Garbage, waste, or any other materials which are compacted for transportation require the use of fixed walled containers or trailers which allow the transportation of materials in compacted form or compacting of the material in the container or trailer itself. These types of trailers cannot backhaul any bulk goods on the way back from the unloading site, as their fixed and closed top does not allow loading from the top using a conventional loader, similar to an open-top trailer.
With the rising cost of fuel, the disposal of garbage becomes increasingly expensive, especially when the trailer cannot backhaul any goods to reduce the cost of waste disposal, and thus, returns empty from the unloading site.
On the other hand, open top trailers, even those which include a cover, cannot be used for compacting or for the transport of loosely compacted material.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0126209 (Wolfe) describes a trailer that converts into a shed. The trailer of Wolfe includes a convertible roof comprising two panels. However, the panels cannot be locked, and the walls are not rigid enough to withstand compressed materials.
European Patent Application No. 1,120,363 and United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2,429,006 (Sumpter) describe a trailer for the collection of waste comprising a chassis and a container. The container comprises a roof including an aperture closeable by a cover that slides over the aperture by means of a channel assembly. The cover may be a partly or fully retractable flexible sheet.
The structure of Sumpter does not allow the trailer to be used for transporting loosely compressed materials because the materials are distributed in the container using reciprocating slats, not a compactor. Furthermore, the cover disclosed in Sumpter is flexible and would thus not be able to withstand any pressure from within the container. Sumpter clearly does neither teach nor suggest using the container disclosed for transport of loosely compacted materials.
Neither Wolfe nor Sumpter deal with loosely compacted materials, and thus, fail to recognize the structural challenges created by internal pressures in a trailer upon compression of loose materials therein.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a trailer that can load and contain loosely compacted material, and which can also backhaul bulk goods on the way back from the unloading site in order to reduce the cost of transportation.