At some point this week, all us will most likely travel through a work zone while driving to work, school, church, or other places.  With infrastructure improvements being made in nearly every community, both drivers and those working on our roads and bridges continue to be at a high risk of danger in work zones.  Each of us as drivers need to be aware and safe while driving through work zones, but those working in dangerous areas have a responsibility to warn drivers, be visible, and provide proper warning and traffic control.  That’s why April 23-27 is National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Each year in April, National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is held to bring national attention to motorist and worker safety and mobility issues in work zones. Since 1999, the Federal Highway Administration has worked with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) to coordinate and sponsor the event. Over the years other transportation partners have joined the effort to support NWZAW. In addition to a National event conducted each year, many States host their own NWZAW events.  You can find out more information on NWZAW and events held in your state here at the FHWA website.  NWZAW is in its tenth year, and Tracy Scriba with FHWA gives a great rundown of the progress of the movement so far in this article at the FHWA website.

QPR ShopWorx is a great resource for construction crews and their need to remain safe in work zones.  Please visit our website for more information on traffic control or personal protective equipment.  Or, feel free to contact your QPR representative with questions.

This weekend whether you are going out to dinner with friends and family, driving to work, or taking an out of town vacation, be sure to make extra effort to be careful and aware when driving in work zones across the country.  The people out there working hard to improve your roads will thank you – and so will their families!

Many people are not familiar with QPR’s Disposacone sold in the ShopWorx line.  For many contractors, the idea of using a disposable cone doesn’t sound too cost-effective.  But for many contractors doing small asphalt repairs or sealing driveways and parking lots, disposable cones are a convenient way for you to protect the work you’ve done while moving onto the next job at the same time.  While sealer is drying, keeping traffic off asphalt is essential to preserving the look that property owners want to get.  Contractors have a variety of ways of doing this, but often have to leave their cones on site for a day or more which forces them to come back to retrieve property and could lead to cones being stolen.  Disposacones were developed because there was a need for a temporary barricade that wouldn’t blow away in the wind, cost effective enough to be left onsite while you went off to new projects.

Disposacones are easy to use, and can be left for property owners to discard!

Now, QPR ShopWorx Disposacones have been approved under Section 6 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which is the standard for signs, signals, and pavement markings in the United States and administered by the Federal Highway Administration.

At 18 inches in height and engineered in the widely recognized fluorescent safety orange color, Disposacone offers compact size for easy storage and access in all vehicle types plus the high visibility you expect from traffic control devices.  In fact, 25 Disposacones can easily fit under most car seats and are obviously a great alternative to traditional cones for the right users.  When used with QPR ShopWorx’s caution tape, Disposacones can insure that your work is preserved after you leave the jobsite.

For those who have a need for more traditional traffic cones, QPR ShopWorx stocks an entire line of cones, channelizers, and drums with a variety of sizes, shapes, and reflectability.  Please visit the Traffic Control section of our website for more details.

Spring is just around the corner, and that means the season for sealing cracks is about to heat back up.  Here in Texas, you can find the curvy black lines where people have sealed cracks on roads of all different kinds throughout the state.  And the work is certainly not limited to public roads.  Many more private property owners are realizing the benefits of sealing over cracks as a part of keeping their asphalt long lasting and well maintained.  Contractors already doing this type of work know about the growing demand for it on private property, and crack sealing can be a great addition to any paving business.

It’s easy to see how cracks are the gateway to future pavement failures.  Rainwater and other moisture seeps into cracks, causing the base material to fail and allowing potholes to form.  Depending on pavement temperatures, cracks also expand and contract, causing further erosion of the asphalt.  Repairing the area can keep that moisture from reaching the base and sub-base material, keeping the problem from growing.  Sealing cracks properly can extend the life of pavement up to 15 years, and sometimes even longer!

I think the benefits of this type of maintenance are obvious, but how is it done properly?  Better yet, how is it done professionally?  Hot-applied crack filler is a much more permanent repair, but requires special equipment to be used.  For any crack repair, proper preparation of the area to be repaired is key.  Removing loose vegetation, dirt, and debris is important for the material to make the proper bond with the pavement.  This can be done as simply as taking a crack hoe and scraping out the loose pavement and debris, and blowing off the area with a commercial blower.  Many professionals use a hot air lance and air compressor to generate the pressure and temperatures necessary to remove all loose material and moisture from the crack.  Heat lances provide high velocity, high temperature hot air that maximizes the adhesion of any sealant.

