A day in the life of a fuel tank truck driver

He drives some 200 to 250 kilometers a day in order to provide people with heating oil. Jova Negojicic, known as Herr Jova, is a fuel tank truck driver who delivers OMV Vitatherm to heating oil clients throughout Austria every day. This is how he describes a typical day:

“Clock in, drive up, load up, drive away, fill in papers, enter the address in the GPS and set off for the customer”. It sounds simple, but every stage is strictly regulated and subject to comprehensive requirements in terms of safety, security and quality.

In a single year I transport between six and seven million liters of OMV Vitatherm and the clients are completely satisfied. The product is clean and everything works as it should.
Jova Negojicic, Fuel Tank Truck Driver for OMV Vitatherm

Safety and security are the top priorities

“Clocking in” or “checking in” in the morning at one of the registration terminals in the control center of the Lobau tank farm resembles the self-service check-in at an airport. Every driver needs an identity card and a pick-up number.

Herr Jova’s identity card stores all of the data relevant to him and his vehicle, from his drivers’ license number to the date of his last safety training. That happened to be in June of this year. Every driver is obligated to extend their so-called ADR license, i.e. the qualification for transporting dangerous goods, once every five years with a refresher course. “I have been driving tank trucks for over 25 years and I have been an OMV Vitatherm driver for 4.5 years. Even when you have that much experience, it’s still important to continue your education and have regular training”.

Passionate about customer service

Using his valid pick-up number, he finds out how much heating oil he can fill up at one of the eleven loading stations. His tank truck has a capacity of 26,100 liters, allowing him to supply ten customers on average. Everything is precisely regulated, so that it is not possible to exceed the maximum permitted total weight of his vehicle. He prints out his dispatch papers and waits a few minutes before the call screen informs him that his loading station is ready.

Once his tank truck has been loaded up, it is weighed and then he is off to the first customer. She ordered her heating fuel just one day ago. Because her house doesn’t have an outdoor filling spout, Herr Jova can’t simply connect the nozzle, but instead has to take the hose around the garden and through the basement window in order to fill the tank. This is the case in a lot of private houses and is not really a challenge for Herr Jova.

The OMV Vitatherm tank truck at the loading station is ready for filling the tank facilities.

Herr Jova rolls out the hose …

… and feeds it through the basement window …

… into the customer’s boiler room.

A lot of experience is needed to fill a tank directly.

Finally Herr Jova prints out the delivery note.

Herr Jova likes the personal contact with his regular customers: “Some of them only want me. Of course, I am always very careful. About cleanliness, the correct filling of the tank. Then everyone is happy and I am able to drive off again”.

He doesn’t heat with OMV Vitatherm himself. “Unfortunately”, he says, “I live in an apartment and have electric heating”. But he likes the new TV spot with Hansi Hinterseer “Super, perfect”, he smiles. Why not take a look for yourself: