As anyone working in the industry knows, our nation’s highway bridges are some of the most essential components of the transportation infrastructure. These structures provide vital links for people and goods to move across regions and countries. It is not always readily apparent to the traveling public that bridges make our highway system possible.
And to ensure their safety, functionality, and reliability, it is crucial that regular inspections and maintenance tasks are conducted. Because of the nature of highway bridges, gaining access to every area of a bridge can be challenging.
However, as most inspectors and maintenance workers will attest, one of the safest and most effective methods for gaining access to inspect bridges is by using a snooper truck.
The Importance of Snooper Truck Rentals for Conducting Highway Bridge Inspections
Of course, a fair question to ask at the start is what is a “snooper” truck?
Snooper trucks are specialized types of equipment that can make it easier to carry out bridge inspections. They provide a highly versatile, reliable, and robust under-bridge platform to work from. These platforms or buckets can be utilized for any type of bridge inspection a project requires, whether that’s routine inspections, special inspections, hands-on inspections, or in-depth inspections.
Essentially, so-called snooper trucks are designed to access hard-to-reach areas of bridge structures and make it much easier for bridge inspectors to access these areas.
At this point, it should be noted that strictly speaking, a “snooper” truck is a decades-old term that has been used generically to describe various types of boom trucks or bucket trucks. However, the proper use of the term is in reference to the trademarked name of the line of specialized bridge inspection and maintenance vehicles designed and manufactured by Paxton-Mitchell Co., LLC.
Due to the popularity of the Paxton-Mitchell SNOOPER™ Trucks that began to be used in the 1960s, the name began to be used to describe all vehicles with articulated booms and a work bucket or platform.
Using a Snooper truck rental for conducting highway bridge inspections and other work has several benefits.
- First, it provides highly flexible reach with an articulated unit which makes it easier for bridge inspectors to access hard-to-reach areas of bridge structures.
- Second, it provides a safe and efficient way to inspect bridges often without having to close down lanes or divert traffic.
- Third, it can help identify issues in otherwise inaccessible regions of a bridge before they develop into bigger problems.
Benefits of a Snooper Truck for Bridge Inspections
One of the main advantages of using a snooper truck for bridge inspections is safety. Inspecting a bridge manually can be hazardous and time-consuming, especially for bridges with complex structures or those located over water. Using a snooper truck eliminates the need for inspectors to climb ladders or scaffolding, reducing the risk of falls and other accidents.
Moreover, the truck is designed to operate in various weather conditions, including high winds, making it safer for inspectors to work at heights, which is almost always the case on highway bridges.
As one trade journal has noted,
“A professional bridge inspection will always find and assess all the current issues of a structure. This is the main reason why period bridge inspections are conducted throughout the country. Moreover, using a bridge inspection vehicle facilitates the process and allows easy access to all the essential areas of the bridge. Structural damage can be hidden in the most unexpected spots, which is why it is so important to address the issue in a timely manner.”
Another benefit of using a snooper truck is the speed and efficiency of the inspection process. A snooper truck can allow for an inspection of a bridge in a matter of hours, reducing the impact on commuters and minimizing the cost of the inspection.
Finally, using a snooper truck rental for bridge inspections is cost-effective.
The rental cost of a snooper truck is relatively low compared to the cost of traditional inspection methods, and certainly far less than the cost of purchasing these vehicles when needed. Moreover, the speed and efficiency of the inspection process while utilizing a snooper truck rental reduces the cost of traffic disruption, minimizing the impact on the economy and society.
You Can Count on Under Bridge Platforms for the Best in Snooper Truck Rentals
The experts at Under Bridge Platforms are proud to serve the transportation infrastructure industry throughout all of the Western States. We serve our customers across California, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming, by providing the best selection of high-quality snooper trucks and under-bridge platform equipment.
In addition, we support clients in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
Our large and world-class inventory of under-bridge access platforms includes high-quality aerial access equipment such as the versatile Aspen A-40 Bridge Inspection Unit and the massive HPT66 Truck-Mounted Under Bridge Platform.
As one of the nation’s premier under-bridge platform equipment rental providers, we work hard to ensure that you can rely on us. And that includes knowing we can guide you through the entire process of buying or renting the right under bridge inspection vehicle and equipment.
No matter the type or size of your bridge project, the expert team at Under Bridge Platforms is here to help you make the proper equipment selection.
We take a great deal of pride in being the only company in our industry based in California that offers total under-bridge access. Because we believe in providing only quality customer service, we have managed to build long-lasting relationships with our esteemed customers.
And we intend to keep it that way.
Contact us today and let us help take care of all your under bridge platform needs.
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