Transaction speed, traffic control, and proper billing are but three challenges being addressed with new scales and new software packages.

By Lynn Tilton

Whether it’s a collection route, a transfer station, or a landfill, ongoing improvements in scales and software are making a complicated operation simpler to deal with. Simplicity leads to greater profitability and simultaneously provides a higher level of service for the customer. Simplicity also helps keep costs under control so customers are less likely to get greatly distressed when they get the bill.

Correct Billing Comes First
It seems no matter how simple an operation may be, something gets lost in the process. Take, for example, a Midwest rolloff company with 18 vehicles averaging eight stops per day that manually traced its billings. “There were problems with lost work orders, delivery without a work order to the wrong place, or simply failure to fill out the form,” explains Peter Shroyer, vice president and director of business development for Soft-Pak Inc., located in San Diego. “When they began using our i-Pak software, they realized a 10%–15% increase in billings just from accurate tracking alone.”

A California customer utilizing the software was able to reduce the head count at the main office by two—yet improve its customer-service level. Shroyer adds, “Proper training is the most important aspect with any business-critical software. Without the right training you’ll never maximize the software’s capability and therefore never receive all of the system benefits.  We deal with all sizes of waste-collection companies, from mom-and-pop operations up to some of the largest publicly held businesses in the industry. Amount of training depends on the size of the operation. Say, for 10 users, a minimum of two days is needed for administrative training for those who actually run the system.

Then there’s another five days for user training that the administrators participate in. Proper training—backed up by an experienced, accessible support staff—is critical to success of both the provider and the user.”

Managing Traffic
In southeastern Pennsylvania, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) handles residential, commercial, and industrial waste, and provides technical support and education for the recycling programs in the 60 municipalities in the county. With roots tracing back to 1954, the authority has faced a number of challenges, that of traffic management being one of the constant concerns. “We’re in the process of expanding the transfer station complex where solid waste is primarily consolidated into transfer trailers for delivery to the Authority’s resource recovery and landfill facilities. At the same time we work with municipalities, businesses, and institutions to divert as much as possible—such as recyclable, household, hazardous waste, and beneficial-use materials—to private reuse and recycling businesses so we can extend the life of our landfill, located 15 miles from the transfer station,” explains Cindy Pringle, information systems manager for the authority.

After explaining that processing every transaction takes time and generates paperwork, Pringle reports efficient traffic handling is possible thanks to the WeighMaster System—a scale computer system designed for the solid waste industry by Information Systems Inc. (ISI) in Baltimore—because it quickly organizes the data and prints detailed weight tickets for both the authority and its customers. “The program also helps us to ensure compliance with regulations.”

New to the operation is a handheld device called WeighMaster Walkabout, or “Wally,” which the Pennsylvania facility had just begun using at the time of the interview. “We’re renovating the existing site to include an updated transfer station, a small-vehicle drop-off facility, a maintenance facility, a drive-through permanent household-hazardous-waste facility, and a scale house. Our goal is to continue serving our customers during construction activity, which has impacted traffic flow. We’ve had to change traffic patterns and avoid vehicle backups, particularly on Saturdays, which are our biggest days for homeowners.”

The authority turned to ISI for a solution, and the result was Wally. With Wally in hand and a receipt printer attached to his belt, the operator on duty can handle the small residential-load transactions. “There’s a flat fee of $25 for 760 pounds or less,” Pringle says. “Experienced operators can estimate loads of that size without having to send the auto or pickup truck to the scales. The operator collects the fee and prints a receipt. Then the driver is sent to unload his trash into containers placed temporarily in the maintenance-facility area, which is closed on Saturdays.” Wally can send transaction details directly to an SQL Server in the central office via wireless networking.

Pringle, a 19-year veteran of the authority, notes that over the past year, there have been more than 11,000 transactions processed on Saturdays, or roughly 205 loads per day, during the four-hour operating period. “We get a homeowner every three to four minutes, along with commercial haulers. We rely on inbound and outbound scales for those with weights over 760 pounds.”

