This is so cool to hear you do this and talk about the things that go on to do a route timely and effectively. I think another thing that effects route timing is in the condition of the truck. A driver im friends with was behind an hour because his blade was so slow, had to stop several times to manually run it and cycle it back. I felt bad for him, the arm was a good pace but slow blade. The backing make sense but avoid it as much as possible, i know there are times when you cant avoid it. I once recorded a route in Manhattan Beach with homes by the beach and the residents set thei carts out in the alleys, the drviers have to back into them all day from PCH i think to get into all those alleys. It does look stressful, especially during rush hour. I love the running circles route, it is perfect if you are recording a route thst is rural but the blocks are squared. In Henderson, NV i record and the drivers call those rural areas 'the scattereds' cause the stops are far apart, but they just make right turns all day, helps me to know where they will he next before they even finish the block lol. It was cool seeing you map out the areas, i couldnt find the quirk though. Awesome stuff, always enjoy the stuff you post. It would be cool to see you filming your truck pack out and having the blade run several cycles to pack it away.
i’m glad you liked the video. Yes, my current route is recycling. But we can do the other commodities for over time as a re-assignments using the same truck.
I have a question, I just started working in the trash business. I’ve been driving for four months now. I work 12 + days. I’m picking up 10 to 12 tons of household trash every 4 hours. Is this typical in the industry? My supervisor keeps telling me to pick up the pace and do it in 3 hours. I’ve tried to improve the process on my own cause management won’t help. I drive a Heil with a paddle blade and rapid rail arm. It has 30 cubic yard body. Any input would be much appreciated thank you. PS I forgot to mention that each of my route of trash consist of 30 to 35 tons a day.
First off, I want to apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I’ve been away from my channel for a while. Congratulations on starting your new job in the waste industry! Working those 12+ hour days can be grueling, and I understand how exhausting it can get. From my experience, a 12+ hour workday is on the longer side, but it’s not uncommon in this industry. I often put in 10 to 12 hours at least 4 days a week myself, but hopefully, you’re being properly compensated with overtime pay after the 8 hour shift. Picking up 10 to 12 tons of household trash every 4 hours is quite a heavy workload. If you’re working in a high-density area with a lot of large 96-gallon or bigger cans, that amount is plausible. However, it still sounds like a lot to manage consistently without fatigue. In my area, there are some yard waste routes that hit similar tonnages, especially during leaf season, when wet leaves can add significant weight. It’s not unusual for those routes to reach 30+ tons a day, but they're not year around. Usually last about month and a half in a year. That's a 3 or 4 loads a day. That kind of workload is intense and not very sustainable over time. It puts a physical strain on drivers and can lead to burnout if management doesn’t have a plan to make the workload more manageable. Unfortunately, I can’t speak definitively about the industry average. However, from my perspective, what you’re describing is a tough pace, and your supervisor’s expectation to shave down an hour is ambitious. It’s admirable that you’ve tried to streamline the process on your own, especially if management hasn’t provided support. Hopefully, they recognize the effort you’re putting into improving efficiency. Stay safe out there, and remember to prioritize your well-being. Your health is crucial in a physically demanding job like this. Let me know if there are any specific points you’d like to expand on or adjust. Hope i answered some of your questions
Yeah, that definitely seems like a lot, especially when you're packing out then having a dump off and come back. Plus you know how it is if you have to dump off twice.In one day and miss the landfill by a minute comma that throws your next day off
I am training Right now ..and this is the problem I am having is reading the route. Making only right turns and I was told to try to do one section at a time. Any advice
Corporate switched all but 2 of our residential routes from rearload to asl. We had 5 asl routes and 10 rearload routes including 3 recycling routes. They moved the trash routes first with new pythons and now getting new zrs. I do recycling with 6 days out in the county and 4 days in town. Ive been in one of the old zrs since the switch it wasnt to hard to reroute my days from rearload to asl. Just a bit more driving. They've decided to give me a python so I'll need to learn the new arm but at least its a new truck lol. If you're in an autocar there is a cupholder sold on amazon that will fit in their oversized cupholder.
I'm going to have to plug this in a video soon. Great explanation of routing. Particularly appreciate everything after 6:30.
