Page 17 - Vol34No7 MarchApril2017

Smith offered words of wisdom about just an hour and write that into your
the bidding process that only come after specs; it’s already there and pre-loaded.
years of experience. “One of the things I It’s not a guessing game,” Smith said. “Sit
do is to include the maintenance people down with your maintenance manager. It
in any of the decisions being made on a makes life so much simpler because you
vehicle. So that it’s not so driver-friendly are paying it at the front end instead of in
that a mechanic can’t work on it, and it’s an emergency situation.”
not so mechanic-friendly that a driver
can’t operate it. I try to balance both For Smith, 2017 marks 31 years of
sides. It’s a two way street.” service in garbage and recycling. He has
picked up garbage in Birmingham, Ala.;
Smith recommends allowing for a Atlanta, McDonough, Peachtree City
whole day in the bid process for the fleet and the Town of Tyrone, Ga.; Charlotte,
maintenance staff to basically take apart N.C.; Jackson, Miss.; Boston, Mass.;
the new truck. “One of the benefits you Oak Brook, Ill.; Abingdon, Va.; and
gain from including them in the work Kingsport, Hendersonville, Belle Meade,
is that they get to see the truck pristine. Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tenn.
You give them that opportunity so that
they can look at the truck. The mechanics “It’s all the same. It’s people. It’s routes. week. We put more miles on any vehicles
come in and have the training room set It’s equipment,” he said. “Garbage is
up with the PowerPoint presentation and garbage. It all stinks in the summer and
go through an hour or 2-hour classroom freezes in the winter. We all ultimately
setting. They give the guys a maintenance have the same goal: to be responsible and
book and they have about a 2-hour do it in a timely fashion.”
hands-on session for the body, and
2-hours on the truck and chassis.” When Smith arrived in Murfreesboro
in 2000, the population was around
Another tip Smith offered was to 60,000 people. Now it is closer to 135,000
require the manufacturers to list all the and is predicted to eclipse Chattanooga
serial numbers and filters that have to be in the next 4 to 5 years. “I put out over
changed, which allows the fleet services 800 brand new carts to brand new homes
department to input the data in their last year. Ask the garbage man and he
computerized Fleet Faster system. “Take can tell you how the economy is doing,”
he said.
MUNICIPAL EQUIPMENT, INC.
313 JENSO DRIVE • KNOXVILLE, TN 37912
Roll Off & Transfer Equipment
Garbage Packers
Mini Packers
Salt Spreaders
Roll Out Cart Systems
Recycling Equipment
• Sales • Parts • Service •
Call Municipal Equipment, Inc. for all your solid waste equipment needs.
865-689-1994 (office) 865-689-7079 (fax) Toll free: 800-248-7590
www.municipalequipmentinc.com
“Garbage is fun. It’s actually going to
be more fun in the next 5 to 8 years when
we decide how we are going to resolve
our biggest issue.” With the Middle Point
Landfill projected to close in 8 to 10
years, all of the local governments have
agreed to work on a solution, which
could be as low-tech as a convenience
center or transfer station or as high-tech
as waste energy. “You know you’re not
going to get another landfill and I’ve been
in it too long to know that there has to be
a better way than just burying it.”
Smith is up to the challenge. He claims
his staff know the residents and the city
better than anyone else. “We are the only
department that rides every street, every
except for the police department - and
we’re a four-day-a-week operation.”
“The only unknown we have in
the whole system is the resident,
which I think is probably true of any
municipality or county,” Smith said.
But that’s where he depends on his
team. “Ralph loves garbage. He loves his
people that he serves every day.” Smith
said, “I got him that new truck and
maybe he’ll stay another 10 years! He
loves that truck.”
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