Snow and Ice | Trucbrush.com

Apr 09
0

Mother Nature Roulette: Are you willing to take a gamble on fleet snow management?

Posted by | fleet maintenance, Snow and Ice, snow removal, Trailer Snow Clearing | No Comments

For Bostonians, the ‘Big Dig’ is a distant memory; replaced by discussions of the ‘Big Haul’ due to a record breaking 113.7 inches of snowfall this winter. Even as I write this, New England is experiencing snow squalls and Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory has reported 150.8 inches of total snow accumulation. It’s been the snowiest winter on record for Massachusetts since reporting began in 1881.

Before we let this winter of discontent melt away, however, it’s important to consider the challenges that snow accumulation has on your business. For fleet and facility management, what better time is there to evaluate the options for clearing snow from your fleets’ rooftops than while the ‘pain’ is still fresh in your mind? For snow contractors, this is an opportunity to review the season with your clients—the good, the bad, and perhaps even the ugly—and make recommendations that might include secondary services such as TrucBrush. It’s a time for snow contractors to approach potential clients and offer them a total snow service solution. Adding a secondary service such as TrucBrush to clear snow from the tops of trailers and trucks increases operational efficiencies, both for snow management and fleet logistics. Many companies are now seeking such solutions to address the issue at their terminals after this historic winter.

TrucBrush service is easily implemented into a company’s snow management protocol with either the snow contractor providing the service, a TrucBrush Preferred Vendor offering it in conjunction with a facility’s overall snow management or the facility itself implementing the TrucBrush method. TrucBrush improves deployment time during a period when a facility needs it the most. It increases operational efficiencies by allowing the same equipment that operates TrucBrush for clearing snow off the fleet’s rooftops to be utilized for terminal and parking lot clearing of snow if desired. When TrucBrush is coordinated with a facility’s overall snow management, bay areas can also be cleared of snow before melting and refreeze occurs that is so common at docks. This adds to your overall safety initiatives.

TrucBrush Corporation is available 24/7 to answer your questions and show your team how this innovative method can be implemented into your overall safety and operational planning for next winter season—since you never know where Mother Nature’s roulette wheel will land.

Blizzard_Juno_LineUp_TrucBrush IMG_3671_Boston_Trailer_TrucBrush_blog

Reach us at: info@TrucBrush.com or call 877-783-0237
Watch the latest video: http://www.trucbrush.com/TrucBrushWinter.mp4
_____________________________________________________
[1] WeatherWorks Snow Accumulation Report, Zip Code: 02127 reported 113.7 inches
[2] Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory, Milton, Massachusetts report, March 29, 2015.

Mar 05
0

Winter 2015, will it ever end?

Posted by | fleet maintenance, Snow and Ice, Trailer Snow Clearing | No Comments

Weather professionals may find themselves stealing the NCAA’s catchphrase “March Madness” to describe this month’s record setting snowfall and low temperatures. Today, Winter Storm Thor tracks across the Mid-west, South and East with significant snowfall and ice. Some drivers on Interstate 65 in Kentucky have been stranded for hours due to Thor’s heavy snowfall. In Memphis and in other parts of the South people are experiencing icy conditions and folks in Dallas woke up to 2 to 5 inches of new snow, with Grapevine Texas actually reporting 7 inches. In Dallas, the storm has broken records dating back to the 1940s. Philadelphia and D.C. are expected to receive 5 to 8 inches today and the New Jersey State Trucking Association just sent out an alert to its members letting them know of a declared State of Emergency in that state.

The bad weather brings more awareness of the importance of removing snow from the tops of all vehicles before heading out on roadways. Some states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, already require this, not just for buses, trucks and trailers, but also for passenger vehicles. More states are passing accumulated snow removal legislation and those that already have it are citing drivers more frequently. I was reminded of this recently when a freight company told me that one of their drivers was stopped in Connecticut for having accumulated snow on the top of the trailer. They were fined $1,000 and the driver was detained until he climbed up on to the trailer and manually removed the snow—expensive and unsafe for the truck driver.
TrucBrush_Winter_2015_BlogPost

For trucks, buses and trailers, TrucBrush® is a mobile, fast and effective method to remove snow from vehicle’s rooftop. “The TrucBrush has been a pivotal component to our fleet when dealing with a New England winter,” said TrucBrush customer Jarod Warsofsky, General Manager of Boston Trailer. “The savings we have gained from significantly reducing down time has made this investment well worth it… Now we can effectively clear 20 to 30 trailers with TrucBrush in the amount of time that it would take us to shovel one manually,” he said.

Keeping roadways safe for all vehicle traffic continues to be a top priority for many in the trucking industry. Our company works with companies to help them successfully implement TrucBrush, whether they are performing the service themselves or working with their snow management vendor to provide this additional winter service.

