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When success demands efficiency, businesses increasingly turn to technology to remain competitive. By Lori Lovely In a fast-paced world where congested roadways are choked by orange barrels, the waste management industry has quickly become a complicated market challenged by stringent time windows, constrictive construction zones, tight schedules, fierce competition, emissions standards, and numerous other non-waste-related issues. “The industry is concerned about efficiency,” confirms Dennis Keizer, vice president of Routeware Inc. in Oregon, a company in business since 1999. “There are a lot of variables that affect the business and the price of doing business: traffic, safety, seasonalities.…” Often, the biggest challenge is simply getting to the pickup location and then to the landfill. “Going through traffic is a major challenge,” admits Mick Baker, owner and head project manager for Alpine Technology in Colorado. “How you go through traffic can vary significantly, especially with service windows to consider.” By using onboard systems to track and monitor activity, he believes the opportunity for better efficiency on route is 15%–25%. “The industry is becoming more automated. Cities are budgeting for onboard systems. It’s coming, even if it takes 3–5 years to get in the budget because it changes the IT setup.” Routing software and systems offer “a turnkey solution to automatic routing logistics for public works and sanitation departments,” says Barry Grahek of DesertMicro Software in Florida. Tackling a variety of needs from route optimization, vehicle tracking, and pickup verification, to billing interface and customer-service support, this technology is making life easier for sanitation and recycling companies … and their employees. Apples and Oranges GPS is essentially a tracking device, although, according to Grahek, it can be combined with onboard computers to show drivers turn-by-turn directions and electronic route sheets. More advanced two-way GPS programs allow customer-service calls to be dispatched within minutes, rerouting automatically. “It allows the driver to be more productive and provides better visibility to customer service. The computer updates every record with a date/time stamp for pickup. You don’t have to turn in a paper sheet.” There’s no denying that computer-aided dispatch is easier than sticking papers on a board. “You can easily schedule five days in advance,” marvels Bram Davidson, marketing director for WAM Software, in Nevada. However, for now, WAM customers still have to handwrite schedules without the help of onboard reminders. But Davidson says the company, whose target customer is the small independent hauler with 5–20 trucks, is working on that for the future. “GPS is our future focus.” For other companies, it’s here and now. People are familiar and comfortable with GPS, Gardner believes, because they use it in their personal lives. “It seemed wild, scary, ‘out there,’ and complicated for little guys until recently. But now everyone’s using it.” As illustrated, however, there are different “flavors” of GPS, as Gardner puts it. There’s real-time tracking and passive tracking, which records locations and reports when the vehicle returns. “It makes sure the route is driven correctly and analyzes the efficiency of the route. There aren’t a lot of issues about getting lost; drivers use the same routes all the time. There’s not a lot of cash savings to reroute for traffic. But it costs a lot to send someone back to pick up a missed bin.” That’s why he says tracing is an issue with commercial hauling. Radio frequency identification device (RFID) tags on bins trigger a time/date stamp for dumping, solving such issues as missing bins, and customers not paying because they claim a pickup was missed. It allows companies to alter contracts for more frequent pickups—“turning a problem into a sales opportunity.” GPS offers many benefits, such as monitoring vehicle systems, but as Gardner says, “Most importantly, it takes accurate latitudes and time stamps.” It’s certainly important to GPS Fleet Solutions customer Michele Thornhill, vice president of operations for SP Recycling in Atlanta, GA. “We have several satellite plants. We’re far away from our drivers and can’t track what they’re doing.” The company uses GPS for different reasons, depending on each plant’s needs. SP Recycling, Georgia’s first recycling company, ordered GPS tracking programs for its front-end loaders and rolloffs in late 2005. Thornhill says the company discovered inefficiencies right away. “A driver said one route took 55 hours a week; GPS showed it took only 40 hours a week. Some drivers were clocking in at 3:00 a.m., but GPS showed the trucks didn’t fire up until 6:00 a.m.” 1984 It’s Not Callen knows that tracking systems give managers information they can trust about how long a route takes. “We find a lot of wasted time when we optimize routes and check against route