But what if it rains? “Then the operator can stay in a custom-built portable booth, take up his umbrella, and walk over to the homeowner to conduct business as usual.” This portability has certainly helped LCSWMA keep lines to a minimum and avoid traffic backup to the adjacent street, even while contractors are upgrading their operation to meet tomorrow’s challenges.

Simplicity Abounds
“We expect an experienced weighmaster can learn how to use Wally in 15 minutes or so,” says James Manley, president of ISI. He notes that the company, which began by doing consulting work for local governments, had a customer request that resulted in ISI developing its flagship product, WeighMaster Wally is the latest addition to that line. “They were using a cash register, connected to an IBM punch card, which got out of alignment, and they kept having to repair the system.

“Wally weighs under a pound, and the user can carry it around throughout the day without adding to the fatigue. It’s fairly easy to deal with 100 to 200 transactions a day. Whether it’s a flat-fee or weighed load, Wally speeds up the system.” Furthermore, it’s used for tracking residential loads, even when there’s no individual fee attached. It is particularly useful on free dump days when traffic tends to be much greater.

“The WeighMaster carries a battery-operated printer,” Maney explains, “which weighs 4–5 pounds and can be hung from the belt. It’s similar to getting a ticket at a Hertz rental park, and it speeds the flow of traffic.”

Simplicity And Speed
The need for simplicity and speed when dealing with solid waste actually starts with the collection route. Rick Eriksson, president and founder of Norwesco Computing Inc., of Seattle, says he developed his software package to help out the family’s collection operation. “My father’s company, which covered two counties north of Seattle, was the largest operator in the state when I was growing up. He had a small office and five customer-service operators taking care of customers and drivers. We figured in five years he would need 12 operators and a whole new office.”

Instead, thanks to Eriksson, the family firm computerized, and although the business grew from 9,000 to 16,000 customers in just two years, staff and office size remained the same. “When the company was sold in 1977 it had about 50,000 customers and was still using the same office. With the software they could focus on the mechanics involved instead of taking time out for paperwork. Our RICSoft Routing and Billing System software has been in operation since 1974, and ScaleBoss since 1985.”

And, as with other successful software providers, Norwesco is ever ready to deal with customer problems. “We offer a complete support program, and 93% of the buyers go for the program. They’re not afraid to call because they’ve already paid for it. The first call yesterday came because a customer wanted to change the accounting period from 15 days to 30 days. The next call came because their modems weren’t working and they needed help to transfer data from a remote site.” Other calls for help have ranged from a non-working mouse, to collapsed hard drives, to help with computer installation.

ScaleBoss weighing software helps transfer stations and landfill operations rapidly process customer loads, including unattended kiosks that allow vehicle operators to drive up and use a badge or a radio frequency to identify themselves. The program automatically weighs the vehicle in and out of the site. No wonder 20%-25% of Norwesco customers utilize unattended scales.

Eriksson looks to the future. “At some point, scale facilities need to offer public customers a chance to do their own transactions without having a scale attendant,” he says.

“We’re getting ready to market a touch-screen program, initially for attendant ease, but we plan to make it possible for commercial and noncommercial customers to use the unattended site.” This can speed both inbound and outbound traffic.

This is especially vital in sites dealing with over 1,000 loads a day. “Those on a payment system need just 10 seconds. The biggest wait for outbound is payments requiring a signature, especially when someone is paying with a personal check.”

Happy Customers Speak
Kelly Roe, route optimization manager for EDCO Waste & Recycling, says the California firm is a private company involved in residential, commercial, and industrial pickup. It operates two transfer stations in San Diego County that use RICSoftware. “When we opened up the transfer station in Ramona we needed software to help our customers quickly and efficiently. With the software, the customer drives the vehicle on the scale both coming and going.  If it’s a flat rate the customer is charged when he comes on the scale. If the vehicle is going to be charged by weight, the customer takes a number on the inbound, dumps the load, then goes back for the automatic calculation.  In the case of Haulers, the system has the ability to store tare weights, so the truck only visits the scale on the inbound and the calculation is made using the stored tare weight at that time.”

