Tanker Solutions, a tanker repair-and-maintenance company, Crowland, Peterborough, came up with an automatic hatch designed to make it unnecessary for drivers to climb on top of tankers. They have identified the safety issues of climbing on tanks to open hatches. The hatch can take up any minor surface irregularities on the hatch neck and a pair of air jets is incorporated on the leading edge of the lid housing, positioned to blow away any product that may have accumulated on the hatch neck. An Auto-Hatch costs a little less than $3,000, including fitting, but the price is expected to come down if the device is fitted as part of tanker's original specification.
