Page 16 - Vol34No7 MarchApril2017

MURFREESBORO By Molly Gilbert
Trucks that Make You Want to Stay
Another 10 Years

What if you could provide your Left: Ralph King has worked with the City of Murfreesboro for
employees with a tool that makes them 29 years, 22 of which he has been running this same residential
want to do their jobs even more? Such is route. He said, “This right here is easy going. It’s a lot easier
the case with 29-year-veteran-employee of and a lot quicker.”
the City of Murfreesboro Ralph King. “I’m Below right: Smith shows off a maintenance binder. He has
close to retirement, but this truck makes a leadership role as the Chairman of the Central Region of
we want to stay another 6 years!” Tennessee’s Solid Waste Planning Region and represents the only
municipality as a member of the Tennessee Solid Waste Directors
The City of Murfreesboro recently Association, also known as TSWDA, which he encourages other
purchased five Roto Pac Mack Trucks from municipalities to join. “Most people when they look at the waste
New Way Manufacturer in Iowa, with stream, they look at what’s at the end of the driveway. They don’t
three more expected in May 2017. “It’s a lot look at the totality of the waste stream (sewer sludge, hazardous
easier and a lot quicker,” said King. “This waste, bulk items, etc.),” Joey Smith said.
truck is more like a video game, or a robot.
It does what I want it to do.” to say that growing up on the Mack MR, still has to have some rear loaders because
it’s probably one of the better trucks the town square wasn’t designed for the
With simplified controls, cutting down because it was designed by a driver, not by bigger style of trucks.
about half of the operations needed, the an engineer.” The driver side has that old
new truck is more efficient. “This truck 1950s-style curved glass which gives a lot Smith does warn that these are the most
does a lot neater of a job with fewer spills more visibility for the driver. However, as expensive trucks to maintain. “The more
since it’s also designed for wind,” said much as his team loves the new trucks, he green you want to be, the more green you
King. “You know how it was years ago; spend,” he said.
there was trash on the street. We couldn’t
help it. This truck is sealed. That’s what’s
different about this truck.”

King has seen all kinds of changes in
technology during the 22 years he has
been running the same residential route.
This particular truck was designed for the
food industry and has a grinding system
with an auger.

Joey Smith, Solid Waste Director of the
City of Murfreesboro, said, “Part of the
reason why I went with these trucks is
because it’s a totally different technology.”
He said he researched the body of the
truck for nine months before he got one
for demonstration purposes. His team
used it for four weeks in May 2015 and
on the very first day they had over seven
inches of rain. “The first thing that caught
my eye was that it didn’t leak at all!” He
said, “I was looking for a truck that would
pick up the garbage and would not leak.”

Besides eliminating a lot of customer
service phone calls, Smith said he likes
that it doesn’t have a packing blade.
“When you go to take it to the landfill to
dump, it’s practically pre-shredded. Our
load is about a third of capacity, but it still
has the same weight. I would guess it saves
a step of compaction at the landfill.”

Smith said, “It’s a lot easier in the
mechanics of it too. I wouldn’t be adverse
16 TPW March/April 2017