Purpose
This page focuses on trailer and truck sanitation because transport equipment is shared, moves long distances, and can connect fields, facilities, and regions very quickly.
Required Under the Current Compliance Agreement
Under the current exhibits, trailers and trucks used in high-risk operations must be cleaned in the contexts described by the applicable processor and transporter exhibits before returning to the general pool or moving out of the field or facility. In designated zone situations, trucks and trailers transporting harvested fruit from low-risk fields must be cleaned reasonably free of soil and plant debris before movement out of the designated zone. The exact operating trigger varies by exhibit, but the consistent requirement is that transport equipment must be cleaned reasonably free of soil and plant debris prior to movement.
UC Recommended Practices
Trailers pose one of the highest risks for long-distance movement of broomrape seed because they are shared assets, travel farther than most field equipment, and often move rapidly among fields and processor facilities. The spread pathway is usually not the fruit itself. It is the soil and plant debris lodged on the trailer, truck, mud flaps, wheels, undercarriage, hitch areas, rails, and corners.
Use the same core sanitation sequence described on the General Sanitation page. Remove loose debris first, then pressure wash fine and packed debris, then sanitize cleaned wet surfaces with QAC and do not rinse. Focus inspection on front-facing areas, mud flaps, undercarriage support bars, wheels, and wheel wells because these were identified as recurring challenge areas in trailer wash evaluations.
For high-risk field operations, treat the dedicated trailer concept as a movement control tool, not just a paperwork step. Keeping trailers dedicated to a high-risk field until they are no longer needed there reduces the number of chances contaminated equipment has to circulate before cleaning. Once returned to the general pool, cleaning needs to be real, not nominal.
Trailer wash station evaluations point to a few practical improvements. Start physical cleaning early in the season so caked mud does not build up and make later cleaning less effective. Slow trailer speed through wash stations enough to improve contact time and consistency. Adjust or add nozzles to improve coverage of front-facing and undercarriage areas. Spot-check the sanitizer system frequently to make sure it is running through the full trailer length and actually operating when intended. These reports also show that sanitizers are much less effective when mud remains packed onto surfaces, especially on mud flaps and undercarriage areas.
Related links or companion pages
- General Sanitation
- Harvester Sanitation