All are an upright silo type made of single wall stainless steel. None of them are insulated and it is easy to tell the amount of milk in the tank by the condensation on the the outside. While most are placed inside the milk shed, many of the larger facities are placing theirs on concrete pads outside the building. The dairy coop owns the vat. When the milk reaches the tank, the coop owns the milk as well.
Tanker trucks run night and day.
Many farms are picked up in the middle of the night. Many farms also use a diaphram style milk pump. These can sometimes be located above the pit in the milking area, but usually they are found in the milk room. These units are efficient and easy to maintain. They handle the milk very well and the farmers that used them said they were very reliable.