She notes that EDCO then added the system to the Escondido site, where it operates three scales, two for self-haul and haulers alike and the third for haulers only. “The main scale house can keep track of all three scales. We have three independent readers in the main scale house as well as a reader at the other peripheral house.  We’re able to handle 500 to 600 loads per day and process as much as 2,400 tons per day. We handle everything from carloads to commercial haulers, and the software makes it easy to get vehicles in and out quickly.”

She reports the learning curve was but a few days—and that subsequent support when glitches strike has kept them happy.

Meanwhile, Up North
Darrick Dietrich, owner of Basin Disposal Inc., in Pasco, WA, reports his firm has been dealing with solid waste since 1941 and serves 14 cities in southeastern Washington. “We do residential, commercial, and industrial garbage collection and run a transfer station and recycling center. We have 60 collection vehicles using the software. But 10 years ago we were completely manual and had to issue tickets, which were brought back into the office and manually entered into our billing system. It took two people to handle the billing system. Now just one person’s needed even though our business has doubled.”

Carolina Software's WasteWIZARD can be used at unattended sites or for express-lane automation at manned sites.

He says speed of data generation has greatly reduced customer waiting time at the transfer station. “It also helps our collectors get back on the road. Each of our vehicles can make more stops in a day. This means fewer vehicles are needed to handle increased pickups.”

Dietrich notes the software also means one scalemaster can attend to inbound and outbound traffic. “It takes a scalemaster a couple of days to learn how to use it and about a week to get comfortable using it with our accounting system, especially if they’re new hires.”

At the same time, he lauds the ability to track late payers and automatically generate letters to help with collecting the money due. “It speeds up both the weighing process and the cash flow. We’re in a growing region, and we plan on growing with our market. Software helps us do that,” Dietrich concludes.

Scale Reliability Essential
While concerns tend to focus on reliability, accountability, and accurate billing, scale accuracy has become even more important because dealing with waste has become more complex. Besides, if the scale isn’t right on, neither will be the data.

Automated scale packages utilize such input features as keypads, magnetic stripe card readers, or radio tag interfacing.

“When it comes to truck scales themselves, there are so many different aspects of the weighing industry’s environment,” says Fred Cox, vice president of sales and marketing for Cardinal Scale Manufacturing Co., in Webb City, MO. After pointing out that Cardinal’s lines extend in many industries and the company has been a dominant player in weighing a multiplicity of products for generations, he says, “The No. 1 concern is the reliability of the scale itself. No. 2 is the software you utilize to get on and off the scale as quickly as possible.”

The latest addition in Cardinal’s offering is its WinVRS-TOUCH (vehicle recording touch screen system), introduced to the industry this past May. Cardinal Scale has been creating software-based truck management systems since the mid-’70s. “WinVRS-TOUCH requires limited space, and you don’t have to worry about a keyboard. The software is self-prompting, which reduces operator error. You won’t get a weight until you’ve answered the questions on the screen. This means you can customize the system for specific operations. Whether it’s driver ID or material ID, the system can be set up to prompt for those questions.”

Cox notes that whether at the gas pump, grocery store, or ATM, everyone is comfortable with touch screen technology. This makes for a learning curve from a few hours to a single day for most weighmasters. “It’s a user-friendly system and is set up for specific sites. The time needed is just to be sure everyone is comfortable with answering the questions on the screen.” This is especially good for after-hours operations or simply speeding the processing of hundreds of loads per day.

Along with the latest product, another item being heavily promoted is Cardinal’s Guardian hydraulic truck scale, which is designed for landfills. “Rodents, water, and environmental issues are a big problem in landfills. With the Guardian you don’t have to worry about rodents, water, lightning, or damage to any of the hydraulic/electronic components. Hydraulic truck scales can take a lot of abuse during the day. The payback from a severe-duty–rated scale is less downtime from service or repair issues. As soon as the truck stops on the scale you can get proper weight and process the transaction immediately.”

