Snow On The Trailer?

I am sure this has been asked before but how does one clear the snow off a trailer? I know a few shipper's have a set up to do it but when they don't do you just say f#@_ it and roll?

Just make sure your brakes aren't frozen, your bottom tail lights are visible, and go.

Check your mirrors and enjoy the show

Just make sure your brakes aren't frozen, your bottom tail lights are visible, and go.

I haven't found the relevant regs yet but i've read a lot of truckers claim that OSHA regs forbid drivers from manually clearing off thier trailers without safety harness equipment. Probably another catch 22 that leaves the trucker stranded in reality.

Sure some veterans can chime in on OSHA.

I do not recommend ignoring this as suggested in this thread. And yes, I agree it's a problem lacking a consistent solution. But, Highway Patrol can ticket us for it...go figure?

If your lading is 40k or more, the accumulated snow may create an overweight situation. An inch or two, likely okay. However if it's a heavy, icy pack or a foot of accumulation I would not ignore it without at least getting weighed. Many shippers and terminals have snow scrapers or overhead snowblades or dozers. They may not volunteer this information, so ask before assuming they have nothing available. Many of the places I backhaul from in the Northeast have scrapers. Ask security or the shipping/receiving clerk. Every Walmart DC in snow territory has one. I have seen foreign trucks pass under the one at my DC many times.

The second thing I suggest is asking your company, driver manager , etc. what to do in the event of heavy snowpack on the trailer roof. Put it back on them to help you out. Be proactive about this. And in case you are wondering, since I run Walmart Dedicated, they will not let us out of the security gate without first clearing a the snow on the roof by passing under the snow scraper blade. Any accumulated snow? ...it's gotta go.

Attempting to remove the snow yourself by somehow getting on top of the trailer is crazy, unsafe and in some cases could cause the roof to fail by walking on it. Try explaining that to your company...

And just think of what the insurance claim would be like. Two inch thick and two foot square piece of ice Vs a Prius

And yet the catch 22 remains for snowed-on drivers who aren't near a trailer scraper...

To bootstrap on what G-Town shared...

We had a thread on this a few weeks ago - can't seem to locate it.

Driver related a weigh-in that put him overweight with snow on the roof. After he finally got it cleared off, and got a re-weigh, he had something like 5K of snow/ice that he lost on his scale ticket.

FIVE THOUSAND POUNDS.

So figure - if you're loaded and scaled close to 80K, and you accumulate 5K of snow on an overnight snowstorm, then roll a scale - ole DOT man ain't gonna care about said snow. Overweight, is overweight.

Don't matter what's on your roof - matters what's on YOUR AXLES.

Rick

I've hear what some people will do is get a ratchet strap and throw it over the trailer and two people can walk along side the trailer and take it off.

Not sure how well that would work if you had a bunch of snow on your trailer, but something you could try.

Thanks for the replies y'all, I will talk to my FM and see what he recommends, I haven't had to deal with it yet but was just curious. Thanks again