New boot truck spray guards help protect environment, save money

Sometimes, it takes a simple solution to fix a complex problem…

That certainly was the case for ADOT when the agency set out to develop a better method for operating and cleaning its fleet of boot trucks.

Boot trucks, as ADOT Environmental Project Manager Nathan Carroll explains in the video above, are oil distributor trucks. The vehicles are used to spray sealer on the roadways to prevent deterioration and extend the life of the pavement.

The problem with the boot trucks had to do with that sealer/emulsion – a thick tarry substance that would get all over the back of the truck and clog up the spray nozzles. Crews weren’t able to operate the trucks without extensive maintenance and a cleanup process that lasted hours.

ADOT Equipment Services Administrator Devin Darlek explains in the video that a team of ADOT employees was asked to develop a solution.

“We tasked them with not only coming up with an idea to take care of the vehicles, but also something that would reduce our footprint on the environment, something that would save us money, save us time, be more safe, be more efficient,” Darlek says.

The team really delivered with an innovation that helps to reduce taxpayer costs, saves time and helps the environment.

Use of the new oil-spray guards helps prevent overspray from going on to the truck. Not only do the spray guards keep the truck clean, they also allow a greater concentration of the sealer onto the road.

Along with the spray guard, the team also designed and built catch basins as a better way to contain and dispose of the oil washed off the trucks. The oil residue is washed off the truck into the catch basin where it is then pumped into 55-gallon drums for proper disposal.

“It saves money, it saves the environment, it’s efficient,” says Darlek. “It’s not only saving now, it’s saving for the future. It’s not just a win-win. It’s a win-win-win-win-win-win. It just keeps going.”