Zone 3