Every day, public sector sanitation teams navigate tight urban corridors, reverse into congested alleys, and operate massive trucks near homes, schools, and pedestrians. This work is mission-critical and inherently high-risk.

Waste management departments must manage this risk while operating under tight budgets, union influence, and intense public scrutiny. Building a world-class safety program isn’t just an operational goal — it’s a public duty.

It requires strong leadership, thoughtful planning, and the right technologies to keep crews safe, maintain public trust, and extend the life of your vehicles. This guide outlines the steps waste management fleet leaders can take to dramatically reduce incidents, improve crew safety, and boost the effectiveness of taxpayer-funded operations.

The State of Sanitation Fleet Safety

The challenges facing municipal waste and sanitation departments are growing. With routes often running through residential streets and busy urban centers, sanitation truck operators face daily risk from:

  • Pedestrian and cyclist traffic
  • Confined spaces and frequent backing up
  • Unpredictable vehicle maintenance issues
  • Service verification in response to customer complaints
  • Property damage liability in neighborhoods they serve — but do not own

At the same time, many departments lack visibility into driver behavior and vehicle status before incidents occur. They’re often relying on outdated systems, frozen dash cams, or no video evidence at all.

Waste services vehicles are oversized, specialized machines that require careful navigation in tight environments. Yet many public works departments are under pressure to “do more with less” — fewer staff, older trucks, and increasing demands for transparency and service.

If ever there was a time to double down on safety technology, it’s now.

Step 1: Evaluate the Current Safety Landscape

The first step to building a world-class waste management fleet safety program is knowing where you stand. That means taking a close look at the incident rates, driving behaviors, and safety culture within your team.

Ask:

  • How often are sanitation drivers involved in accidents?
  • Are injuries happening during backing, loading, or navigating tight streets?
  • What’s the process for investigating property damage complaints?
  • How many near misses go unreported?

Start tracking and benchmarking your performance against industry standard. And don’t forget to gather driver feedback — they know the realities on the road better than anyone.

Step 2: Build a Safety Culture That Starts With Leadership

A culture of safety is more than compliance checklists. It’s a mindset that puts crew welfare and community safety at the center of operations.

For public works and sanitation leaders, this means:

  • Leading by example in prioritizing safe behavior
  • Building strong communication loops with drivers and crew members
  • Empowering employees to report unsafe conditions and near misses
  • Providing adequate training and support, especially for newer or part-time workers

In waste management, this also includes setting expectations around safe zones during collections, minimizing rushed pickups, and ensuring vehicles are maintained and staffed to prevent burnout and short-staffed shifts.

Prairie Disposal in Alberta used Motive to cut incident response time dramatically — saving 10-20 hours per event. They also avoided six legal proceedings thanks to clear video evidence and streamlined documentation.

Step 3: Equip Crews With the Right Technology

Outdated dash cams, failed recording to memory cards, and disconnected systems can actually increase risk if they fail at critical moments. Instead, departments should turn to modern safety technologies designed for high-risk, high-visibility fleet environments like waste management.

Motive’s AI Dashcams and Omnicams offer:

  • Real-time alerts for unsafe behaviors like speeding or close following
  • Contextual video clips to support coaching
  • Increased visibility for operating in tight spaces
  • Event-based recording to capture true risk moments, not hours of irrelevant footage
  • Irrefutable video evidence to help verify service and address customer complaints

And because waste management crews often operate near pedestrians, having this visibility protects not only the driver but the community at large.

For example, Piedmont Disposal and Recycling, a North Carolina-based waste hauler, saw a 25% reduction in unsafe driving behaviors after switching from a different dash cam solution to Motive AI Dashcams. Their safety score jumped from 76 to 99, and drivers began proactively improving their own habits, even off the job.

Step 4: Coach Continuously and Personally

Accurate safety data is only useful if it leads to better behavior. That’s why the most successful sanitation fleet leaders make safety coaching part of the daily routine.

With platforms like Motive, you can:

  • Identify which drivers need coaching based on unsafe events
  • Provide real-time or same-day feedback using video footage
  • Track improvements using customizable Safety Scores
  • Tailor coaching to the unique patterns of each driver and route

As FusionSite Services discovered, addressing issues like cell phone use and distracted driving in real time led to a 92% drop in high-risk behaviors — and nearly 90% fewer safety incidents overall.

Step 5: Optimize Fleet Visibility and Vehicle Health

Safety doesn’t stop with drivers. Poor vehicle maintenance, idling, and equipment downtime can all lead to dangerous situations — not to mention service delays that upset constituents.

By implementing fleet management tools that include:

… you ensure that waste management vehicles are always ready, routes are completed efficiently, and maintenance issues are caught before they cause harm.

Step 6: Secure Buy-In With Results That Matter

Crews are often skeptical of new tools, particularly cameras. Transparency, clear communication, and demonstrating quick wins are key to adoption.

Make it clear that these tools:

  • Are there to protect them, not punish them
  • Reduce false claims and protect from lawsuits
  • Help create a less stressful and safer work environment

As seen with Piedmont Disposal, once drivers understood the value of real-time coaching and saw the improvements in their own Safety Scores, many came around — and even brought those safer habits home.

Next Steps: Transform Your Safety Program with Motive

A well-run sanitation safety program does more than reduce accidents — it improves uptime, strengthens public trust, and gives fleet managers the tools they need to maximize taxpayer dollars.

By implementing AI-powered safety tools, maintaining a strong culture of accountability, and using clear metrics to track progress, public works and sanitation leaders can transform how their departments operate — safely, efficiently, and transparently.

Ready to modernize your waste management fleet safety program?
Download Motive’s Ultimate Guide to Fleet Safety today and take the first step toward safer streets, protected crews, and better service for your community.