logs. Having accurate times helps managers judge the effectiveness of route schedules and employees.” But Julie Gillette, co-owner of Ken’s Sanitation in Fargo, ND, says, “We don’t have time to monitor our drivers every second. We know how long routes take; we trust our guys.” Instead, she’s busy working on geocoding and getting routes set up. Monitoring not only consumes time for the employer, but Grahek believes the Big Brother mentality of tracking gives nothing back to the driver. “We had heavy resistance when GPS was first introduced. It’s difficult to find drivers in this industry, and that caused a lot of driver turnover. Our systems now give them something back. You can’t ask for more and more without giving something back. The route is easier and more accurate now. Drivers hate paperwork; this takes paperwork away.” Drivers not only applaud the departure of laborious paperwork, Keizer says they also appreciate the information these systems provide. “That offsets the Big Brother aspect. We use the information to help the drivers.” Drivers are more productive with realtime mapping, customer status, and billing information at the point of service, Keizer contends. “The biggest value is connecting everyone to real time.” Routeware can connect everyone to each other as well, by integrating the billing information with onboard computers so the drivers have more information about each stop. It can also monitor vehicles on routes, giving the dispatcher visibility of productivity and enabling the transfer of a route to other vehicles if a truck breaks down. That’s important to Granger Container Services in Lansing, MI, with 85 trucks on the road every day. “If a truck breaks down, the system lets us e-mail the rest of its route to a nearby truck,” explains Steve Reed, vice president and CEO. “That’s phenomenal.” Big Brother can even be generous. Randy Rudd, director of sanitation and fleet services for Emerald Coast Utilities Authority in Florida, says he doesn’t get much negative feedback from drivers about the system. He attributes some of that goodwill to a task-incentive program instituted by Emerald Coast. “They get to go home if they finish early, but they still get paid for a full shift.” Granger drivers like it, Reed adds. “We have benchmarks for productivity, combining an hourly pay rate with incentives. One incentive we offer is for route size—the number over base—so the more stops they make a day, the more money they make.” With route-optimizing software, more drivers are collecting incentive bonuses. “Big Brother was never an issue.” In fact, just the opposite: Big Brother can be a driver’s best friend. The ability to trace their routes can protect drivers. “Someone called about something dropped off of a truck that did damage to their car,” Reed recalls. “We checked the GPS and saw that we had no trucks in that area. Turns out it was a competitor.” Gardner says companies using GPS can save through liability management: For example, claims of parked cars being hit can be resolved quickly. Being able to verify what the drivers are doing—and where they’re doing it—can reduce customer-service issues. “This adds 100% credibility to the customer-service representative handling complaints about pickups,” Grahek asserts. “It also takes the blame off the driver for missed pickups. There are fewer customer complaints.” There are fewer complaints because there is verification of what the driver is doing and better communication. “It improves communication between the driver and customer service, and between customer service and the customer,” Grahek continues. “We added wireless printing in the truck. If customer service checks a flag on a stop for a printed receipt, the GPS receiver prints a receipt for signature. It’s used for troublesome stops sometimes.” “There’s no question that we were there,” says Gillette. “The screen shows a timestamp of the pickup. We can call the customer if the can was blocked, then swing back around to pick it up while we’re still in the area. The screen reminds the driver about the stop, so we never miss anyone.” DesertMicro, owned by Western Micro Systems, also implemented a simple-to-use system for drivers to record problem stops. “If a stop is blocked, a preset list of messages pops up: can not out, can blocked, etc. If blocked, there’s a choice of blocked by vehicle or other. The next choice is car or truck, then a list of colors. The details add credibility, but it’s still simple. There’s no keyboard or mouse, just a touch screen.” Routeware has an equally easy system for drivers to record problem stops. “The mushroom buttons are dummy-proof: It’s either green or red,” Reed elaborates. “There’s no touching the screen, no pen to use. It’s fast in the cab and it’s non-distracting; it’s simple.” With Alpine, it can be even simpler. Baker says if customers “hook up with [a] Bluetooth camera, they can link photos to customer files. It helps if there’s an issue such as debris near the container, limited