Hauling Plastic Beads/Pellets Info

Hi Tyler,

It is a radically different operation. The trailers are completely different and are very specific to plastics. They must be 1600cf instead of 1000. 99% of plastics get vacuumed out of rail cars, so the trailers have to have vacuum lines and filters. Your blower also needs to be set up for vacuum and must be at least a mid range power blower (low power are better for cement, but mid power is ok too for cement) to produce enough airflow to create a vacuum in a 1600cf trailer. The trailers also have radiators and temp gauges for unloading, as the blower air needs to be cooled before entering the tank so it does not melt the plastic. Trailers cannot have aerators (which are required for cement) because pellets can get trapped under the aerator flaps and lead to cross contamination. They must also have quick disconnect plumbing/valves to easier accomdate wash outs between loads. Cross contamination is a major concern with plastics and every last pellet must be removed from a trailer prior to loading a different type or color of product. Even if dedicated to one type of product, most customers have their own guidelines for wash out frequency as they don't want dust or other inconsistencies to accumulate over time. There is alot of liability for damaging or contaminating products and the operation itself of very specialized.