be additional equipment, such as hydraulic forks for lifting dumpsters or automated cart-tipper arms for emptying residential curbside collection carts. The first step in purchasing a new solid waste collection vehicle involves a thoughtful examination of the specialized needs of the community. Purpose First, consider the use of the collection vehicle. Often, rural communities use one vehicle for multiple functions: collecting solid waste, recycling, and yard waste. If a community identifies specifications for these individual waste categories separately, the final vehicle unit might be notably different because of the customized collection purpose. However, when a community seeks to purchase a multi-use vehicle, it must consider all the various collection needs. Route Understanding the environment in which the equipment will be functioning is critical.
If the community has many unpaved, narrow, or rugged roadways, the space available for operating the equipment may be limited. Choosing a vehicle with a smaller chassis and collection body may be essential for day-to-day operation—but ensuring the equipment is durable enough to handle the terrain is vital. Size Understanding the volume of solid waste that is being created, collected, and transferred for disposal will help you plan for the collection vehicle size you need. Factors such as how many route stops there are, how much waste you can collect in a day, and how many days you have available to complete the route will help determine the size of the collection body you need to purchase. Additionally, city managers often consider the impact of vehicles on the roadways. Personnel Considerations Most standard solid waste collection vehicles require a commercial driver’s license, also known as a CDL. However, some manufacturers offer compact trash trucks that fall below the weight requirements for a CDL license, which benefits rural communities that find it challenging to locate and hire qualified CDL drivers. Many communities are trying to move to more automated collection vehicles. The benefits of automated trucks include fewer personnel obligations—for example, manual rear-loading trucks can require two to three operators, depending on the route size; one operator drives while one or two operators ride on the back to collect trash at each stop along the route. Automatic rear-, front-, or side-loading vehicles can reduce the number of operators to one and free up personnel for other much-needed public works functions.
8 2022, ISSUE 3
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator