Why does a half-full tank slosh the most?

A completely full tank has no free surface to move and an almost empty one has so little liquid that it hardly matters, but at half full there is a wide surface and a lot of liquid to push around, so the sloshing is at its largest.

Plates inside the tank that break up the sloshing. The liquid can no longer swing from end to end, so the surges are much weaker and fade quicker.

Tanker Slosh

Drive a road tanker along a winding route and keep it on its wheels. The liquid in the tank sloshes every time you change speed or enter a bend, and a half-full tank sloshes the most. Choose your speed for every stretch, brake before the bends, not in them, and get the load there. Six routes with tighter bends and every kind of tank fill.

Arcade
Free, plays in your browser
Mouse, touch or keyboard
Added 10 November 2026
#tanker
#truck
#liquid
#slosh
#rollover
#driving

Tanker Slosh

0% · Getting ready

Watch a 20-second trailer

A real run of the game, recorded with captions and no sound.

How to play

Press the speed buttons (keys 1 to 7, from stop up to 70 km/h) to choose how fast the tanker should go. It speeds up and brakes smoothly to the speed you choose. The route along the top shows straights in grey and bends in red.
Watch the tank on the screen: the blue liquid tilts as it sloshes. In a bend the sideways push is the speed squared over the radius, and the sloshing liquid adds to it. If the total goes over the rollover limit the tanker tips and the run is over.
Reach the end of the route before the time is up. Staying under each stretch's speed limit and finishing quickly earn extra stars.

Controls: mouse, touch or keyboard. Made by CalcoTools.

Tips and strategy

Slow down well before a bend and hold a steady speed through it. Braking inside the bend sends the liquid forward just when it is also pushing outward.
A half-full tank is the worst: the liquid has the most room to move. A nearly full or nearly empty tank is much steadier, and baffles (the plates in the picture) calm it down.
Tight bends need low speed: the safe speed goes with the square root of the radius, so a bend half as wide needs a speed only 70 per cent as high.

FAQ

Why does a half-full tank slosh the most?: A completely full tank has no free surface to move and an almost empty one has so little liquid that it hardly matters, but at half full there is a wide surface and a lot of liquid to push around, so the sloshing is at its largest.
What are baffles?: Plates inside the tank that break up the sloshing. The liquid can no longer swing from end to end, so the surges are much weaker and fade quicker.

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