How’s the weather where you are while you’re reading this? If you’re in the Northeast or upper Midwest, and it’s winter, chances are it’s cold outside and there’s some snow on the ground. One of the things truckers shouldn’t forget to do is to remove snow off your truck in colder climates.
Did you know you could get fined for driving with snow or ice on your truck? It’s against the law in some states and fines/tickets could cost $200 or more. And what if the snow or ice from your truck comes off and damages a person’s property or injures someone nearby? You can expect to pay a big penalty.
The responsibility is on the owner and/or operator of the truck/trailer to remove snow and ice before driving a rig down the road. So, it makes sense to get up on the roof with a shovel and get rid of snow and ice as best you can. Keep in mind a one-inch layer of ice or wet snow can weigh as much as five pounds per square foot. You could be looking at 2,000 additional pounds of weight on your rig if you don’t properly get rid of all that excess snow and ice.
That said, most trucks don’t have ladders to reach the roofs and most trailers don’t have roofs that can support the weight of people walking on them. Add to that another problem– most truck stops don’t have on-site equipment to clear snow and ice off trucks either!
Products That Can Help
Thankfully, some products are sold like the Big Rig Rake. It can be used to get to hard-to-reach areas on your truck and remove snow and ice. Removing snow is a good idea because that, in turn, helps prevent ice buildup issues.
Safety is important– it’s better to clear off snow and ice than risk someone or something getting hurt because of negligence.
Whether you’re a truck driver in need of a quality job or a truck driving company in need of reliable drivers, learn how Platinum Drivers can help.
