Texas Administrative Code › Title 25 - HEALTH SERVICES › Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES › Chapter 217 - MILK AND DAIRY › Subchapter D - BULK MILK REGULATIONS › Section 217.63 - Milk Tank Trucks

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) Each milk tank
				  truck used to transport milk or milk products to or from a dairy farm, milk
				  plant, or receiving station, shall be permitted by the department or by the
				  authorized Regulatory Agency of another state. Failure to obtain a permit may
				  result in the milk tank truck and its contents being immediately removed from
				  Grade A or food use.
(b) All
				  vehicles and milk tank trucks containing milk or milk products shall be legibly
				  marked with the name and address of the milk plant or hauler in possession of
				  the contents. The permit sticker issued by the department shall be placed near
				  the outlet valve of the tanker truck or trailer.
(c) All milk tank trucks must be inspected
				  prior to the issuance of a permit and a minimum of once each 12 months
				  thereafter. The requirement for this annual inspection does not eliminate or
				  supersede other licenses or permits required by any other official regulatory
				  agency. The owner or manager of the milk transportation company will report
				  verbally or in writing to the department, within ten days, any milk transport
				  tanks taken out of service or severely damaged.
(d) Milk tank trucks must be operated in
				  compliance with the following provisions.
(1)
				  Permanently installed milk tank truck washing equipment must be in compliance
				  with the current edition of the 3-A Sanitary Standards and Accepted Practices
				  at the time of installation and be approved by the department. This equipment
				  shall be so designed that it will properly clean and sanitize all milk-contact
				  surfaces when connected to a cleaning system at an approved milk tank truck
				  cleaning facility.
(2) Each bulk
				  milk pickup tanker shall be provided with adequate space for sanitary storage,
				  without overcrowding, of fittings, valves, milk pumps, racks for milk
				  conducting equipment, wrenches, sample bottles, dippers, solutions for washing
				  and sanitizing milk contact equipment, and all other equipment used for milk
				  handling and sampling purposes.
(3)
				  When compartment milk tank trucks are used, Grade A milk shall not be permitted
				  to be hauled in one compartment while ungraded milk or another product is being
				  hauled in another compartment on the same tanker.
(4) Agitating and sampling milk in a milk
				  tank truck shall be accomplished in such a manner as to provide maximum
				  protection against product contamination. In no instance shall these activities
				  be performed at a place other than a location approved by the
				  department.
(5) Milk tank trucks
				  may not be used to transport poisonous or toxic substances.
(6) Milk tank trucks transporting pasteurized
				  milk or milk products that will not be re-pasteurized at the receiving milk
				  processing plant shall not be used to transport raw milk, raw egg products, or
				  any other product determined by the department to be a source of
				  microbiological or chemical contamination.