Cox continues, “It takes very few seconds to record the transaction from the touch screen, and the driver’s on his way.” Additionally, the Guardian EPR hydraulic scale is a no-bolt design, streamlining the installation process.

“Pay By The Drink”
For 60 years, Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Rice Lake, WI, has been answering waste-weighing challenges. Jim Sexton, vice president of marketing, comments, “Two trends we’re seeing with solid waste includes software that links to the municipality or private company’s financial software so major customers can pay a flat monthly fee instead of a load charge. This can save a lot of billing as long as the flat rate has been correctly determined. But there’s also a lot of interest in onboard weighing systems for curbside pickup. That charge can be by weight rather than the composition of the waste, unless it’s a concentrated factor such as used tires.”

He says the company’s Transact system generates the ticket for the private hauler and gives an accounting of what they’re bringing to the landfill by both composition and tonnage. “The subscription mode is a ‘pay-by-the-drink’ concept, so people pay for actual use instead of a flat fee. This gives the operation more data so it can do a better job of budgeting.”

He cites a landfill in the Mountain West: “Transponders allow them [the landfill] to identify users as they enter an unattended site. They can identify the truck and driver, and the composition of material in the vehicle. All the driver has to do is stop dead on the scales coming and going; computers and cameras handle the rest. The idea was to eliminate unauthorized dumping. Before it got the program, that site required 12–15 man-hours a day.” Now, thanks to the technology, that landfill’s life has been extended considerably because unauthorized dumping has become minimal.

Sexton sums up the advantage of the pay-by-the-drink concept: “Too often, flat rates tend to make for flat profits. The more an operation knows what it’s receiving, and charges accordingly, the more precise are the billings and the greater the chance to turn a profit.”

Focusing On Profitability
Whether it’s a private or municipal operation, the key to long-term success is following the principle of accountability and profitability. After all, whether they’re customers or taxpayers, they tend to blame the operation when solid waste fees jump. Mike Levitt, controller for Insight Environmental Software Solutions, a subsidiary of Commonwealth Data Communications, in Livonia, MI, notes the company’s HaulMark program is designed to speed the flow from curbside to the landfill. “We released that program in January 2005, and it helps the user focus on customer service because it reminds the user of regulatory concerns. All he or she has to do is give the ticket to the driver.”

Even better, it automatically prices the ticket according to specific contracts with different users of the landfill or transfer station. But integration with accounting programs is another benefit. “As operations become larger, spreadsheets become cumbersome and time-consuming. It can take 10 minutes to do an accounting package, when a proper software program will supply the information in seconds. This helps the staff focus on profit and loss not on administrative tasks.”

Still, the package needs to fit the volume and complexity of tasks involved. Levitt cites a Chicagoland multi-site landfill operation dealing with a software package unable to communicate with the satellite landfill sites. “HaulMark enabled them to replicate the information so management could see instantly the number of loads at each of those landfills, what type of business each is taking in, current loads, and all that. It allows them to manage a large operation minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. This helped them fine-tune their labor needs. They have been able to close down one of the satellite sites during winter.”

He notes that the complexity of the operation meant the switch from the old system to the new one was more complex than usual. “It took six weeks of training and onsite help. They had 17 employees thoroughly trained in our system. Those people are able to monitor and efficiently run their landfills as well as utilize additional tools, such as signature pads for drivers.”

The WinVRS-TOUCH system from Cardinal Scales requires minimal space, and the user doesn't have to worry about a keyboard.

It also let this major operator open up smaller landfills and not have to staff them. Levitt concludes, “The right software allows a lot of flexibility as far as staffing is concerned. And they get the data needed for making better decisions.”