This is so cool to hear you do this and talk about the things that go on to do a route timely and effectively. I think another thing that effects route timing is in the condition of the truck. A driver im friends with was behind an hour because his blade was so slow, had to stop several times to manually run it and cycle it back. I felt bad for him, the arm was a good pace but slow blade. The backing make sense but avoid it as much as possible, i know there are times when you cant avoid it. I once recorded a route in Manhattan Beach with homes by the beach and the residents set thei carts out in the alleys, the drviers have to back into them all day from PCH i think to get into all those alleys. It does look stressful, especially during rush hour. I love the running circles route, it is perfect if you are recording a route thst is rural but the blocks are squared. In Henderson, NV i record and the drivers call those rural areas 'the scattereds' cause the stops are far apart, but they just make right turns all day, helps me to know where they will he next before they even finish the block lol. It was cool seeing you map out the areas, i couldnt find the quirk though. Awesome stuff, always enjoy the stuff you post. It would be cool to see you filming your truck pack out and having the blade run several cycles to pack it away.
Amazing video. Glad I saw this. Do you only do recycling?
i’m glad you liked the video. Yes, my current route is recycling. But we can do the other commodities for over time as a re-assignments using the same truck.
I did this 35 years retired now 👍
Any tips on how to get in with Recology I have 2 years experience but never got a job offer
I have a question, I just started working in the trash business. I’ve been driving for four months now. I work 12 + days. I’m picking up 10 to 12 tons of household trash every 4 hours. Is this typical in the industry? My supervisor keeps telling me to pick up the pace and do it in 3 hours. I’ve tried to improve the process on my own cause management won’t help. I drive a Heil with a paddle blade and rapid rail arm. It has 30 cubic yard body. Any input would be much appreciated thank you. PS I forgot to mention that each of my route of trash consist of 30 to 35 tons a day.
First off, I want to apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I’ve been away from my channel for a while.
Congratulations on starting your new job in the waste industry! Working those 12+ hour days can be grueling, and I understand how exhausting it can get.
From my experience, a 12+ hour workday is on the longer side, but it’s not uncommon in this industry. I often put in 10 to 12 hours at least 4 days a week myself, but hopefully, you’re being properly compensated with overtime pay after the 8 hour shift.
Picking up 10 to 12 tons of household trash every 4 hours is quite a heavy workload. If you’re working in a high-density area with a lot of large 96-gallon or bigger cans, that amount is plausible. However, it still sounds like a lot to manage consistently without fatigue.
In my area, there are some yard waste routes that hit similar tonnages, especially during leaf season, when wet leaves can add significant weight. It’s not unusual for those routes to reach 30+ tons a day, but they're not year around. Usually last about month and a half in a year. That's a 3 or 4 loads a day. That kind of workload is intense and not very sustainable over time. It puts a physical strain on drivers and can lead to burnout if management doesn’t have a plan to make the workload more manageable.
Unfortunately, I can’t speak definitively about the industry average. However, from my perspective, what you’re describing is a tough pace, and your supervisor’s expectation to shave down an hour is ambitious. It’s admirable that you’ve tried to streamline the process on your own, especially if management hasn’t provided support. Hopefully, they recognize the effort you’re putting into improving efficiency.
Stay safe out there, and remember to prioritize your well-being. Your health is crucial in a physically demanding job like this.
Let me know if there are any specific points you’d like to expand on or adjust. Hope i answered some of your questions
Yeah, that definitely seems like a lot, especially when you're packing out then having a dump off and come back. Plus you know how it is if you have to dump off twice.In one day and miss the landfill by a minute comma that throws your next day off
I am training Right now ..and this is the problem I am having is reading the route. Making only right turns and I was told to try to do one section at a time. Any advice
Corporate switched all but 2 of our residential routes from rearload to asl. We had 5 asl routes and 10 rearload routes including 3 recycling routes. They moved the trash routes first with new pythons and now getting new zrs. I do recycling with 6 days out in the county and 4 days in town. Ive been in one of the old zrs since the switch it wasnt to hard to reroute my days from rearload to asl. Just a bit more driving. They've decided to give me a python so I'll need to learn the new arm but at least its a new truck lol. If you're in an autocar there is a cupholder sold on amazon that will fit in their oversized cupholder.
I have wm and they are taught to make left turns when they can
Are you using Fleetmind Waste App?
Anyway you can help with my routes ?? Lol
you deserve to have a lot more views than me, brother🚛🫶🏽
I appreciate that