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	Photos: Stanton Systems

Ease on down the road with effective job-site trackout control.

By Carol Wasson

Tracking mud and material from job sites onto streets and roadways is airing one’s dirty laundry—and if local regulators don’t hound the offending contractor, the next-door neighbors certainly will. Without job-site trackout control, it’s only a matter of time before a site will be shut down, with fines to follow.

City and county regulators are tightening trackout enforcement, particularly in New York, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, Washington, and the Carolinas. California regulations stipulate that all visible trackout must be removed at the end of each shift. In urban areas, removal must take place immediately if it extends more than 50 feet onto the paved public road. For sites where 150 or more vehicle trips occur per day, it’s a matter of trackout prevention rather than removal. Truck tires must be clean before hitting the pavement. In short, trackout control mandates will continually become more stringent and more prevalent nationwide.

Typically, some form of trackout control is required for all job sites with a disturbed surface area of 5 acres or more and on all sites from which 100 or more cubic yards of bulk materials are hauled per day.

Prevention methods range from the simplistic to the fairly sophisticated. They may include lengthy construction-site exits involving gravel pads, grizzlies, grates, or paving. Alternatively, there is true trackout control technology in today’s automated wheel-wash systems, either portable or customized for the long-term project, some of which include hosts of such well-engineered, environmentally sound features as closed-loop technology, and water recycling, not to mention easy sediment control via the use of additives or flocculants followed by an automatic
self-evacuation process.

Manufacturers of wheel-wash systems include such companies as MobyDick, Stanton Systems, Innovative Equipment Solutions (IES), NW Equipment Sales & Leasing, and the National Environmental Service Co. (NESCO), to name a few. Most of these players say the wheel wash sales arena is an expanding segment and the rental market for these units is emerging rapidly.

Photo: MobyDick

This portable unit features focused flow of water with adjustable side nozzles.

Catching Up in the Construction Market
A recently completed comprehensive study by InterClean Equipment uncovered information regarding the effect of trackout by trucks onto the public roads. A tire-wash system installed at a Midwest construction site found that during rainy weather a truck coming from unpaved roads averaged 500 pounds of dirt removed from its tires and chassis. Considering that this operation washed 300 trucks per day, this means that in a single day over 150,000 pounds of dirt could have been carried to the public roads.

According to Mikko Lamminen, environmental engineer with InterClean Equipment at Ypsilanti, MI, washing truck tires in order to prevent trackout, is a common practice in Europe and in the Far East. In South Korea alone, over 20,000 tire washers have been installed in the last 15 years. In Europe, the tire-wash market is approximately 1,000 units per year. The total number of tire washers installed in the US numbers roughly 100 systems.

“A few selected areas in the US have made attempts to regulate and enforce trackout problems, Lamminen says. “The City of Las Vegas has established rules to enforce tire washing on general construction sites, and Hawaii has instituted daily fines of $25,000 to contractors who continue carrying dirt onto public roads resulting in neighborhood complaints.” Additionally, the departments of transportation in the states of California and Washington have rudimentary tire-wash information on their Web sites (www.dot.ca.gov/ and www.wsdot.wa.gov/).

For the most part, manufacturers say they have placed more wheel-wash systems in quarry and landfill sites than in construction—an application that has historically seen a lot of do-it-yourself trackout control methods. However, that is changing as contractors realize and report significant cost savings from the elimination of more labor-intensive methods.

“The most common method is putting a couple of guys near the exit with hoses. The truckers aren’t happy about it, as it’s very time-consuming and they want to get their load out of there. With the automated wheel-wash systems, trucks can be off the site in about 30 seconds,” says Mark Kestner, president of National Environmental Service Co.

Kestner agrees that trackout regulations are going to get tighter in the construction industry. “But right now there’s no performance standard in construction applications. It’s very difficult to measure the cleaning efficiency of a wheel-wash system, and regulators like things they can measure. Without this performance standard, facilities have a stronger incentive to do it on their own. They feel they can use a very rudimentary wash method and still satisfy the regulations. But as more regulations come out, the trend will lead to more sophisticated and better performing wash systems, and sooner or later there will be some EPA test method where an inspector will come out to estimate the efficiency of the wash,” he says.

But Kestner is quick to identify a “better reason” why contractors will install a commercial wheel wash. “Currently, it’s not about regulations but, rather, neighborhood complaints. When that occurs, then contractors really have to make sure they are effectively controlling trackout, or the phone will not stop ringing off the hook,” he says.

