At the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International in February, an interesting little contest generated questions and comments as well as a lot of discussion. The contest involved a service provider going through the items on a vacuum truck that should be checked before the truck leaves the home lot for the day’s jobs.

The contest had a timed element to it. Not only did the contestant have to hit all of the points covered by the inspection, but do so quickly, implying that the winner would have gone through this type of checklist on a daily basis. This would likely give them a leg up, so to speak, on the competition. It was interesting to watch and listen to comments from the sidelines. There was a lot of discussion around what should be included and dropped from such a checklist, and discussions about how individual contractors handle the pre-trip inspection.

FOR YOUR HEALTH

Safety topics haven’t been covered a lot in this column, and when discussed, it was in the context of a specific reader question or activity being discussed. It’s not that I don’t think safety is critically important. It is. First and foremost, safety precautions are to protect the individual service provider’s health and welfare. And the service provider is going to be driving down the road in a large truck filled with several thousand gallons of liquid. It is important for public safety that everything is in working order.

So a pre-trip safety inspection is important. From my perspective, certain daily checks should be routine, even if they don’t involve direct operation of the truck and vacuum equipment. Chief among these is the safety equipment carried on the truck. Some items are required by state or federal rules, but in my view safety items should be on board to cover the gamut of the kinds of jobs the technician is involved in.

For starters, safety equipment should include fire extinguishers, highway cones, reflective triangles and flares to alert other drivers that a truck is stalled or is set up to do a job near the roadway. For technicians, equipment should include hard hats, safety glasses, reflective vests, and gloves that fit the job. This may mean latex gloves or gloves that reach up the arm, not just leather or cotton work gloves. Proper clothing items, required or recommended, include safety-toe shoes or boots, rain gear, coveralls, lifting aids and – depending on the nature of the work – disposable polyester or other types of protective suits. Remember, if you are a technician, your safety and the safety of people around you is your responsibility.

PREPARE FOR SPILLS

There should also be materials on board to mitigate minor spills and drips. It reflects poorly on the company if oil spots or puddles of septage remain when the truck leaves a job site. That’s not to mention that even minor spills can create a health or safety problem.

Let’s get to the driver’s safety checklist. The key is to go through the truck in a systematic fashion and make sure every component is working, clean and fully serviced. If issues need to be addressed, make a record of the date the problem was noted and another record of when it was corrected. A vehicle maintenance program should follow manufacturer specifications.

For a vacuum tank system, the inspection should include making sure flexible hoses are sound and couplings are in good shape. Check the outside of the tank to make sure it is in sound condition. Make sure seals and couplings on the tank are not worn and seal properly. Look at valves, including primary and shut-off valves. Inspect the muffler and check the vacuum pump for excessive wear. The sight glasses, vacuum gauge and tube should be clean, offering clear visibility to check the liquid level. All drive belts should be inspected for excessive wear or cracks and replaced as needed. Check all screens and filters.

PLANNING PAYS OFF

If other tools are needed to perform your usual tasks, they should be present and in operating order. This can become a personalized list for the technician, but ensures that the tools needed are always available.

One last set of materials should be included in the cab of the truck. These are multiple copies of the log sheets, manifests and incident reports. Also consider carrying post-trip inspection reports and work repair slips for the vehicle so you can prove routine maintenance is performed.

Before leaving the yard, consider the day’s scheduled work and the route that will be taken. Work routes should be planned ahead to provide the most efficient loading and disposal of liquid waste. Careful planning saves you from backtracking on the job, which hurts efficiency.