Unattended Transactions
As municipal solid waste gets even more complex, the proper software program can help cities run unattended scales around the clock—and avoid headaches brought on by unauthorized dumping. For example, the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) “utilizes both PC Scale’s attended and unattended Waste & Recycling applications at their 1,200 acre facility. Processing more than 1,100 transactions and 5,000 tons during their 10 hour day, RIRRC needs to get drivers in and out as efficiently as possible. Using the unattended application at their Tipping Facility allows only authorized drivers to enter the face of the landfill,” explains Ken Good, President of PC Scale, Inc., Oxford, PA.

Speaking from 20 years’ industry experience, he adds that the company is involved nationally with over 1,600 active installations. “Cities, counties, and private operations using our products tend to have very complex requirements, so we customize the package specifically to meet their needs.”

For the past 11 years, the Department of Sanitation of New York City (DSNY) has been using PC Scale’s products. Today, approximately 95% of the city’s daily 13,000 tons of waste and recycling is processed at facilities using PC Scale’s DSNY-specific attended Waste & Recycling package. DSNY has installed and is planning to go live with unattended systems at two owned facilities, and have contracted to install additional units at the city’s Marine Terminals. “Because of the need for detailed transaction tracking, uploading to their legacy billing system, and the placement of equipment near salt water, DSNY was concerned about corrosion, driver damage and breakage to their unattended stations. We addressed their concerns by providing stainless steel enclosures to minimize the environmental impact.”

Another plus of the unattended system is ease of use for municipal drivers. Good points out, “A combination of a simple device layout, green and red lights, a lighted text display and large, color-coded selector buttons quickly guides drivers through the transaction. Tying in access gates, ATM-style printers and other peripherals allows drivers to complete the transaction in 15 to 20 seconds, continuing on to dump the load. “One municipal customer in Montgomery County, OH, processes on average about 75 loads per hour through their unattended systems.

They’re constantly seeking solutions to streamline operations and use technology to increase efficiencies. If we can help them reduce their truck cycle time and staffing costs, everyone wins.”
How long does it take to install unattended scale software systems? It depends on the complexity of the operation. The town of Los Alamos, NM (population 11,900) needed only a few days for training, but larger, more complex installations, such as Montgomery County, Ohio (population 547,000), took about two weeks’ time. Ken Good sums up, “The more customization delivered, the longer time we spend training, so that system operators feel comfortable with all of the new features.”

This extra care in a complex operation helps ensure the user gets the most benefit for the least possible long-term cost. Upgrading never is free, but it does help free up an operation to ensure increased productivity with the same size staff. That, in turn, helps boost the smile rate of route drivers, supervisors and members of the front office.

Tracking The Full Picture
While scale house attendants must collect information quickly to keep lines moving, managers and other departments in large waste-management systems also need data to be accurate and readily available. “Managers of modern waste-management systems require a wide range of data, of high integrity, that addresses a diverse set of business requirements,” agrees Mark Wills, president of Geoware Inc., located in Waterloo, ON, Canada. “In the 20-plus years I’ve been in the business of waste management, I’ve seen the industry become very complex.”

Waste-industry experts, Wills notes, need to keep in mind a host of issues, including economic realities, political and regulatory mandates, environmental trends, technology choices, and human-resource issues. “We have to have software systems that make data collection simple, enforce data integrity, and make information readily available to those who need it. In a large organization many different people are doing different jobs, and they have to have information requirements. It has to be available across the organization, and Geoware allows each user to have a unique configuration that meets their business requirements.
“We have customers who have 10 scale-house facilities, each processing in excess of 1,000 transactions per day. With our software, they can centralize that data quickly and make it available across the organization. For example, a municipal government in the greater Toronto area was unable to adequately distribute information to the people who needed it in a timely manner. For some it took a week, while others never were able to gain access.”

Training included three days for administrative people and two half-days for scale operators. So how did they fare once they’d adopted his product? “Now information is available within minutes throughout the waste department as well as to the finance and the information technology departments of that municipality.”

Better decisions help guarantee long-term success. Each organization has to study its challenges before making a move, but the better and fresher the data, whether from scales or from software, the better the chance for long-term success.

Journalist and frequent contributor Lynn Tilton specializes in waste and transport issues.

MSW - September/October 2006