March/April 1988
How to Fit Roll-Offs Into your Fleet
Bigger scrap collections may mean more or bulkier materials that your usually reliable luggers cannot handle. But sending out the trailer may spell trouble. Adding roll-offs to your fleet may be the solution, but doing so sparks questions. Veteran fleet-operator Frank Cozzi tells you what to consider in developing answers.
By Frank J. Cozzi
Frank J. Cozzi is chairman of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Transportation Committee and secretary-treasurer of Cozzi Iron & Metal, Chicago, Illinois.
Bigger may be better, but only if you're prepared.
You have more scrap than before to collect from a customer. ... The scrap you're picking up is bulkier than usual. ... You picked up additional customers. ... Your customers want added convenience. Whatever the case, you need to take a new look at your lugger-and-trailer fleet and question its capability to handle your expanded demands.
In 1975, when the Cozzi Iron & Metal fleet of trucks included 14 luggers and about 600 lugger containers along with six tractors and 80 trailers, we found that additional capacity was badly needed. Like many other processors, we were facing the reality that not only were we in the scrap recycling business, we were also in the scrap collecting business. Department of Transportation regulations, weight laws, truck insurance, labor costs, and maintenance costs were as much a part of our operations as busheling, turnings, and nonferrous scrap.
We took a new look at our collection system to see how we could improve its efficiency. The system not only had to suit our needs, it had to suit those of our customers, too. Straight trucks were suitable for picking up drums or boxes, but these had to be loaded while the truck waited. Customer inconvenience or wasted time on our part often were the results.
Semitrailers could be left on site to be loaded with drums, boxes, or loose scrap, but these vehicles often tied up dock space. Our luggers had served us well for many years. The container could be left on site, either inside or outside the building, to be loaded at the customer's convenience. Luggers have relatively low maintenance costs and come in a variety of sizes ranging from 6 to 20 cubic yards, which added to their appeal. They were the next logical move up from using drums and boxes, but we needed to make yet another move. The truck fleet as a whole was no longer adequately addressing our collection needs.
Several questions had to be answered. First, what type of additional equipment should we invest in? We analyzed our payload situation and found that many of our lugger accounts were generating material that was too bulky to be handled profitably with more luggers. Yet, investing in more trailers was not justifiable, due to the maintenance involved. Roll-off units were a new option for the scrap industry in the seventies and looked like an attractive alternative.
Although roll-off units and containers are more expensive than luggers, they carry a better payload. In comparison with trailers, the initial cost of roll-off containers is much lower, and they do not require licensing. They also totally eliminate the problem of going to a customer only to find a trailer with flat tires, broken lights, or frozen brakes. A roll-off container has relatively low maintenance costs since it has no lights or moving parts.
We decided to invest in roll-offs. The next question was, how many trucks to buy?
The answer had to be based on several considerations:
How many accounts should be converted from luggers to roll-offs?
How many roll-off containers were needed to service these accounts?
How many trucks would it take to haul that number of containers? This number could vary greatly depending on the distance to the source and how many loads per day might be generated.
What would be done with the existing lugger trucks and trailers? We decided to use them as spare equipment when roll-off trucks were down for routine maintenance and repairs or when we added new business.
Another question centered on equipment design. Roll-off containers come in several different styles that should be examined before making a final decision. Each style has advantages and disadvantages. The worst situation is having roll-off units with different types of cable hookups; this unnecessarily complicates a system in which the only real difference should be in container size. The best policy is to standardize the fleet.
When converting our accounts to roll-off equipment, several other questions had to be addressed. What size containers would be most suitable for our operation? They range from 20 to 60 cubic yards. Overloads can be expensive, and hauling light loads affects freight costs. Density of the material to be hauled dictated the container sizes we chose. Larger containers would carry lighter, bulkier material, and smaller containers would carry denser material.
Matching the equipment to the customer's handling needs and type of scrap had to be considered, too. Converting from a lugger or trailer to a roll-off may require change in the loading procedure at the customer location or may require that the container be placed in a new area. Clearance for a roll-off unit is different from that for a trailer. The roll-off requires space equal to the length of the container plus the length of the roll-off unit, plus some room to maneuver the truck. Overhead clearances also must be considered, whether the container is inside a building or outdoors where there might be overhead wires.
Close to Perfect, But No Cigar
While the roll-off may be the best choice in many situations, it will not replace the lugger or the trailer in our industry. Certain types of material, loading situations, and available space make the roll-off less than ideal. For example, luggers remain the best means for interplant handling of material, especially in tight quarters. Trailers are the vehicle of choice for dock-level loading.
Operating a roll-off unit is not as simple as unhooking from a trailer and driving away, and this means special training for the drivers of these units. Time must be invested to ensure that the drivers can operate the equipment safely.
Our training method emphasizes safety from the beginning. We show new drivers pictures of what happens when a roll-off container hits overhead electric wires, and we explain to them the fatality associated with the pictures. We explain how a truck might overturn and how they can help prevent it. We also explain the danger of driving with the power takeoff (PTO) engaged so the container lifts as they drive, causing the truck to hit an overpass that it would otherwise clear. Drivers are instructed on how to inspect containers for broken hookup receivers, broken or spread rails, and tailgate hinges and fasteners. The failure of any one of these items could pose critical safety hazards for the driver and other motorists and must be corrected immediately.
We send the new drivers out with experienced drivers, who serve as trainers. The trainers ride as passengers, offering guidance and pre-testing for two to three days. If the new driver passes that test, he follows the trainer in his own truck for at least one month and remains the responsibility of that trainer for one year. The trainer helps the driver over the radio, giving him directions to accounts, hints on getting into tight spots, and directions on who to see at the accounts. When a new driver celebrates his one-year anniversary with the company, the trainer receives a bonus.
Drivers are not the only ones with something to learn about new roll-off equipment. The sales staff has to be aware of space considerations, container size, and payloads when spotting containers for their customers. A large container in an account that generates dense material could lead to many problems including overweight fines, damage to the equipment when attempting to lift the load, or inability to lift the load-which might result in unloading part of the load by hand.
The dispatch system is also affected. In addition to luggers, trailers, and straight trucks, they now have another type of container-with a different size range and loading capacity to keep track of. A numbering system that indicates container size is one way of making sure that the right size and type of container is sent to a customer.
Customers have to be educated on how to call in for pickups; they no longer need simply boxes or trailers.
For any size fleet, a system of keeping track of containers at each customer location becomes important so that more expensive equipment does not remain idle when a smaller container might be just as efficient. A tracking system also helps the dispatcher verify the physical location of the container.
Today Cozzi Iron & Metal tracks 15 roll-off trucks and 600 roll-off containers along with its luggers and trailers. The integration of the fleet was worth the work, but it wasn't easy. When starting up with equipment, there are sure to be problems and misunderstandings. The key to minimizing the problems is careful analysis of your current situation with regard to payloads and customer needs. Do this before making any purchases. Then commit to careful training and periodic follow-up analysis to make sure the system becomes fully integrated and operates at maximum efficiency.