For some reason, moving pallets with a pallet jack seems to leave a lot of debris. Small pieces of wood and a lot of dust is what I’m talking about. Since I started driving, I have carried a broom to sweep the trailer out, and I still do. This is an almost everyday chore that takes a bit of time, 10 to 15 minutes. I have other things I would rather do, especially when it’s 100° outside.
I have been converting over to Milwaukee cordless tools for some time, one battery type, and one charger. I have been happy with battery life and charge rates, and they have hundreds of tools that use the same battery. Most of the tools I will never own because I would never use them. The ones I do have serve me well.
They have a leaf blower I decided to try out instead of the broom. I pick up all the small pieces and dispose of them in a trash can. Fire up the blower, it has two settings, tortoise and hare. For up in the front corners, the tortoise works without blasting debris everywhere. Once the dirt and smaller particles are moved a few feet toward the door opening, the hare takes over. What a job this thing can do, in about 3 minutes the box is cleaner than a broom would leave it. I’m happy, time to relax.
This wasn’t my idea, and I thought about it for a long time before purchasing a leaf blower for the truck. I have read of several others that bought cordless blowers for this purpose. It seems like all the cordless tool brands make one, and they were happy with theirs. I now wish I had bought one a long time ago, it works that well and is faster.
Storing it was the biggest thing I thought about, it isn’t small. The broom can be disassembled to take very little room. The blower is what it is; it takes twice or more the space of a broom. If the broom gets left on a dock or run over, you’re out a few bucks. The blower gets forgotten or smashed, that’s $250 with a battery—essential things to dwell on before making that purchase.
It was well worth the investment to me. Just think about where you are blowing the debris to. Make sure you pick up all the larger pieces and all the nails. Don’t blow the debris onto a customer or truck stop parking lot, blow the debris to the rear of the trailer and gather it up for proper disposal.
Till next time, remember, no load is finished till the trailer is clean. Be safe out there.