Waste management is a growing industry. Each day, the world produces about 3.5 million tons of refuse, so this growth trend will continue. For some time, there has been an ongoing industry debate about the effectiveness of on-board refuse scales. The tide seems to be shifting as refuse scales are continuing to gain popularity among waste haulers. Why is this shift happening?
Profitability Tracking
The biggest benefit of scales for front-end loaders involves profitability. Many waste haulers are currently looking at profitability from a route perspective rather than from an individual customer account basis. Customers are charged a fee based on container size, while the refuse company pays landfills based on refuse weight. The inconsistency creates a problem with accurately passing on costs to the customer when dump rates become greater than what the customer is being charged.
By adding on-board scales to front-end loaders, waste haulers can be sure that they are charging everyone a correct and comparable rate based on their average bin weight. Customers pay their fair share for refuse removal, and the hauler is ensured profitability on every account.
It’s all about the data
“You cannot manage what you cannot measure” says Jason Leck, VP of Leck Waste Services. As the refuse industry gains a clearer picture of the value on-board scales bring to waste hauling, the real worth for haulers is being found in the ability to analyze the weight data. A number of on-board route management companies also see the value in this data and are now offering the capability of integrating their systems with scales. View Air-Weigh integration partners here. Another option is BinMaxx XL, an alternative for waste haulers who don’t use route management software but who still would like to easily access and download weight data back at the home office. Bin Maxx XL is free to use and stores weight data securely in the cloud. Either option is going to allow haulers to use on-board scales to their full potential and reach their ultimate goal of increasing profitability.
For more information, visit our refuse page to learn about Air-Weigh scales for refuse vehicles including; LoadMaxx, BinMaxx and BinMaxx XL.