access, power wires, etc. Pictures get attention. “It’s exciting,” Baker adds. “Lots of cities are looking for onboard systems to track and monitor activity.” However, he cautions, it’s a “total productivity system, not just auto vehicle location.” Nevertheless, there will always be a connection between GPS monitoring and Big Brotheresque surveillance. Gardner paints it in positive terms for company owners. “The benefit of the software is that it results in reduced fuel costs because drivers are more careful about speeding if they’re aware they’re being monitored. They’re less tempted to speed to make up time lost on a stop or a break.” Ultimately, monitoring reduces employee costs. “It cuts down on loitering. GPS provides the ability to monitor what the mobile work force is doing and hold them accountable.” Furthermore, Alpine’s software logs the longitude, speed, and direction of the truck to provide a driving profile that can be used to rate and improve performance. “It’s changing the culture for drivers, and we want to change attitudes about it,” Baker contends. “It rebalances the day so drivers could get extra jobs or perks. We’re working on driver buy-in.” To achieve that, Alpine suggests rewarding drivers for good performance. You Can’t Get There From Here … or Can You?
GPS has made life easier for Gillette. It sends the information directly to customer billing, saving Gillette and the drivers a lot of valuable time. “Before, it took the guys 20 minutes to update their lists with changes. Now, I do the changes in the system so they’re on-screen. For rolloffs, the guys won’t have to take time to record extras, which takes a lot of time.” She says most drivers typically record a month’s worth at a time, which requires a chunk of time, and by the end of the month, a lot of the guys have forgotten the details. Now that it’s done daily and automatically, the entire process is quicker and more accurate. Reed says Granger’s needs were both customer service–oriented and operational. With 86,000 customers to serve, Granger demanded efficiency from its Routeware system. “We need to have routes in an order that’s easily followed,” he explains. “We used to have paper routes, but we’re saving time by using GPS—and saving money by eliminating paper. GPS tracking puts the stops in order and improves our efficiency with clear, on-time, accurate information. If we had to wait for paper slips to verify stops, it could take an extra day to answer customer questions. With time-stamped lifts, we can answer customers immediately. We usually go back to do the lift, but we can find the closest driver to do it.” The system is also improving Granger’s business practices. “Because we can verify a dump, we can recommend additional services to customers—maybe increase the size of the container or increase the number of pickups. We would have had a hard time keeping track of that information without this system,” Reed assesses. “It was a lot of work for the driver, so they often didn’t record this information. Now that it’s recorded, it generates extra income for us.” Similarly, Emerald Coast Utility Authority recently rerouted its entire service area of approximately 65,000 homes. Rudd says doing it the old way could take several months, but with the Wastebid software purchased in the first quarter of 2005, the company can generate and tweak routes in just days. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in the area,” he says. “Our routes hadn’t been redone in years; they were out of balance. We wanted to be more efficient, so we looked at three to four manufacturers to see what would work best with our customer database. Wastebid is easier to use. It allows us to model and identify which routes go to different facilities.” By optimizing routes, Rudd managed to reduce overtime. “Some routes pick up 900; some pick up 1,400—that means overtime. The software allows us to account for growth but keep routes even and minimizes overtime.” That’s a benefit Routeware also offers, says Keizer. “The software is more intuitive. You can manage overtime, labor, and additional support. You can even out heavy routes by moving routes around.” Thornhill is doing just that. “Due to traffic, we’re changing routes and procedures. We had overlapping routes in Atlanta. We save driver time and money by changing routes. We’re looking at flexing driver hours to Tuesday to Saturday, when traffic is reduced.” Pleased that business is on the rise, she acknowledges there’s still room for growth and improvement. Georgia has a 40% recycle rate, which is below the national level. However, with available grant programs to start recycling operations, competition will most likely increase. SP Recycling needs to stay competitive. “We have 23 plants; we recycle 1 million tons a year. But we don’t want to burn a lot of fuel to pick up a ton of paper. Being able to optimize our routes makes us more efficient and keeps our services affordable.” She uses the system for safety issues (such as sending e-mails for speeding notifications), maintenance (such as e-mails for oil-change reminders), and optimizing routes—scheduled routes and on-the-fly changes. “If a customer calls with a full bin, we can see where trucks are and send the closest one.” Rudd put GPS devices on all of Emerald’s vehicles. “We’re implementing the connection of GPS with each route to facilitate electronic dispatch. If a work order comes in, it’s sent to the right truck.” Although still in the early stages of testing this process, he believes that once the system is up and running, it will be easy to make changes on the fly as well as long-term temporary alterations to routes. “It’s all geocoded, so if you want to alter a route, it’s easy. It also shows a list of missed or blocked stops.” Emerald is on a call-in base method for bulk pick up, but also has some commercial accounts, such as with the state of Michigan, that have specific service windows. “The system alerts the driver to the time,” Rudd indicates. “Assigning trucks is done electronically, which cuts down on the paperwork and data entry. It’s a cleaner system all around.” Because Emerald also services lift stations and is the water authority (with plans to switch to automated meter reading), Rudd likes the routing capabilities and the pickup verification that enhance accurate customer service. “GPS is a no-brainer,” Gillette professes. “We have so many accounts, trucks, and rolloffs. Three years ago, we bought another company. We’re running the two companies separately, but with combined routing. It’s a pain.” The ND–based company dabbles in recycling and some residential service, but 99% of its business is commercial, so it has trucks with different needs. “We have a lot of apartment complexes on our routes. We pick up appliances, furniture, cardboard, Freon.” With Alpine software, Gillette can create new routes and overlay routes to tweak them. In addition, she says, there are a lot of extras, such as on-calls. “Other companies put them on the next day’s schedule. We’re different; we do on-the-fly all day long.” That’s why Gillette needs to know where the trucks (five rolloffs and seven garbage trucks) are at all times. There’s always room for savings in routing, insists Wastebid’s Callen. “Planning logistics is difficult, especially in the old days of putting a dot on a map with pushpins. It’s getting easier because plat maps are converted into digital GPS format: no more wall maps, no more address list of customers, no more database of customers. Routing software makes routes even and on time and reduces miles. It’s a more efficient method.” The two areas of focus for Wastebid are residential and commercial. Commercial collection covers larger areas and is heavily impacted by rush-hour traffic. “Commercial paths are easy, but choosing which day and the optimal time of day is hard. Some stops have multiple time windows; schools and restaurants have complicated schedules,” Callen elaborates. Wastebid’s answer is an inexpensive commercial product that’s easy to use and assists with traffic patterns and multiple time windows. Residential collection has routes in dense areas. “Residential paths are hard,” he sympathizes. “We focus on travel paths that are easy to follow: no spaghetti routes, maximize right turns, no U-turns. We route trucks so they can clear the neighborhood before going on to the next one.” Data is starting to make real-time-control route planning more sophisticated, and Callen claims Wastebid is one of the first in the country to use traffic-pattern data. “The routing algorithms in our software make it easier to plan which day, which truck to use,” he says. Regardless of which application is needed, the software has to be simple to operate and must interface with Excel. “Drivers have to be able to see exactly what to do and how to get there,” Baker explains. That’s a benefit in an industry with a continual supply of new drivers due to large turnover. “Routes take twice as long with a new driver as when an established driver does it, but Alpine software helps cut that down. It gets information to the driver when he needs it, on-screen. The system tracks what’s not done and issues audio reminders.” It can also send an instant message if, for instance, a landfill is closed due to high winds or if there’s an accident on the highway. It can also initiate geofencing to keep trucks out of particular regions, whether because of road construction closures or residential areas with restrictions during certain times of the day. It may sound a bit like an air traffic control system, but Gardner notes the difference: “Air traffic control is one system, centrally managed. This could involve six different companies in line at a landfill. You wouldn’t want your competitors to know it. You just use a cell phone to tell your own trucks.” Knowing when to go to a landfill and which landfill to go to can be a big factor. For Gillette, there’s only one landfill in the