Part one of this article introduced the issue of clearing snow and ice from trucks in a safe, timely manner that would meet OSHA safety regulations. After being tasked by an airfreight company to find a quick, safe, mobile, and flexible solution to snow buildup on trucks, the team at TrucBrush created the TrucBrush® solution—a patented, mobile, polypropylene-bristled broom device that brushes snow off the top of a truck or trailer in a minute or less.
MERITS OF TRUCBRUSH
Prior to TrucBrush, the airfreight facility would spend, on average, 20 man-hours to manually clear the trucks of snow. Today, with TrucBrush, the entire fleet of approximately 45 trucks and trailers is done in 45 minutes. “Now, the trucks are out soon after loading, while my competitors are still trying to get the snow off their trucks. It has had a huge impact on our efficiency,” the airfreight manager says.
While companies who handle their snow management in-house are able to purchase or rent the mobile device and incorporate it into their fleet maintenance program, TrucBrush can also be purchased by a company’s snow vendor.
“TrucBrush is really the first device that is easily outsourced to a facility’s snow service contractor,” says David Kane, operations manager/snow and ice general manager, Caruso Companies. “It is easy to operate, incredibly mobile, and quickly and effectively removes snow from the truck’s rooftop.”
In the past, contractors could only employ manual labor, one of the most dangerous options for clearing snow off the tops of trucks and trailers. This method has more recently come under scrutiny by insurance companies. “The tops of trailers are not designed to withstand the weight of a driver or other personnel on top to clean the accumulated snow and ice,” says the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) in its study of the issue. “Furthermore, the potential for slips, falls, and even death associated with individuals attempting to get to the tops of trailers covered in snow and ice to clean the trailer top far outweighs any potential benefits.”
MULTI-ADVANTAGEOUS
Some snow contractors are utilizing TrucBrush to elevate their strategic relevance with existing clients by expanding their service offerings. “I added TrucBrush at two of my clients’ distribution centers last winter as a secondary service to my snow management contracts, which also replaced a fixed snow scraper system at one location that had been an issue for my client,” says Dale DesMarais, DesMarais & Sons. “TrucBrush is a great way to grow your business and show your client that you can assist them with one of their biggest winter-related issues: safely and effectively removing snow from the tops of their fleets.” It is a win-win for contractors and their clients.”
“The TrucBrush has been a pivotal component to our fleet when dealing with our harsh winters,” says TrucBrush customer, Jarod Warsofsky, general manager of Boston Trailer, whose in-house maintenance team operates TrucBrush. “The savings we have gained from significantly reducing down time has made this investment well worth it. TrucBrush is quick, easy, and effective. Now, we can effectively clear 20 to 30 trailers in the amount of time that it would take us to shovel one.” It takes approximately one minute to clear snow from a tractor-trailer and 30 seconds for a typical box truck.
“I’ve worked on the issue of accumulated snow on trucks and trailers in transit for 20 years,” says Mike Riley, former president of the Motor Transport Association of Connecticut. “TrucBrush is a really innovative approach and one answer to what the trucking industry has been looking for to address the concern.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Debora Babin Katz is vice president of TrucBrush Corporation based in South Easton, Massachusetts. She is committed to the trucking and snow maintenance industries as a volunteer to industry associations, as well as chair of the Editorial Advisory Committee of the national magazine Snow Business and chair of the Women in Trucking Foundation Board, which focuses on raising funds for scholarships to help forward women’s careers in the transportation industry. Reach Debora at dkatz@trucbrush.com.
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MODERN WORKTRUCK SOLUTIONS: MARCH 2016 ISSUE
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