How long does it typically take you all to learn your routes? 1 month or maybe several?

I work for a local waste company in Richmond, Virginia and I started with them two months ago. The company is paying me $21 an hour with no overtime pay after 10 hours. Three days off and we get 8 vacation days on top of a Christmas bonus a year. Factor in the $1000 retention bonus I’ll get at the middle of the year I’m on track to make $45000+ this year without even including my bonus. It’s a route position.

Recently I’ve come to see and if you read my past posts that learning the routes can take between 2-7 months. Which my supervisor told me. The company I work for says don’t worry about learning the routes fast as I am with two helpers and one of the helpers knows the route without question.

We have four routes Tuesday-Friday. All different with multiple turns and backdoors on top of u-turns. Each one takes 9-10 hours to complete. At first I found the job to be incredibly taxing as my body hurt so bad the first two weeks jumping in and out of the truck. But now my body is use to the job I love the work and the job.

Recently I have been stressed because learning the route is annoying when my helper always has to tell me where to turn at certain parts. We miss a lot of turns and it messes up our time to get off. Frankly, I know all four routes but there is chunks of the route I don’t know. Like at times when I get to residential neighborhoods and we deal with multiple turns in a circular motion. It’s quite confusing. Luckily I mapped out all four routes with TrackMe and I’ve finally found a solution until I remember the entire route. Because again, I know the routes and lots of backdoors but I need a solution.

The reason why is because while my manager is not pressed the helper seems to be getting annoyed I forget certain turns some weeks. Not like he tells me but you can clearly feel it.

So I got to work and with this forum and the power of the internet I’ve solved my biggest issue. I used TrackMe on top of Scenic App to create a route that shows the entire route on my phone with all backdoors and it shows a overview of every-turn to make!!! I used it this past Thursday and Friday and completed the route without my helpers advice whats so ever. He was shocked and told me he’s never seen anyone map out the entire route like this other than mapping it.

Now it’s so good because the App shows me turns I can’t remember and when I get to parts I do remember I don’t need the app. It is also a excellent learning toll as I can see how each turn looks and if we’re going in circular motions or not to learn the route and not need the app.

Now with this app I was considering my options in Virginia in a year. I can map an entire route in one day. I can have it routed and on Scenic in another day. Will this tools be a good option to sell myself to over waste companies in the future for more pay?

Considering I can map out a route and instead of it taking me weeks or months I can learn a route in less than a week?

I’m seeing waste management drivers telling me they make $18-20 and hour but with overtime bring home $1200 a week.

I’m seeing Choice drivers telling me they bring home $250 a day which is $52000 a year.

What are my options with the tools I can use and my driving experience after a year? I’ve seen drivers get hired with Choice waste after 6 months. I’m at two months already. Not counting when I was with TMC and Messer.

 

What happened with your garbage truck driving job? Why’d you quit?

 

Because they underpaid. I got back into class A

 

Nice, I have my class A since 2020 but always drove class B. Been driving a propane truck for over a year now and like it. Was interested in the garbage industry because it seems very stable and year round work! Propane is good but it slows down in spring and summer

 

It depends on area but there are some good garbage companies. But you’ll have it easier doing class A