How waste management fleet tracking streamlines operations.

A day in waste management operations can feel like a lot of problem resolution, rather than a steady progression toward bigger goals. Whether it’s a residential pickup gone wrong or yet another to-do on a drawn-out insurance claim, little issues add up to get in the way.

Here’s how waste management fleet tracking can help streamline operations and keep your team moving.

What is waste management fleet tracking?

Waste management fleet tracking uses GPS and telematics to provide comprehensive oversight of vehicles and assets in order to optimize waste collection operations.

How does waste management fleet tracking work?

Waste management fleet tracking software uses real-time GPS insights paired with geofencing and telematics technology to gain real time visibility into the location, usage, and health of waste collection vehicles and assets. 

By installing Motive’s Vehicle Gateway or Asset Gateway in waste management vehicles or assets, you can see where your equipment is and how it’s being used. Built-in cellular connectivity syncs more than 200 telematics metrics, such as vehicle usage, location, and fuel consumption, back to your dashboard, so you can see your fleet’s activities in one central place. 

Read on to discover how fleet tracking can simplify operational challenges while improving efficiency, fleet safety, and profitability.

How the waste management industry uses tracking software: 4 use cases.

Increase operational efficiency 

With waste management fleet tracking, get a real time, comprehensive view of the entire fleet, including vehicle location, driver activity, and vehicle health, all from a single dashboard. 

Use this data to gauge overall fleet performance, while optimizing routes, increasing utilization, and improving fuel efficiency.

Improve safety 

GPS fleet tracking enables exact identification of vehicles within seconds, crucial in the event of an emergency. On a regular basis, dash cams in a fleet tracking system provide unbiased footage of the road and surrounding areas so you can understand incidents, protect drivers from false claims, and pinpoint risky behaviors for driver coaching. This proactive approach reduces accidents, along with costs and liability. 

Example: Piedmont Disposal and Recycling uses fleet tracking to coach drivers

Like many waste and recycling businesses, Piedmont’s drivers run short routes, picking up loads of waste from job sites and disposing of them before returning for another load. They mainly work on city streets, and the roll off truck drivers frequently have to back up in confined spaces. 

“It’s a very congested environment,” Safety Manager Justin Pardue said. “We have trucks downtown all day, every day. All our work involves backing up and working in small spaces, so it’s very high risk.” 

When Piedmont first invested in Motive AI Dashcams, their overall Safety Score was 76. Now it’s 99, just below the top score of 100. Pardue said, “We’ve seen a 25% reduction in unsafe behaviors. That’s huge. The AI Dashcam has been instrumental in breaking our drivers’ unsafe driving habits and instilling in them a safer mindset.”

Grow productivity

Fleet tracking delivers real-time diagnostics for waste management vehicles, including engine light codes and other critical alerts. As a result, you can keep up with maintenance needs and schedule proactive repairs. With more timely service, fleets can avoid breakdowns, costly repairs, and downtime.

Make data-driven business decisions

Fleet tracking software provides the data for better, more business-friendly decisions. For example, you can:

• Understand the average time it takes for drivers to complete routes and find alternate routes for drivers if needed.

• Retire vehicles at the right time based on their comprehensive digital history in the fleet dashboard.

• Coach drivers who need it and reward drivers who drive safely.

Example: FusionSite Services uses fleet tracking data to improve across the business

FusionSite Services, a premier provider of solid and liquid waste management and temporary site services, uses fleet tracking for its mixed fleet of more than 800 vehicles. 

They’ve found there are unlimited ways to use the data, including utilization, fuel projections, and theft prevention. 

“Motive allows you to focus on utilization of your assets and to determine risk for replenishment cycles,” said Ryan Ennis, FusionSite’s Head of Risk and IT. “That allows you to focus on very key characteristics, like your fuel purchasing program. You’re able to project when you need fuel. You’re able to do analysis between your credit card spend and compare it to the consumption rates of your vehicles to identify fuel theft.” 

Key features of waste management fleet tracking software

What should you look for in fleet tracking software? While you may need to adapt the list to meet your unique needs, the features below are a good place to start. 