area. Nevertheless, traffic control is a hot issue. “Rolloffs are in and out all the time,” she says. “The rear loads get in line at 4:00 a.m.” Using the software allows Gillette to work at home, which is across the border in Minnesota, and be available all day long. “It’s such a valuable dispatch tool,” she exclaims. “I can see all the routes and where the trucks are.” Gillette isn’t currently using all the features Alpine offers. Ken’s doesn’t use the map feature unless there’s a new driver or someone filling in. Gardner says that’s not uncommon. “There’s a lot of interest in downloading routes to walk a new driver through a new route. The issue is there’s not much money to do it.” However, Rudd plans to integrate GPS with routing at Emerald Coast Utility Authority so the route displays on the screen in the vehicle to help new drivers follow it. Despite still running paper route lists as a backup check, Gillette has no complaints. “It’s very easy to use and will pay for itself soon. I’m so excited about the technology!” There’s More to the Journey Than Just the Destination Keizer says his customers are looking for special designs and customized options to enhance their business practices beyond the route. “They want the driver to do less touching of the system in the vehicle, so we added more automation. It’s a safety issue; you don’t want drivers looking at the screen—it’s distracting.” New from Routeware this year is an automated service verification that tracks the brake actuator. “The truck does the verifying,” Keizer explains. “You touch it to record unsafe issues—operational inefficiencies like blocked cans and extras—but the drivers touch it less than 10% of the time.” He also points out that it facilitates billing for extra charges, allowing companies to alter accounts to better meet customer needs. Billing is very easy with WAM software, too. “With rolloffs, calls are written into the system daily and bills are sent automatically,” Davidson clarifies. “It’s fast.” He says it’s also made with the client in mind. “It’s oriented toward the hauler.” That’s a large part of the reason Anthony Grutadaurio, co-owner of Red Oak Sanitation in Gainesville, GA, bought WAM software in 1999. Initially, he was worried about Y2K compliance. “I did a lot of software searching; this was an important purchase.” He saw several companies’ software side by side at a waste show, but it wasn’t until he saw an online demonstration by WAM that he was “sold.” Grutadaurio’s biggest needs involved routing, billing, and reports. With WAM, he says, reports are easy to produce. “It pulls every report I ask for. I love live data.” The reports he’s pulling include revenue per salary dollar, per man, and per hour. “There’s more than one way to look at a job. With all this information, we know what we have to bid at.” He believes the reports make Red Oak more competitive in bidding jobs because the company knows the unit cost. With the bulk of its business coming from residential subscriptions and rolloff accounts, bidding is only one part of the picture for Red Oak Sanitation. Still, the routing software offers many benefits. “It saves personnel, especially administrative personnel,” Grutadaurio begins. “We used to have to photocopy index cards for route sheets; that’s very time-consuming. This saves a lot of filing.” Similarly, Gillette notes that because the drivers do the route processing, there’s less data entry to be done in the office and billing is easier. “It saves overtime and man hours,” Grutadaurio continues. “We’re more efficient. It saves drivers. We use less people by uploading work on a rolloff to a map.” That’s something Gillette looks forward to adding: the capability of sending work orders directly to the truck. Reed appreciates better communication with Granger drivers. “We send one message to all drivers if they need to avoid certain areas, if there’s a safety issue or a traffic issue. When there was a thunderstorm warning one day, we e-mailed all drivers to stay in their trucks until it passed.” Grutadaurio is also pleased about improved communication with his drivers, as well as the fact that it doesn’t require a great deal of additional effort from office personnel. He says with the routing software, “Notes and messages can be programmed for a specific time period and are automatically deleted at the end of the period—they don’t require manual removal.” Even when drivers don’t use the best communication skills, the software can save time and enhance performance. “A problem in the industry, is ‘are drivers reading the route sheets or just picking up every can along the route,’” Grutadaurio asks. He admits there’s not always time to read every entry, so he used to highlight new stops and cancellations. “If they didn’t read all 800 stops, at least they would see the changes.” Now the system puts new stops in green and cancellations in red. It saves the company time in highlighting. “We have 32,000 customers. We could spend 45 minutes highlighting a route!” Time isn’t the only resource routing software can save. Grutadaurio points out that it also saves paper and fuel. As Reed says, saving paper, fuel, and emissions has a beneficial environmental impact for everyone, as well as a financial impact on the individual company. Keizer explains that there are several aspects to the environmental benefits software can provide. “There’s a strong interest in sustainability—using technology to leverage improvements. In some municipalities, total vehicle miles is an important issue. They limit the amount of miles, which requires drivers to optimize their routes. Some offer bonuses for hitting targets. There are also emissions credits for optimized routes and reduced traffic.”
