Ancillary equipment, generally taken for granted, often blends into the background and becomes part of the “white noise” of the road building process.
However, these unsung heroes deserve a little attention and a good review of their importance to the paving contractor. It’s difficult to rank their importance, and even more so to address them all in a single article, so just a few will be covered here.
Sweeper trucks don’t immediately jump to mind when folks think about paving, but they have become a bigger part of the process and are an important tool for road builders, including those involved in pavement preservation work and new construction.
Contractors need smooth surfaces for quality pavements, and power sweeping is a fast way to clean up at various stages. This can include collecting millings after a milling machine has made its passes, touch up cleaning between paving courses, or even as a finishing touch after the final layer of asphalt has been set down.
Eric Covington, vice president of DECCO Contractors-Paving in Rogers, Arkansas, says his company is considering buying its own sweeper truck because of the added utility of being able to clean up so quickly.
