With the large-scale nature of today’s swine operations, the stakes for maintaining herd health are incredibly high. Producers invest heavily in shower-in/shower-out protocols, air filtration systems and visitor logs to protect their investments. However, a significant vulnerability remains in the biosecurity chain. The transport trailer is the one piece of equipment that routinely travels between production sites.
While washing and disinfecting trailers are standard procedures, they are not always sufficient. This is particularly true during colder months. Cold and wet surfaces create an ideal environment for viruses such as PEDv and PRRS to survive. A trailer may look clean to the naked eye, yet microscopic pathogens can persist in residual moisture trapped within cracks and crevices. If that moisture remains, the virus remains.
Mark Oberreuter, System Design Engineer and Tech Team Manager at AP, notes the gravity of the situation for today’s integrators.
“The concentration and the scale to which the industry has gotten to means it is nothing to have 12,000 animals in one facility,” said Oberreuter. “You have to protect those facilities at all costs. If viruses can get in, the result is a tremendous loss of money. It can be catastrophic.”
Eliminating viral pathogens with thermal drying
To close this gap, producers need a verified kill step that goes beyond a standard wash. The most effective enemy of viral pathogens is sustained high heat combined with complete drying.
The Bio-Dri 2 from AP was developed to deliver this thermal protection. This heavy-duty drying system uses high-volume, high-velocity air circulation to flood the trailer with heat. It raises the trailer’s internal temperature to approximately 160 degrees Fahrenheit, a level proven to inactivate viruses. By sustaining this high-temperature environment, the system evaporates moisture from hard-to-reach areas, removing the environment pathogens need to survive.
The process is intense and thorough. “I would describe it like we are torching the inside surface of the trailer,” Oberreuter explained. “The idea is that we are doing it as fast and consistently as we can. We are aiming to get all the inside surfaces with which pigs would come in contact up to temperature.”
Bio-Dri 2 features automation and verification
The Bio-Dri 2 is a standalone biosecurity station that integrates seamlessly into the truck wash workflow. The system has a user-friendly interface and recirculating airflow to maximize fuel efficiency while minimizing downtime. Key features of the Bio-Dri 2 include:
- High-efficiency heating cycle: The system uses unvented heaters (LP or natural gas) combined with powerful fans to recirculate hot air. This design conserves energy while rapidly raising the trailer’s internal temperature.
- Automated operation modes: It runs through a defined “pre-heat and bake” mode to reach target temperatures, followed by a “purge” mode. The purge cycle brings fresh air in to remove heat and combustion gases.
- Remote access and data logging: Users can monitor the process remotely via a computer or smartphone. The system logs data for every cycle, providing a digital record that verifies the trailer reached the correct temperature for the required duration.
- Integrated sensing technology: Operators place sensors directly into the trailer to monitor floor and air temperatures, guaranteeing the heat reaches the most critical surfaces rather than just the ambient air.
“With a computer involved, it can send out a text or email regarding the cycle status,” said Oberreuter. “You can be confident in tracking that your trailer has gone through this process. Sophisticated integrators connect these systems to their networks so they know exactly which trailer numbers have been through a Bio-Dri and make sure they don’t go onto a site unless they have been treated.”
Mitigating the financial risk of disease outbreak
A single outbreak can cost a producer millions in lost production and treatment. Implementing a thermal drying system turns a variable risk into a managed process, so producers can trust that the vehicle backing up to their barns is not a vector for disease.
“Knowing that we are bringing the inside surface of the trailer up to a hot and dry condition where the virus cannot survive means you are not going to spread viruses through your trailers,” Oberreuter stated. “It is a critical piece of your total biosecurity protocol.”
Learn more about how the Bio-Dri 2 can protect your operation. Ready to take the next step? Find your local AP dealer today.
