Page 6 - Sept-Oct 2016 Vol 34 No 3
P. 6
CHATTANOOGA By Molly Gilbert
A Well-Equipped City

With 14 new brush removal vehicles operators will be safer as they navigate At a cost of $145,000 each, the new
available every day, the operators have their routes. The older model trucks used knuckleboom trucks will continue to
the tools they need to give the citizens six individual levers to operate every automate the Trash Flash (bulky items) and
of Chattanooga the level of service they function. Now the operator has total brush pick up, allowing for more efficient
deserve. control with only two. route coverage and reduced expense and
equipment maintenance time.
UPTIME The City of Chattanooga went to the
joystick controllers so that the employee efficient and dependable brush removal
City of Chattanooga Sanitation who is operating doesn’t have to take their vehicles on the market, the Petersen TL-3
Manager Gary Franks said, “The real hand off of one control to go to another. “Lightening” Loaders with Hardox Bodies
excitement is the uptime level we will have This generation of employees is already mounted on 2016 International 7400
out of the new vehicles.” He has worked familiar with joysticks, so it is an easy Chassis.
for the City for a total of 28 years. transition.
Lee Smith provided the cab and chassis
This major fleet purchase was the These particular trucks also have air for the vehicles. Andy Ashford, who
culmination of a two-year process and disc brakes, front and rear. They stop has worked for Lee Smith for 21 years
replaces vehicles bought in 2005. Franks more quickly, which is another element said, “We are a locally owned company.
said, “Ten years is the life cycle cost of safety for the City of Chattanooga We’ve been in business 75 years. Lee
predicted. The longer you keep one past operators and residents. The older trucks Smith prides themselves in customer
its life cycle, the more it costs to maintain. had S-CAM brakes. Knowing that federal service and going above and beyond
The maintenance [burden] will lessen standards have increased the requirement what our customers expect. I treat all
since these are newer.” for safe stopping distances, the City of my customers like I want to be treated.
Chattanooga was forward thinking and Our customers know that you can talk to
Each operator will be assigned a specific used special engineering to equip the the owner. The decision maker is local,
truck, helping with maintenance records trucks with technology that meets or which is efficient and offers a quicker
and better knowledge of each individual exceeds the new standards. turn around.”
vehicle.
“They always seem to be operating TRAINING
“If it doesn’t stop properly, or if it is ahead of the curve,” said Wayne Cope of
making an unusual noise, then it can be CMI, the exclusive local distributor of When Chattanooga upgraded their
addressed sooner. The more you operate Petersen Industries’ knuckleboom trucks equipment to a newer model, the internal
something when a problem arises, the more for Tennessee and Kentucky. training process was expedited because
it costs to fix that problem,” Franks said. the operators were already familiar with
Franks said, “Fleet went through the bid the Petersen Industries equipment.
“The reliability of new trucks is good process and chose the Petersen body and
for the morale of the entire Department,” Navistar chassis due to the service level
Franks said. “We are excited about the we’ve received in our previous fleet.”
new trucks being issued.”
This order was a prime example of
SAFETY Lee Smith and CMI Equipment Sales,
Inc., working together to better fulfill
Besides the boost to morale of having the customer’s needs with 14 of the most
a shiny new truck cab and chassis,

6 TPW September/October 2016
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