Think street sweeping services are just about making roads look better?

Think again! A road sweeper does so much more than improving aesthetics and reducing road wear. From protecting the environment to enhancing public safety, here are some of the unexpected benefits of street sweeping in Toronto.

Reduce Pollution with Street Sweeping in Toronto

Passing vehicles leave behind a plethora of pollutants in their wake. Gasoline, oil dripping, metal particles and waste end up coating roads over time. This nasty layer of toxicity proves a danger not only to local wildlife, but also to humans if vehicles kick up dust filled with contaminants. Or worse, if it gets picked up by storm water and carried into lakes and rivers.

The American Environmental Protection Agency named street sweeping services as one of the key elements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, which is aimed at protecting waterways from contamination - and it's easy to see why!

Reduce Erosion

Water erodes even the hardest rock over time, and that process happens even quicker when debris blocks off storm drains and gutters. This leads to flooding that puts road wear on overdrive, meaning more frequent road work, and more headaches for road users. Regular street sweeping can add years to the life of pavement by limiting the effects of erosion.

Protecting Cyclists and Pedestrians

Road debris is one of the major dangers on the street for both motorists as well as pedestrians and cyclists. A rusty nail blowing out a tire or a large rock knocking a bicycle over are the sort of unexpected instances that lead to major accidents and even death for the road's most vulnerable users.

One of the most important benefits of street sweeping is removing these pieces of debris before they cause such accidents, thus keeping the roads safe for everyone who uses them.

More than just safety, street sweeping away debris also protects cars from dings and scratches caused by detritus.

Still curious about the surprising benefits of street sweeping?

Contact A&G The Road Cleaners today to learn more about what our fleet of PM10-compliant road sweepers can do for you. We've been street sweeping Toronto for 25 years for clients ranging from municipalities to private organizations.

Dump trucks are one of the most commonly seen construction vehicles on the road. Who didn't have a toy dump truck growing up? However, dump trucks might be going the way of the dodo bird thanks to the popularity of live bottom trailers in recent years.

Rather than "dumping" out a load of gravel or asphalt like traditional dump trucks, live bottom trailers pushes material out the back instead using a conveyor belt bed, which has several advantages over a tandem dump truck.

Live Bottom Trailers and Safety

By simple virtue of not having to lift its whole body into the air in order to unload, live bottom trailers have a much lower risk of rolling over than a tandem dump truck. That factor also means they can be unloaded anywhere, even on uneven terrain. Plus, the risk of an inexperienced driver knocking over power lines when they raise the bed is completely erased.

Live Bottom Trailers and Convenience

Because live bottom trailers don't unload their entire haul at once, but rather discharges it at a steady pace, you can empty out partial loads at different locations. This slower method also ensures an evener spread of materials, making precision tasks like laying down asphalt much easier.

The conveyor belt also means less detritus and residue stick to the bottom of live bottom trailers than a tandem dump truck, meaning that cleaning it out after a job is much faster. It's also easier on whoever drew the short straw at the end of the day.

Advantages of a Tandem Dump Truck

While live bottom trailers are superior to dump trucks in many ways, there are still many jobs you need a good ol' tandem dump truck for.

Tandem dump truck capacity is better suited for transporting dense materials like heavy rocks or tires, making them ideal for carrying demolition waste.

Despite tandem dump truck capacity, one major advantage live bottom trailers have over traditional dump trucks is lower insurance costs because of their enhanced safety capabilities.

A&G The Road Cleaners offers a wide variety of dump trucks and live bottom trailers for rent in the Greater Toronto Area. From a traditional tandem dump truck to live bottom trailers in three different sizes, we have the perfect material transportation vehicles for whatever tasks your job site requires. 

Contact us today to learn whether a tandem dump truck or one of our live bottom trailers is best suited to your needs.

Why Do I need a Water Truck Rental?

Pool season is here! And while you're itching to slip into your Speedo and float on an inflatable chair, you'll need to go through the annual, arduous task of filling up that swimming pool first.

But you've done the hose thing, and filling up the pool with your trusty bucket isn't as fast as you thought it'd be.

If that sounds like you, you and fellow pool owners should consider the easiest way of transporting and delivering tons of water a water truck rental. Water truck services are flexible, and a life saver for both commercial businesses and residential homeowners who may need gallons of gallons of water in a hurry.

Pool Fill-Up

Let's get this out of the way: No, you can't use the nearest fire hydrant to fill up your pool.

If you're looking for a full pool of fresh water, a water truck rental is your fastest and most efficient option. A hose can suffice throughout the summer to top off your pool, but a full fill-up at the beginning of the season ensures you're diving into a fresh start to the summer.

Depending on the size of your pool, it can take up to 4-5 truckloads of water to fill up a pool. Now imagine standing there with a hose in hand waiting for that amount of water to drip out it'll be time to close the pool for fall by the time you're finished.

