roll off trucks= hard work?

Discussion in 'Waste Removal and Garbage Truck Driver Forum' started by trashtruckin22, Jan 23, 2013.

  1. trashtruckin22

    trashtruckin22 Bobtail Member

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    Sep 17, 2012
    Longview, TX
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    hey guys I ran into some roll off drivers at the landfill the other day and they just went on and on about how backbreaking and strenuous the job is.... is it really that bad? it looks rather easy to me.... but I've never done it before so I don't know....
     
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  3. Bayle

    Bayle Road Train Member

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    It's easy! The hardest thing is dropping a can in a tight spot like in a garage without damaging anything. Physically, most times the hardest thing is opening or closing a tweaked door. I always had a crowbar with me that handled most anything. I hauled for a scrap metal place, not that hard to use hydraulics to lift the boom and attach the hook, then use the hydraulics to lift the can on the rails. Just a bit of practice in yanking it up and lowering the boom the right amount so as not to have the can slide off the side in case you aren't square.
     
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  4. PICNIC

    PICNIC Light Load Member

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    I agree. It was on of the easiest driving jobs I ever had. We hauled construction debris out of DC. Hardest part of the job was dropping "empties" on a one way street, going in and picking up the "full can", dropping it in the street, picking the "empty" back up and setting it into place, then picking up the "full" can, two straps, hit the auto tarp lever and roll. Worst part was all the horns blaring from blocked traffic. Whole process took about 12 min if you did not have to cut a bunch of material sticking out of the top. Tweaked doors were common and from my experience, a crow bar was great for getting them opened but it always seemed harder to get them to shut.
     
  5. Bayle

    Bayle Road Train Member

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    Yeah, can be in and out of the cab a lot probably hard on really big guys, maybe that was the "strenuous" gripe.
     
  6. cadillacdude1975

    cadillacdude1975 Road Train Member

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    the drivers in DC are horn happy. that much is certain.
     
  7. CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

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    It had to be the easiest and funnest job I've had. Then again I worked for our county gov't and hauled 2-4 boxes a day. The rest of the time I goofed off. You'd be surprised what some people throw away. Perks of the job.

    The busiest day is the day after Christmas. At least is was for us because the residents have to dump their garbage at satellite dump sites around the county.

    I quit when Chattanooga started hauling their human waste up to our landfill. You couldn't help but track the stuff everywhere. If it wasn't for that I'd probably still been there and been the county landfill supervisor now. A friend I helped get a driving job behind me got the position. I can kick myself for that one. I would be driving around in a new 4x4 now.

    Private companies like Waste Management (Santek) are stricter and run tight schedules and longer runs if you want to call 100 miles far. :) They didn't have the goof off time I had.

    Plus it's a big difference if you have an auto-tarp system.
     
  8. Bayle

    Bayle Road Train Member

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    Scares the crap out of you the first time you lift a heavy can and the front wheels come off the ground 2 or 3 feet.
     
  9. Logan76

    Logan76 Crusty In Training

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    Gravy work, they were yanking your chain...
     
  10. Upright

    Upright Medium Load Member

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    single rolloff work is not hard. Its when your pulling the rocket launcher. The trailer that holds two boxes. Its a pain in the ### and isn't really made for using at landfill. Its more for transporting boxes. The thing is when your boxes are heavy, you end up getting stuck because there is no weight on the drive axles and majority of the time you need the landfills equipment to push you out. Then using the rocket launcher to deliver or pu a box in a tight space is a chore in itself. Good thing about it is you usually have a longer wire and you can use it to drag the bin out of a hole.
     
  11. Upright

    Upright Medium Load Member

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    oh and the hardest thing about rolloff work imo is tarping the load. Our trucks don't have the automated tarp so its all manual. You gotta get on top and adjust the load so tarp doesn't get hung up on debris.
     
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