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What if the service truck can't get to our unit because of snow?

Marcus B.asked 1 viewDelivery, Placement & ServicingTruck accessWinterizationMissed serviceService frequency

We have a standard portable toilet and a deluxe portable toilet on a three-month residential construction job in Chicago. The access road is gravel and gets plowed late after heavy snow. The rental company's vacuum truck needs to park within 25 feet to pump the holding tanks. If the driver arrives and the road is blocked by snow, what happens? Is service rescheduled for the same day, or do we wait until the next weekly visit? I want to avoid a missed service fee and keep the units usable for a crew of ten.

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Carl D.Oklahoma City, OK

If the driver shows up and can't get the truck within hose reach, you usually wait for the next route day unless you call and get put back on the schedule. That's how it has gone on every winter job I've run. They don't sit there waiting for a plow, they log it as no access and move on.

What kept us out of trouble:

  1. Ask your rep now how they handle a blocked stop. Some contracts treat it as a trip charge, some just reschedule. Get it in writing before the first storm.
  2. Plow or shovel a lane to the units yourself the night before service day. Even a rough path for the vacuum truck beats waiting on the road crew.
  3. If a heavy storm is coming, ask them to service a day early. Ten guys on two units can fill a holding tank fast if a visit slips a whole week.
  4. Keep the units close to the plowed edge of the drive instead of tucked back by the house.

Also worth knowing: OSHA 1926.51 expects the toilets to stay sanitary for the crew, so a skipped pump is your problem too, not just the rental company's. Call the same day it gets missed.

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