When going down the road today to attend a show with my CNG truck, I stopped at an unfamiliar truck stop to grab a quick bite. What I saw that disturbed me when I was walking back to my truck from inside, was someone sweeping out their trailer. Oddly enough this site should not surprise me and should actually be done on a regular basis to maintain cleanliness inside anyone's trailer. The shocking part was this driver's complete and utter disregard for the parking facility that was provided for him as a convenience.
From time to time I will haul odd cargo that results in me having to sweep out and even deodorize my trailer from what was hauled. If it is really dirty, I am fortunate enough to park at a truck wash facility that specializes in food grade trailer washouts.
An important part of cleaning out your trailer is to remember that whatever comes out should be considered trash. Therefore you are responsible for disposing of it in a trash receptacle, or technically it is littering! The driver I witnessed was actually sweeping out the back of his trailer right onto the ground of the truck stop parking lot with no courtesy to the property owner. It was apparent he did not come prepared with a dust pan or trash bags, which I carry all the time in case I am in need of a sweep out. I made it known that I would like to help so that he did not get in any trouble and proceeded to help him sweep up the mess that he had dumped on the ground.
Even if you are just sweeping out small bits of pallet wood and don't consider it to be much of a mess, remember that you are always responsible for what comes out of your trailer! Do not be rushed into just sweeping it out onto the ground anywhere and leaving it for someone else to pick up, which ends up leaving a bad taste in the mouth's of others for our industry as a whole as an end result! Be prepared with trash bags, a proper dustpan and broom. If you don't have these items, wait until you get to a shipper and ask if they have one handy for you to use. They will often appreciate your honesty that your trailer is not clean and the fact that you want to clean it for them!