A water truck rental is cheaper, too. Remember that using your hose means you'll need to pay sewer fees. And if you're living on well water, you'll be drowning in taxes after filling up a 100K+ liter pool. Water trucks have some costs towards delivery, but they're also getting water at a discounted price which are savings passed onto you.

Sod Watering, Irrigation, and Farming

Commercial businesses can leverage water trucks for obvious tasks related to cleaning and flushing street washing, dust control, water main flushing, construction clean-up and ones that aren't so apparent.

The agriculture industry can take advantage of a water truck rental for sod watering, irrigation, and farming.

Renting a water truck from A&G, for example, includes trucks equipped with powerful spray hoses perched on top. The powerful PTO-driven water pump emits bursts of H2O that's well suited for watering a field of crops. Irrigation is no longer irritating, as a water truck makes controlling the amount of water plants need at its intervals very simple.

And the Rest

As we lightly touched upon, water trucks can be used for a variety of applications, but perhaps none better than cleaning and flushing.

In terms of water hauling and dust control, a water truck rental is perfect for construction, mining, pipeline, and oil & gas sites. Tank sizes can reach 20,000 liters, so you'll never need to worry about running to the well no matter the scale of project. Most water trucks come with sprayer bars and controls, and a hose reel for more specific flushing tasks around the site.

Whether you're a construction site manager or a pool owner, don't underestimate the usefulness of a giant truck of water. A water truck rental can be a cheaper, easier alternative for any of your water delivery needs (besides drinking, visit the grocery store for that).

Contact A&G today if you'd like to learn more about our water truck services & rentals.

It's a classic case of 'what have you done for me lately?'.

We welcomed salt & sand on our city and rural roads as a safety measure against the hazards of slippery snow the past few months. And now that spring's approaching? We repay these nameless particles of the earth by sweeping them away in preparation of the new season.

Don't feel bad for these inanimate minerals. Salt and sand not only detract from neighbourhood aesthetics, but the longevity of the roads, parking lots, and commercial properties they were employed to protect in the winter, as well as the health of the environment and people in it.

Here's how you can get spring cleaning started early with our street sweeping advice for the season.

Don't Get Salty about Street Sweeping

No one likes spring cleaning. But if we had a choice, we'd do it with state-of-the-art machinery that makes it fun instead of frustrating.

The most effective way to remove the masses of sand and salt accumulated over the winter is a premier street sweeping & parking lot cleaning service. It's the fastest, most cost-efficient, and - most importantly - environmentally-conscious method of removing sand, dust, and salt.

Preserving air quality and minimizing the spread of dust particles is of equal importance to keeping streets, parking lots, and commercial properties clean. Today's top-of-the-line sweepers adhere to rigid environmental safety standards and health regulations, managing the size and density of debris being swept away. This ensures the environment isn't permanently affected by salt and sand, and protects people's respiratory and cardiovascular health, too.

Street sweeping also keeps salt from seeping into water catchment areas or nearby aquatic ecosystems, further safeguarding our environment. It also makes roads safer for drivers, and improves the appearance of city roads and commercial areas.

The Spring Cleaning Schedule

You should schedule property maintenance or street sweeping services to begin no later than the end of April, or early May (early April, or the end of March is even better, weather permitting). Arterial roads are taken care of first, followed by residential streets. If you're in need of parking lot sweeping or commercial property cleaning, try to book these services ASAP, as people in similar spring cleaning situations are waiting for the snow to melt like you are.

In terms of street cleaning, a typical service consists of two processes:

1. A mechanical street sweeper that's designed to sweep and remove heavy sand and salt deposits, as well as large debris, will do a once-over of the city's roads, followed by;
2. A second pass of the street with a vacuum sweeper to remove the finer materials that may remain. This sand and salt is removed in environmentally-responsible ways, ensuring nothing enters the ecosystem or water catchment areas.

From there, a city or town's spring cleaning checklist is nearly complete. Your street cleaning service crew should weep where necessary over the next few months, and take inquiries from residents that report salt or sand buildups in streets, parking lots, or commercial areas.

Unfortunately, you can't apply your in-home spring cleaning methods (drinking alcohol and spraying everything with Febreeze) to city streets, parking lots, or commercial properties.

Sweep away all the salt and sand in time for spring - schedule a street sweeping, parking lot cleaning, or commercial property clean-up with A&G - The Road Cleaners today!

After years of dedication to our trade, clients, and projects, we are happy to announce the official launch of our new website to help serve you better.

Our goal is to provide you with an easier format to learn about our services and get in touch. From our environmentally-safe equipment, our 24 hour a day service, to our fleet of leading-edge trucks, we've made it easier to find what you're looking for.

We hope you find our new website an easy browsing experience with the information you're looking for at your fingertips.

We thank you for your continued support,

- A&G The Road Cleaners