snow and ice on trailer roof...

Ya the brush Ideal has been addresses before but is an impractical ideal if it was suggested for every shipper to have one..

You could install them at scales, this would be more of a practical ideal..

I understand it is a safety concern but fining somebody for something they have no control over is beyond ridiculous...

 

As others have said it's not really practical to expect a driver without the proper equipment to get up on the roof of a trailer.Even if the driver does get up there with a shovel, that aluminum skin is pretty slippery.Throw in a couple of fiberglass skylights,step on one of these that are worn out and you may find yourself inside the trailer.Where I work they have roll up step ladders which make getting on top of the trailer pretty easy.I go up with a shovel and broom.Before they had the ladders I would jack the tractor around where the fairing would almost touch the side of the trailer and climb up the exhaust stack using the brackets as footholds.Is this practical and safe?No,but until somebody comes up with a more common sense approach this is what I do.I have shoveled blocks of ice that weigh close to what a cinder block weighs off the trailer and I don't think I could I could sleep well if one came off and injured another person.If the laws on snow and ice removal come into effect then I hope that whomever passes the law, mandates that shippers and trucking companies provide a safe method to remove the snow and and ice without endangering the truck driver.Truckstops could also provide roll up step ladders for snow removal or attendants that provide this service.I see dollar signs just thinking about it but then again I also see dollar signs when I play the lottery and that hasn't happened yet.Maybe global warming could help.

 

Why not start a company that specializes in it? Building a removal device would be fairly simple and cheap, really.

Hmmm.. I need to think about this a bit

 

A truck with a cherry picker on it like the power companies use would be an option too. At least for someone thinking about a business doing this.

 

yeah. A bit more manual than I was thinking, but certainly an option

 

I'd rather stand on top of a building with a flame thrower and blast you as you come by!! Now I'd come out of retirement for that one.

Any material falling off a truck has always been the trucks fault. Except for rocks picked up by the tires and only then if the truck has mud flaps. It's a lousy deal and there should be some type of means to clear the top. Even with tanks my company didn't want us up there unless it was absolutely necessary and tanks have all the ladders and such to make it safer. Lets hear from the federal dot on this one please?

 

I like your thinking here! I'll join ya!

 

speaking of snow on trailer tops, if its wet snow or ice which can be pretty heavy, how does that affect ur trailer weight when u have to go thru weigh stations? Can u be fined for being overweight?

 

I'll be the one making the money darlin'!

There is an ex-DOT guy on the forum. He's been pretty useful on a lot of other things. He must be busy the last couple of days, as I haven't seen him around lately.