Snow Question - Ticket for Snow/Ice Buildup on trailers?

Yep, the build up is seldom. But the problem is what to do when it does happen? The same with a block heater. It's seldom used. But it's there when needed. We're not talking about a rapid heat rear window defroster.

Those heat strips you use on the house use only 5 watts a foot. 200 feet would only be a 1000 watts. I was thinking about a 3000 watt system which is within a 15 amp circuit. 600 feet would effectively cover a trailer roof. A similar length of roof heat tape would cost $300 plus installation. Not too outragious. There's over 10 million trailers out there. If you could sell 20,000 of them, you could retire.

Hazmat is not an issue as it's a sealed radiant heat. It's not a source of spark or flame. Tankers heat chemicals suspended in solvents all the time in transit with radiant heat from the cooling system. Either way, you could melt the roof prior to loading. We're just talking about bringing the roof up to 45-70 degrees on a thermostat, not frying an egg. You wouldn't use it in transit either, just prior, like hooked up in the lot or on the dock.

It's feasable and if the FMCSA comes up with new regulations, solutions will have to be found. A ladder is not feasable. Them roof draggers pile snow up and requires another employee and a front end loader to remove.

Things get invented by dreaming. If it doesn't work, throw it in the trash can and start over.

 

As far as walking around on the roof of a drybox trailer and sweeping snow off, why don't ya tell me how that works out for ya after your butt is hauled to the hospital with a broken leg after you fall through the flimsy platform? The roof of a trailer is only designed for two purposes: to keep weather out and, in the case of temp control, to insulate. Trailer roofs are not designed to be load bearing. To redesign them for that purpose would add too much weight to the trailer, reducing the payload for the trailer while increasing its cost.

Condo might be onto something with his idea.

 

CondoCruise, who is going to sit there and wait for their truck to produce enough hydro to melt a pile of snow 6" to 1' deep @ the 3' rear of their trailer because it saw backed into a dock for an extened period? There wouldn't be enough hours in a log book to make it happen.

I think industry needs to put the responsability back where it belongs and that is with the shipper/receivers (although it will never happen).

The long and short of it is until drivers say NO and quit moving trailers nothing will happen and I don't see a huge revolt on the horizon.

 

The roof skin and bows of a box van are very much part of the structure! The roof ties the whole "box" together. While not "designed" to be "weight bearing" they will tolerate occasional foot traffic without failing; as they should. And I am not talking about sweeping a light dusting of snow off; I am talking about the hundreds of pounds of ice and heavy wet snow that can accumulate when a trailer sits in a yard for awhile. I have two storage trailers that have to be cleaned off a couple of times each winter; they are 30 year old trailers and have been walked on for many years. I am not trying to be abrasive or offensive, but WHY are people so resistant to simply fixing an obvious problem before they boogie on down the road?

 

Yeah my mechanic at my last job used to walk on roofs all the time he would get up there and shovel them off no big deal. He weighed about 220 or 230 never fell through.

 

All they need is a flip up railing on the roof and a ladder on the front of the trailer, most tankers have something like that.

I would rather get up their and clear the ice off, rather then have the ice come off and kill someone

I have cleaned ice off trailer roofs before and not fell through

 

[QUOTE

I think industry needs to put the responsability back where it belongs and that is with the shipper/receivers (although it will never happen).

The long and short of it is until drivers say NO and quit moving trailers nothing will happen and I don't see a huge revolt on the horizon.[/QUOTE]


Why is the shipper or receivers responsibility?

 

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Why is the shipper or receivers responsibility?[/QUOTE]

If the trailer is on their property it's their problem. As I eluded to in an previous post the two biggest problems are snow build up @ the rear of the trailer when the trailer is @ the dock for an extended period of time and ice forming on the trailer roof caused by the dock door being open and the heat from the plant melting the snow and it quickly freezes.

 

I pulled a covered wagon for a year. Every Alcoa plant I went to required me to replace the side panels with a guard rail that fit into the stake pockets even though I was right next to the loading platform.

 

Wal-Mart's have them, but only for their fleet to use.

Mark