Roxanne Garrett, president of IES, concurs that being a good neighbor is an important incentive. “But it’s also about satisfying the project owner that one is not simply meeting requirements but exceeding them. Contractors also need to be aware of how effective wheel-wash methods can keep their costs low,” she says. As to the large number of do-it-yourselfers, Garrett says, “They’ve made do in the past because there hasn’t been a good solution for them until the advent of automated and closed-loop technology solutions such as ours. With our background as a third-generation contractor, we bring a different concept to the table, a system that is specifically designed for the construction industry and one that is extremely durable, user-friendly, and easily relocated,” she says. With the construction industry, Garrett says, her biggest market is rentals nationwide. “We do a full turnkey installation. Our servicemen install and train the customer how to use the system and maintain it, and then we come back and remove it when the job is completed,” she says.

In the UK and across Europe, wheel washing has been mandated for many years, and the market for these systems is quite mature. MobyDick, a wheel-washing brand manufactured by Frutiger, a company based in Switzerland, entered the US market aggressively about five years ago. Bob Lodi is national sales director for MobyDick in the United States. He says that contractors have shown a good acceptance of his company’s products. “We offer a low-pressure, high-volume unit that is not spraying water all over the place, which to a construction site is a big plus. If water gets outside the wheel wash, it can become a stormwater problem. These units are self-contained, very portable, and very easy to install, and that is very important to the contractor,” says Lodi, who stresses that contractors want more of an install-and-forget piece of equipment.

Tri-West Tractor is a distributor for MobyDick systems. Randy Cram is president of the dealership. He feels that there is a good market for his products in the construction industry. “We’ve sold units to builders who are doing subdivision work and want to ensure the cleanliness of streets leading to and from new home sites. Wheel-wash units are also used on projects where you have a large number of trucks leaving the site for the off-haul of excess material or the import of needed material. We find that contractors have street sweepers, water trucks, and two laborers in dealing with trackout issues. When you add up those costs and find that an automated wheel-wash system can eliminate a good portion of that, it doesn’t take long to realize the payback,” says Cram.

Jason Magnussen is operations manager for NW Equipment Sales & Leasing Inc., a Woodinville, WA–based manufacturer and distributor of wheel-wash equipment. “Construction and waste management are our largest markets. We’re seeing a developing awareness as to trackout issues. The state of Washington is trying to be a leader when it comes to this. In the City of Redmond, any job site one acre or larger requires a wheel-wash system. We have six units placed there. In Hawaii, we’ve placed seven units. It depends on where the contractor is and what is being done on the site,” he says.

Contractor Comments
In the Chicago area, Ledcor Construction is using wheel-wash systems (roller units) from the rental fleet of IES. Located in Hot Springs, AR, IES offers nationwide sales, service, and rental. Mike Whitney, national sales director for IES, works with such companies as Ledcor Construction to provide customized solutions and turnkey installations. Whitney is a construction industry veteran of more than 20 years and has specialized in wheel-washing technology in recent years.

Kurt Schmidt, Ledcor Construction’s project superintendant, has used IES systems at three different Wal-Mart excavation sites, projects that lasted approximately eight to 10 months. “Our Illinois soil is primarily heavy clay, and these sites see about 25 concrete and dump trucks through each hour, as well as personal vehicles. These IES low-pressure, high-volume water models blast the clay right off the tires,” says Schmidt, who estimates that his company has cut its trackout control costs by up to 75%. “Before we started using these systems, we had to have a street sweeper out on the road five days a week, plus two laborers with hoses, at $60 an hour each,” he says.

Schmidt says that the system requires little maintenance. “It’s a closed-circuit operation, so there is no need to keep adding water. Each flocculent treatment lasts more than a month, and about every two weeks we use a Bobcat to scoop out the sediment,” he says. “I’ve done Wal-Mart projects with and without wheel-wash units, and I’ll have one of these units on the job every time from here on in for the rest of my career. They eliminate a lot of hassles, and save a lot of money.”

Foster & Sons Inc. is operating a MobyDick mobile wheel-wash unit on an earthwork and paving project that involves a 2-mile addition to Highway 180 West in Fresno, CA. The job demands the import of more than 600,000 cubic yards of truck dirt and requires transport through a small subdivision, so the need for optimal trackout prevention is imperative. Owner Cricket Foster purchased the unit from equipment dealer Tri-West Tractor after a smaller competitive model was found to be inadequate for the task. “Much of the time we are running 25 trucks with as many as 600 loads per day. The new wheel-wash system is excellent. With it, I am running only one street sweeper instead of four at $115 per hour each,” says Foster. “Also, it makes the truckers happy, as it doesn’t spray water all over their shiny trucks. It keeps the water where it belongs, and it keeps the water clean. The unit is very self-sufficient and protects us from fines that may cost $10,000 or more,” he says.

