Sometimes the contractor will set up a heater and storage unit for large projects. The asphalt is hauled from the source by truck and pumped into the heater and storage unit. When it is used, it is pumped either into another transporter or directly into the asphalt distributor.

There is no standard configuration for a storage and heater unit. It may be a tank with heating and circulating equipment combined, or it may be an insulated tank with a separate heater unit with interconnected piping. Storage capacity and size vary according to the needs of the project.

The heater and storage unit, usually called a heater unit, is inspected at the beginning of a project along with the other equipment. Sometimes the contractor has manufactured the heater unit, so there may not be any identifying data. The only numbers on the equipment may be an engine serial number on the pump unit.