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In Terms of Snow

Posted by | fleet maintenance, snow removal | No Comments

Avid skiers know all the snow condition terminologies—corn snow, powder, packed powder, slush—so they will be prepared for what they are sliding on.  The same holds true for those of us who must follow weather forecasts to manage snow plowing or clearing snow off the tops of trucks and trailers.  Last week’s Nor’easter was described by those forecasting the approaching storm in many ways, but the term that stuck most in my mind was ‘Guerrilla Glue.’  Meteorologist Frank O’Laughlin used Guerrilla Glue in his forecast to describe a snow consistency that would be heavy and wet.  It would cling to trees and electrical lines and probably cause power outages.

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Snow and icy debris flying off trucks, trailers, buses and other vehicles in transit can cause damage and injury.

Wet heavy snow can also be a challenge for the transportation industry because it clings to the tops of vehicles.  When temperatures drop after it falls, as they did with this storm, the snow can become a crusty, icy, hard-packed mess.   This snow, when accumulating quickly, also adds to a trailer’s weight.   More importantly, it becomes a safety concern when it is not cleared from trucks, trailers and any passenger vehicle before transit.   In the aftermath of this recent heavy snow storm, we saw news stories across the Northeast of vehicles hit by flying snow and icy debris, as well as falling tree limbs which resulted in tragedy.

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TrucBrush at Pilot Flying J Travel Centers in Sturbridge MA and Milford CT will be available all winter.

This type of snow consistency, however, is effectively addressed by TrucBrush, a patented, mobile brush device that quickly clears heavy wet snow from the tops of trucks and trailers.  After this February storm, our clients reported that TrucBrush easily cleared the heavy snow from their trucks and trailers.  Even trailers which were not scheduled to leave terminals were cleared so that the heavy snow accumulation would not cause damage to the trailers due to excess weight.

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TrucBrush clears snow in approximately one minute from a tractor-trailer.

TrucBrush Services were also available in Connecticut and Massachusetts at Pilot Flying J Travel Centers #255 and #222 where truck drivers took advantage of having a quick, safe and effective means to remove the accumulated heavy snow from their trailers.  (Services at these two Pilot locations will continue to be available all this winter.)  Truckers took advantage of the service to eliminate the potential for flying snow debris in transit and in some cases to also avoid being over the limit prior to weighing in on the CAT Scale.  As with skiers who get the most out of their runs by being prepared, these dedicated truck drivers knew the type of snow they were dealing with and they were able to easily address it with TrucBrush.

For more information on TrucBrush, email info@TrucBrush.com.

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.
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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

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