5 Ways to Optimize Waste Management Fleets with Smart Trucks

Much of the technology that municipalities and haulers utilize to help meet solid waste and recycling challenges centers on the collection vehicle itself. As technology continues to evolve, the waste management vehicle will become even more important than in previous years, as refuse trucks will both collect and transmit more data from a centralized command center. Let’s explore what this means for waste haulers and the benefits that smart truck technology can provide to companies in this industry.

Enter Smart Trucks.

A smart truck is equipped with sensors, cameras, and other technology that allows it to receive and gather information as it travels through the city, equipped with on-board computers for data collection and transmission. Smart trucks do this automatically, on a continuous line of communication with the back office of the waste hauling operation, helping to keep both the company and the waste management fleet better informed about their route.

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In terms of how this information is used, smart garbage trucks help drivers deliver routes more efficiently and effectively with onboard computers that provide turn-by-turn directions and enable operators to mark skips and make notes with the touch of a button.

In turn, communication between the smart truck and the office is enhanced: Office staff can see where waste disposal trucks are located in real time, see images and videos captured along routes to help answer questions when they call, and dispatch helper smart trucks on the fly, saving time and money while increasing safety.

Waste management fleet leaders use telemetry data collected from smart trucks to better understand what’s happening on routes, to coach drivers who need help, and to reward high-performing, highly valuable drivers.

In the municipal space of waste management, smart trucks allow solid waste leaders to optimize the waste collection process, generally as part of larger smart city goals. Smart truck automation helps to achieve profitability goals for waste haulers as well as sustainability goals for smart cities, all in one package.

Smart waste management vehicles as part of a broader smart-city strategy

While smart city initiatives are most commonly aligned with traffic, transportation, power and utilities, waste management and sanitation fit within the framework. Likewise, smart trucks that collect data and send it back to public works for analysis fit neatly within the parameters of the integrated, smart city model, and a proper implementation of the waste management fleet can make this information transfer part of the daily routine for smart truck technology.

A writer for Forbes painted the picture this way: A traditional city is like a series of silos. Housing, transportation, streets, and sanitation are stand-alone departments united under one mayor and city council. A smart city, by contrast, is a system of systems, wherein each city function or department is tied to the others. This creates a single web of information and an integrated view of things.

Most smart cities employ interactive technology via the Internet of Things (IoT) — including sensors, meters, and other autonomous electronics — to gather data and transmit it to city centers where it gets analyzed to help optimize operations. Clearly, smart trucks have a role to play here.

While the term “smart city” is now older than many of the technologies used in its service — the term turns 23 this year — employing smart technology in a waste management fleet alone does not make a city smart. For example, cities that tap into technology but do not use it to transmit or collect information are not smart cities; they are simply cities that use technology. The “smart” in “smart city” refers to the interconnectedness of this technology, rather than the use of the waste disposal truck technology in question.

The same goes for cities that use technologies managed by other organizations or entities. To be deemed a smart city, it is understood that municipalities or government entities must be part of the data collection and transmission process.

Smart haulers tap technology to solve problems, improve the bottom line

When it comes to streamlining operations and capturing lost revenue, waste disposal truck haulers generally report that strategic technology pays for itself in 12 to 18 months, and dividends continue to add value to the bottom line in the months beyond. Smart garbage trucks will pay for themselves once implemented, and as technology continues to improve, this ROI may reach the break-even point even sooner.

Smart truck technology helps haulers identify and fix some of the most expensive mistakes they’re likely to make while growing their businesses, and turn those issues into opportunities:

Track go-backs: Avoid or recoup the cost of returning to a location to make a collection

Without seeing what’s happening at the curb, haulers can’t reduce go-backs or charge for extras.

Haulers like Gaeta Green Environmental Services in Staten Island, New York, rely on truck cameras and video service that gather photos and video at every stop — in tandem with onboard computers that keep drivers and office staff in constant communication. This smart truck technology empowers drivers to skip non-compliant collections and gives customer service representatives the irrefutable evidence they need to push back on expensive go-backs (or charge for them).

Plus, photos from the curb allow managers to see what’s happening there so they can properly address problems before they escalate.

Understand where you’re losing on extra waste collections — and start charging for them

An extra bag of yard debris here, a Christmas tree there, and an oversized item down the street. When waste management fleets feel the pinch of increased collections but see diminishing returns, it’s often because logging extras on paper is a tedious and unreliable method that leads to providing additional services for free.

Haulers that leverage in-cab technology make it easy for drivers to log extras by tapping a button and selecting the type of “extra” from a customized list. Direct integration with their billing systems allows these charges to be automatically added to a customer’s invoice. When used in conjunction with smart truck features like photo and video functionality, haulers have proof of services rendered, which eliminates some potential customer disputes, too.

Use reliable data to support running as few smart trucks as possible

Fleet costs are always on the rise. Trucks aren’t cheap – not to buy, lease, insure, or maintain — and increasing a fleet’s size without increasing overall workload or efficiency creates waste. By one estimate, the cost to operate a collection vehicle for one hour in 2023 is $180, or $3 per minute.

Haulers like American Refuse in Wasco, California, that rely on an integrated system that includes smart truck features, onboard devices, and back-office software can track data that reveals how routes can be made more efficient.

In one case, data showed that each driver could take on 10% more stops without increasing hours worked, thereby allowing the hauler to reduce 10% of its fleet without reducing services.

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Invoice customers for all of the services they receive — and skip non-paying accounts

Without real-time account information visible inside the truck, drivers don’t know which customers to serve and which to skip. And so, in the spirit of providing excellent service, there have been many times when those whose bills haven’t been paid receive collection when a suspension would be in order.

In-cab computers let drivers know, in real time, which collections to skip and why. Skipped waste collection often begets prompt payment.

Retain highly valuable driving talent

Without information about drivers’ individual performance behind the wheel, it’s impossible to coach struggling drivers or reward successful ones. This lack of information leads to employee churn and subsequent increased recruitment and training costs.

Forward-thinking waste management fleets like Pride Disposal in Beaverton, Oregon, are using fleet automation tools and insights to quickly train new drivers, help those who need it, and reward those who are doing an excellent job.

Why Your Waste Management Business Needs Smart Truck Technology

Without proven tools that help identify challenges, many haulers struggle to maintain profitability and grow their business.

Whether they’re managing public or private waste and recycling collection operations, solid waste leaders who rely on modern technologies to identify efficiencies and plug revenue leaks provide better value to the communities they serve.

For municipalities, smart truck technology means making the most of tight budgets and providing the best value to people. For haulers, technology creates opportunities to build a brand and scale business while staying ahead of the competition.

Learn more. It’s time to upgrade your waste management vehicles with smart truck technology that’s built for municipalities and haulers. Let’s talk!