Wheel-Wash System Models & Types
There are many different models and types of automated wheel-wash systems. Major factors such as soil type and truck-traffic volume will determine which system is most effective for a given application.

Stanton Systems manufactures a modular tire washer made out of heavy-duty steel that can operate constantly for up to 15 years, says the company. The unit features a solids sump and a recirculation water tank that is also made of steel. Stanton also markets a permanent unit and a portable unit, with the latter being its most economical system.

Stanton’s STB Portable Tire Wash is 12-feet long (one tire rotation) and can be set up in one day. The tank is mounted below the wash troughs and has a removable opening for sewer sucker cleaning. All wash water is recycled and completely contained. Sprays are mounted along the sides of the truck tires and aimed to get in on the tops of the rolling tires and the sides of the tires.

NW Equipment Sales & Leasing offers The Soaker wheel-wash system among its various solutions. It features an all-aluminum and stainless construction with easy setup on a minimum footprint of 24 by 24 feet. Motion sensors turn pumps on, and adjustable timers turn pumps off.

This self-contained, low-pressure, high-volume water unit can be rented on a monthly basis or delivered under a lease-purchase agreement. At 8 feet, 6 inches in width and weighing 7,500 pounds, the unit is easily transportable from job to job.

Such manufacturers as MobyDick and IES offer drive-through systems and roller-unit systems alike. Each has different strengths.

Drive-through systems are both fast and effective and can be configured to handle up to 120 tri-axles an hour; however, they are not suitable for use in soils with moderate to high levels of clay or plasticity. Heavy-duty models are equipped with extra pumps and nozzles specifically designed to deal with the solids that collect between dual wheels and will handle a tackier soil while still delivering a high rate of production.

Roller-unit systems are self-contained, complete with integrated water recycling and a solids separation tank that offers continuous sludge discharge by means of an automatic scraper conveyor. Unlike drive-through systems, the roller unit will hold the truck in a stationary position and rotate the tires as they are being cleaned. This feature allows contractors to adjust the number of tire rotations to best suit site conditions without requiring a longer wash unit. However, these systems offer a lower hourly production level.

IES says that it has beefed up both its drive-through and roller units to take the rugged wear and tear that is so inherent in the construction industry.

IES designs automated wheel-washing systems for applications in light, medium, tacky, and heavy soils, or for applications that address disinfectant and biosecurity needs. Its product line includes drive-through systems for temporary or permanent use; drive-over systems for light soil conditions; highly portable aboveground installations that require no excavation; and roller units for use in heavy clay conditions.

Importantly, all its systems offer a fully automated, closed-loop, solid-separation and water-recycling solution. Currently, IES is highlighting two new systems: its Neptune Drive-Through Wheel Washing System and the portable Maximus.

Low-Traffic Volume Solutions
NorCal Environmental is a Sacramento-based erosion control and maintenance company that offers a number of sediment control solutions, including the ability to build top-grade construction entrances and exits reducing material trackout. Typically, these entrances are approximately 15-feet wide and 50-feet in length. Most often, the pads are constructed with 3-inch to 6-inch riprap stone placed over geotextile fabric as an additional barrier below the rock. Two-inch stone is used as a top layer and provides a surface that will serve both large and small vehicles. On larger sites, the pads are combined with rumble grates. The company also provides street-sweeping services.

The Grizzly trackout control device from Trackout Control is a patented unit that shakes the vehicle as it drives across, knocking loose dust, mud, and other debris from the chassis and tires. Available in two styles—grate and rail—the device comes in two sizes (10-feet by 8-feet or 20-feet by 8-feet) and consists of two parallel tracks. It’s transportable, reusable, and can be expanded to any length required.

A Growing Need
As open spaces decline and urban areas increase in density, job-site trackout control will become increasingly more critical. Clearly, there are many distinct advantages in the effective handling of trackout control. When one considers cost-efficiencies, return on investment, labor expenses, liability, quality control, and a good-neighbor philosophy, it’s never too expensive to do it right the first time.

Carol Wasson owns JCL Marketing & Communications Inc.

GEC - January 2008

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