• Live GPS tracking. Modern waste management fleet tracking relies on GPS tracking to identify vehicle location. Look for technology that syncs back to a centralized dashboard to track assets, vehicles, and equipment in one place.
  
• Telematics. Waste management fleet tracking isn’t just about location. Fleet telematics should be part of the software to monitor fleet health, including fuel consumption, emission levels, and time spent on site, all mapping back to the dashboard. These indicators are crucial to optimizing fleet health and productivity.
  
• Integrations to dash cams. Dash cams work hand-in-hand with tracking. They provide a full view of what’s happening on the road and at pickups and dropoffs. Look for dash cams with high-definition footage that show both the road and the driver to get extra protection in the event of an accident or incident. 
  
• Wifi hotspot. The top trackers even offer a WiFi hotspot for remote areas, keeping drivers connected when they’re out on their routes.
  
• Complete visibility. Managing every aspect of operations individually wastes time and decreases productivity. Look for fleet management software that integrates fleet tracking with maintenance, compliance, and safety for 360-degree visibility into operations.

Understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in waste management. Motive surveyed leaders across trucking and logistics, construction, oil and gas, and more to create the 2024 Physical Economy Outlook.

Benefits of a modern tracking solution

So, how does bringing all this technology together translate into real-world advantages for a waste management business?

It’s safer for everyone

At the core of every successful waste operation is the safety of the team and the public. A modern fleet tracking solution makes the entire environment safer:

• Coach drivers. Telematics data for unsafe behaviors like harsh braking or rapid acceleration provide trends for addressing risky driving behaviors before they turn into accidents. 

• Send help. In the event of a breakdown or an accident, quickly find vehicles and drivers and send help.

• Know what happened. No more “he said, she said” when an incident occurs. With video footage, get unbiased video of the road and critical side views, providing hard evidence for claim resolution. 

Example: Prairie Disposal keeps drivers and roads safer with fleet tracking

Prairie Disposal, a leading waste management service in Alberta, Canada, works across a sprawling, remote service area. Tim Summach uses Motive fleet tracking software to make sure he knows where his drivers are and what challenges they’re encountering. 

“We had a truck traveling on a remote forestry road that rolled down an embankment. As soon as the truck went off the road, we got an alert and an email saying there was a collision. Because of Motive, we were able to check on our driver right away and make sure he was OK. The response time was so fast. Without Motive’s real-time alerts, who knows how long our driver could have been waiting for help, or when we could have reached him?” – Tim Summach, Prairie Disposal

Time maintenance right

Imagine knowing a check engine light’s specific fault code the moment it lights up, without getting a call about a broken-down vehicle. Real-time vehicle diagnostics allow you to practice preventive fleet maintenance. Identify issues like a faulty compactor or a failing hydraulic system early, schedule repairs efficiently, and keep assets at peak performance.  

“We’re able to get the notification if an engine light comes on. We can see the code, and understand what’s wrong with the vehicle right away. From the engine fault code, we proactively know how to respond. We know right away if we need to send a tow truck or if the truck is drivable to get it back to the shop.” – Tim Summach, Prairie Disposal

Track vehicles and assets with precision

With fleet tracking software, know exactly where every specialized truck, dumpster, or piece of heavy equipment is at all times. Use this knowledge to make sure every asset is doing what it should, where it should, and when it should so that every piece of the operation pulls its weight.

Provide superior customer issue resolution

Integrated cameras and GPS data deliver instant, verifiable proof of service. Show a customer exactly why their bin wasn’t collected or that a job was completed with time-stamped video evidence. This helps fleets resolve complaints quickly and avoid unexpected costs.

“What’s so nice about the AI Omnicam, especially on the residential side, is if somebody says, ‘You didn’t pick up my bin,’ we can say, ‘Well, it wasn’t out there and we have video proof that it wasn’t there.’” – Tim Summach, Prairie Disposal

Manage operations while moving toward the bigger goals with fleet tracking

With fleet tracking, move beyond the daily emergencies and make a long-term difference on waste management operations. It’s an investment in working faster with fewer headaches.  

If you’re looking for software that will give you 360-degree visibility into your operations, check out Motive’s Integrated Operations Platform. 

Want to learn more about how Motive works for mixed fleets? Read more here.