Today’s storm may bring enough snow to set a new record for Boston. As of Monday, the National Weather Service had reported 104.1 inches of snowfall at Logan Airport this winter, making it the second snowiest since weather records started being recorded in 1891. Will today’s snowfall break the Boston record of 107.6 inches that was set in the winter of 1995-96? If not today, certainly before the real March Madness begins. Watch the latest video from TrucBrush

Feb 09
0

Winter Storm Marcus Lingers from Great Lakes to Northeast–The Potential Hazards of Continued Snow Accumulation

Posted by | Snow and Ice, Trailer Snow Clearing | No Comments

IMG_3671_Boston_Trailer_TrucBrush_blog

The fourth named winter storm in the United States in the last two weeks, Marcus moved from Minnesota to the northern Great Lakes last Friday then traveled through Upstate New York and New England Saturday into Sunday. The storm is predicted to last well into Tuesday. Some in Massachusetts woke up this Monday morning to over 10 inches of accumulation.   “This is now the snowiest 30-day period on record in Beantown (61.6 inches through 7 a.m. EST Monday), topping the previous record stretch from Jan. 9 – Feb.7, 1978 (58.8″),” reported The Weather Channel.

Preceding storm Marcus, the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association sent out a notice from the NH State Police reminding all motor carriers, bus companies and truck drivers “of the hazards of snow and ice accumulation on their vehicles. Snow and ice falling from a moving truck can create hazardous driving conditions for vehicles traveling around them and possibly result in fines and/or civil liability for failing to take reasonable steps to remove the snow or ice accumulations,” they said. “Under New Hampshire State law a driver can be cited for driving a vehicle in a manner that ‘endangers’ or ‘is likely to endanger any person or property. Large amounts of snow accumulating on a vehicle or trailer often melts and refreezes over time causing buildup of ice that can damage vehicles when falling from a vehicle. Early removal of the snow after a snowstorm is the best way to prevent such ice from accumulating,” they added. NH State Police also advised drivers of all vehicles not to follow trucks closely but allow ‘sufficient space’ in order to have enough time to react in the event that something does fall from a large truck or trailer.

TrucBrush® is an innovative method for companies to effectively and quickly clear snow from their trucks and trailers to avoid this issue of melt and refreeze over time of accumulated snow that creates a buildup of ice on the truck or trailer rooftop.  For more information contact us at: http://trucbrush.com/contact/ or call 877-783-0237.

 

 

Feb 02
0

2015 Groundhog’s Day – #6MoreWeeksofWinter

Posted by | Snow and Ice | No Comments

trucbrush-groundhog

Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil emerged around 7:25 a.m. from his burrow and, after seeing his shadow, predicted six more weeks of winter.  Meanwhile, New Englanders, on the heals of Blizzard Juno, braced for more snow today while Milwaukee began to unbury itself from its first winter storm that blew in yesterday.  The latest storm is the most far-reaching of this winter season, stretching from Nebraska to Maine, according to the National Weather Service.  Many states are experiencing accumulations of 10 to 16 inches, including northern Illinois, Indiana and northwest Ohio.   Two week ago Boston had 5.5 inches of snow but now has picked up 40.6 inches and counting.

The beloved Punxsutawney Phil, who made his first prediction in 1887, saw his shadow last February too—boosting his accuracy record as the majority of the country continued to experience record cold temperatures and snow events.

AccuWeather finds Phil to have an 80 percent accuracy rate.   The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who says Groundhog’s Day originates from an ancient celebration of the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, gives little credence to the fury rodent’s prediction abilities.  “Only scientific climate records and statistics tell us that winter probably isn’t over,” they say.   “Climatologically speaking, the three coldest months of the year are December, January, and February, so winter typically still has a bit to go when the groundhog comes out in search of his shadow on February 2.”  [History of Groundhog’s Day]

With six more weeks of winter and more snow in the forecast, potential hazards of accumulated snow left on the tops of trucks, trailers and passenger vehicles in transit remains a concern.   State DOTs remind all drivers to clear snow off their vehicles and the tops of trucks and trailers for roadway safety.   For companies seeking an effective, fast and safer method to clear snow off the tops of their fleet’s rooftops, visit www.TrucBrush.com

May 02
0

Accumulated snow and ice

Posted by | Snow and Ice | No Comments

“Accumulated snow and ice can add as much as two tons of extra weight to a semi-trailer rig which poses a significant challenge,” says John B. Townsend, public and government affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic. The Gazette in Maryland notes that Mid-Atlantic States may not receive as much snow as those in the north, but clearing snow from trailer tops a dangerous prospect for truckers in the area. Read More 

Translate »