A serious storm poses many serious problems, with loss of life and property being the most intense. Losing electricity and communication services might feel like an afterthought when a hurricane passes over an area. However, the reality is that power outages can cause long-term consequences for small business owners, families, and entire communities.
Utility hauling companies can assist the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other authorities with debris recovery in the wake of a severe weather event. For instance, an area hit by a hurricane (like hurricane Ian) will probably have a lot of downed power poles and vegetative debris. Utility hauling companies can sweep in with the right equipment to swiftly handle debris management and new pole delivery. Home and business owners can reconnect with the world faster due to the efforts of forward-thinking utility providers.
What kind of innovative equipment can help utility providers replace power poles and lines?
Self-loading trucks are the most efficient for storm clean-up. This article explores why they can be depended on to help utility project managers get their sites up and running faster after a storm.
What is a Self-Loading Truck?
Debris removal is only part of the storm response process. Where self-loading trucks play a huge role is during the delivery of new poles.
Similar to a grapple truck, a self-loading truck has attached grapples that can pick up and move utility poles and other oversize items. One driver can load, deliver, and unload materials in less time than it takes to hire another team and rent equipment.
Self-loading trucks can save a lot of time. Utility companies can restore service faster when their new poles are unloaded immediately using the specialized trucks. By drastically reducing the time it takes to get your new poles off the truck, self-unloading utility trucks can make a huge difference. Self-loading trucks are also helpful outside of disaster recovery for new pole hauling.
Another huge benefit that self-unloading utility hauling provides is cost savings. If your team has to handle new pole unloading, there’s a good chance you’ll need to recruit additional labor and rent expensive equipment. Choosing utility haulers that unload for you can save your team thousands of dollars.
For the reasons above, self-loading trucks are great tools for utility pole transportation. They save utility project managers time and increase safety. All it takes is one driver to use the truck’s grapples to load and unload materials. There is no need to rent cranes or forklifts. Managers do not have to recruit additional operators and riggers. A self-loading truck is an all-in-one solution to complete a large job.
The Need for Speed
When utilities are adversely impacted by a weather event, the world stops for everyone affected. People are cut off from the rest of the world, unable to contact their friends and families who are worried about them. Businesses come to a screeching halt. Electricity and communications are essential in modern life. Storms threaten the way we live.
The aftermath of a hurricane, tornado, or other devastating weather event demonstrates how vulnerable life can become. People have to pick up the pieces and rebuild. Businesses must do the same. Life can only continue when utilities are restored. That's why quick energy recovery is so important both local governments and the national government.
Utility companies know how much the world relies on their services. Quickly responding to any infrastructure failure is critical in getting things up and running. Project managers do not have time to employ conventional methods and equipment to get the job done. They can not casually research their options, compare quotes, and then act. They must know what to do and initiate the plan.
With self-loading trucks at their disposal, project managers can send them to key sites. They do not have to hire a truck, crane, or forklift. All they need is one piece of equipment to do what traditionally has taken several machines and a team of workers to accomplish.
Of course, owning your own self-unloading truck is not feasible for most utility teams. That’s why it’s so important to know who to call when major storms hit.
Blackwood Resources: Your Storm Response Team
Every storm season presents concerns and challenges. The anticipation creates tension. Will this be the year of the “big one?” Will there be significant damage? How will we rebuild? How many poles must I replace?
Utility companies are prepared for many contingencies. However, storms can be unpredictable, causing more damage than expected. They can also strike different locations at the same time, forcing utility companies to spread their resources thin.
With a fleet of self-loading trucks at the ready, our team can help utility companies turn the power on quicker than ever before. Staging multiple self-loading trucks and operators throughout an impact area makes new pole delivery effective and efficient. Our roadside transport, clean-up, and staging services have become indispensable components of disaster recovery.
Since 2017, we have helped utility companies around the country. Like our partners, we know the importance of speed. Consumers want their lives to return to normal as soon as possible. Utility companies want to satisfy their expectations. We tirelessly work to hire the most skilled drivers and maintain our fleet so they can respond to any emergency requests.
We have the capabilities to load, haul, and unload wood, steel, and concrete utility poles. We can also transport pilings, pipes, and other oversize materials. Our customers can expect to receive their utility materials safely and quickly. Whether you need us after a storm or for a routine project, we can work with your scheduling goals. All of our services can scale with the size of your project.
Our determination to deliver quality service when you need it can make the difference in turning the lights on for millions of people or keeping them in the dark. From utility pole transportation to storm response, we can align our services with your needs. Contact us today to learn how we can be on-call for your disaster recoveries.