Stinger Heat Lance

QPR has a variety of options for your crack filling needs.  On our ShopWorx website you can find the Stinger Heat Lance, which is a self-contained heat lance on wheels and ideal for one-man operation.  Preparation is quick and efficient with the Stinger, and can help crews keep working even after recent rainfall.  Here are some other features and benefits of the Stinger Heat Lance:

• Eliminates other costly and time-consuming preparation tools
• Easy to operate and maneuver, lightweight yet durable
• Constructed with high strength steel and stainless steel tubing
• Adjustable temperature and air volume controls
• Cracks are cleaned at the operator’s walking pace
• Built with pride in the U.S.A.

For melting and applying hot crack sealant, a machine is required.  The QPR All-in-One Melter Applicator is available at Lowe’s Home Improvement stores from coast to coast, as well as the QPR 6690 Hot-Applied Crack Filler for use in the machine.  For more information on QPR’s hot crack filling options available through Lowe’s, please visit your local store or the QPR RoadShop website.  You can also see a quick demonstration of the melter applicator on YouTube.

QPR Melter Applicator available at Lowe's Home Improvement

Hear what some of our customers are saying about the winning combination of the Stinger Heat Lance, QPR 6690 and the All-in-One Melter/Applicator for sealing cracks professionally:

 

I love how the QPR material just binds and binds together. Also, the fact that it is oily and stays flexible makes for one hell of a job! I have used nearly every product in the market, and neither of them come even close to being in the same league as QPR. Another reason why I love the QPR 6690 Hot Applied Crack Sealant is because it does not tack, therefore you do not have to worry about things such as the material sticking to your tires, etc.

- Huey, Huey’s Maintenance (Texas)

 

I love QPR and each of their products that I have used. One of the greatest things about QPR is the convenience factor of being able to drive down the street to my local Lowe’s store and pick up the material that I need. I have been using QPR 6690 Hot Applied Crack Sealant for a while now, and I am completely satisfied. Also, the customer service with QPR is outstanding. It is a great feeling to know that if I ever need information, have questions about a product, or am interested in trying a particular product out, they are always there for me!

- Jim Covington, Lonestar Paving (Texas)

 

The Stinger Heat Lance cleans out cracks quicker and better than we were ever able to on our own.  I can’t believe it took me so long to get one.  Now one man can do the work that two were doing – what a time saver!

- Jacob Nichols, Peach Asphalt Maintenance (Georgia)

Warmer weather is keeping many of you out there busier than previous winters, and while that’s good for business it may leave less time for the usual offseason tasks of maintenance and restocking supplies.  QPR ShopWorx is dedicated to helping you stay ahead of the supply game with a line of affordable, high-quality supplies for infrastructure work.  This winter, we’ll be writing a series of blog entries to help you make the best decisions for your business when it comes to purchasing supplies to help you get the job done.  Today, we are focusing on traffic cones, and how to choose the right ones for your next job.

Whether you are a one man operation sealing a small parking lot, or a crew of dozens repaving the latest stretch of I-95, your ability to control traffic in your work zone is going to be severely reduced without the right traffic control devices.  There are several options available when it comes to cones, and there are a few things to know before purchasing.   QPR ShopWorx offers a complete line of contractor grade DOT-approved traffic control devices that are made in the USA and can be used in any of the 50 states.

First, where are you performing the work and what are the conditions?  If you’re working in a parking lot, driveway, or small private road, you may consider a smaller cone or even a disposable cone.

Secondly, are you working at night?  If not, you aren’t required to have reflective collars on your cones.  The best options for those performing work in parking lots would be plain cones, usually 12” or 18” each.  Those working on highways and major roads are required to use a minimum of 28” cones, and some states even require 36” cones on roadways.  Each state also has its own specifications when it comes to reflective collars on cones as well, dictating the size and type of collars that can be used.

Finally, and most important to your wallet, how many traffic cones do I need?  That question can be answered many ways, depending on what kind of work you’re doing.  Large contractors that are bidding on state work will need a specified number of cones for a job, and those types of quantities can often qualify for better pricing.  Money can also be saved on the reflective collars on each cone – depending on what is specified on the job, if anything, different reflective sheeting varies in price.  If you do driveway & parking lot sealing or hot crack filling, consider disposable cones.  This way, you can get packed up and move onto the next job without having to come back for your cones.  Simply have the homeowner or property manager throw the cones away once your work is dry.

Municipal, county, and state governments need to have plenty of cones on hand, especially in case of emergencies.  Another important need you may have as a governmental agency or a large paving contractor is having your cones marked as your property.  With so many cones out on the jobsite or scattered throughout your city or county, keeping track of them all is important to the bottom line.  The latest trend is to use an inner stenciling on the inner layer of PVC rather than simply using a stencil and paint on the outside.  This new “inner stencil” is impossible to erase because it is present within the cone, and we can even put your company logo.

QPR ShopWorx is happy to help you figure out which cones are right for your job.  We’ll be happy to fill you in on your state’s specifications, or answer any questions you have about our extensive line of cones in varying sizes, weights, and reflectability.