You may have seen our propane trucks driving down the road. Ever wondered what it's like to be a propane driver?
Meet Dennis who has been a Propane Delivery Driver at Centra Sota for 15+ years. I'm Heidi, Marketing & Communications Manager at Centra Sota. I got to spend a morning riding along with Dennis to learn more about what our propane drivers do!
Before climbing into the truck, Dennis circled it on foot doing a walkaround safety check to make sure everything was good to go. We left the Buffalo office and headed toward Maple Lake, which is home to one of our bulk filling sites, to fill the truck with propane before heading out on some deliveries.
Dennis's truck holds around 4500 gallons and takes around 25 minutes to fill. A gallon of propane weighs 4.2lbs, which means when his truck is full, it weighs over 10 tons!
After filling the truck, our next stop was at a home in Waverly. Dennis first starts by getting a meter reading to know how full the truck is when we start the fill. Then he climbs out of the truck, pulls enough hose line to connect to the propane tank, checks the gauge, and begins filling. He keeps an eye on the meter until the tank is around 80% full. This is done as a safety precaution. Because propane is a liquid, it will expand as the temperature rises. Once the tank is filled, it's sealed back up, the hose reeled back in, and the ticket finalized. Some tickets are left at the home, based on location, and others are mailed from our office. On a typical home-heating day, Dennis has around 15-16 stops in a day and has to refill his truck twice.
Our second stop was to service 4 tanks at a local greenhouse, Untiedt's in Waverly. Recognize the name? You may have seen some of their many vegetable stands around the area, selling flowers and vegetables all summer long. With many greenhouses to heat, propane is an important part of how they grow healthy & beautiful flowers and vegetables.
At this location, Dennis filled 4 tanks and it was time for him to refill again! Depending on the size of the tanks filled and the number of tanks per location, he may require additional fills throughout the day.
The day of our ride-along was chilly, windy, and sunny but our drivers are out there all year round - rain, snow, sleet, etc. - to make sure our customers are safe and warm.
With lunchtime just around the corner, it was time for Heidi to head back to the office. Thanks to Dennis for taking the time to share about what he does, and to all our propane drivers for the hard work they do every day! We appreciate you! We're proud to be a propane supplier!