Also on Grutadaurio’s list is tire wear; however, he doesn’t rely on the system for truck maintenance reminders. He says, “the module is good but not the best. We don’t use the interface with our GPS.” Others do. Davidson says WAM software has a fleet maintenance section that provides reminders not only to change the oil, but also to renew drivers’ licenses. Alpine and GPS Fleet Solutions offer add-ons to monitor the engine. Gillette takes advantage of Alpine’s software to monitor engine systems for maintenance and to monitor her drivers’ speed. “There are lots of tools! We add stuff every month to save money; there are unlimited possibilities. It’s amazing.” Grutadaurio seems to agree. “I’m a big fan of wireless. We can e-mail customers, and they now have an e-bill option. We can also collect information to bill customers for extra services. We recorded with video before we built the system; drivers did an area, then pulled over to write down the services rendered. Not only did it take longer, we found out they forgot things.” The software also helps with resource management. Grutadaurio can adjust contracts to keep the company profitable and serve the customer. “You have to take care of the customer. With the software, the opportunity for improved customer service on the routes and in the office without the need for extra personnel is 300%. It improves the whole system,” he exclaims. Learning and Looking Into the Crystal Ball “The software is evolving every day,” he claims. Upcoming features he eagerly anticipates include the ability for customers to look at their history online through a WAM link. “It should cut down on a lot of customer-service calls.” He considers WAM practically a business partner, providing training and support. It was easy to learn, he says: one week of training—five sessions. Davidson says people, especially younger people, are more familiar with computers and are comfortable with the programs, so training isn’t usually a major challenge. In fact, people are eager for it. “There’s increasing interest. People aren’t willing to do routing by hand anymore.” For Rudd, the most challenging part was loading the initial customer database into the software. “It had to be geocoded properly,” he explains. “There were a few problems—some technical issues tying into the database. But once that was done, routing changes were easy.” Reed tried to avoid those pitfalls. He chose Routeware because the system fit with how Granger works. “It’s compatible with our AS-400 system. Information is conveyed through Nextel, which we already use.” Reed likes Routeware because “they started with the driver in mind” and continue to offer “good sales and technical support.” Gillette had the choice narrowed down to two companies. A couple of things swayed her decision: Alpine’s software is specific for garbage, and Alpine let Ken’s Sanitation employees talk to its customers and ride in a truck. “Alpine is great to work with. We did all the trucks at once. That’s not typically practical, but Alpine agreed and I’m glad we made that decision. The guys like it. They’re all learning together. I see a lot of teamwork going on; they’re on the radio helping each other. We did a lot of online research, but I believe we made the right decision to go with them. They’re a family business, so they go the extra mile with support after the sale.” Thornhill also conducted a thorough Internet search. GPS Fleet Solutions was willing to do a pilot program to convince SP Recycling it was the right choice for the company. Thornhill was impressed with its Internet-type tracking, as well as the personal training at the office, but if she hadn’t already become a customer, GPS Fleet Solutions’ follow-up after the sale would have sold her. “They didn’t just drop us after the sale; it’s a pleasant relationship.” She says it’s also reasonable: $300 per unit and $30 to track. “You can’t afford not to use it. We started small, with 20 units. Now we’ve tripled that number and still don’t have it on all the trucks.” She reports that all the division managers want it. They’ll probably all get it too; she estimates that if they save an hour of overtime a week, they’ll pay for it. “Return on investment is 60 days,” Gardner calculates. “If you don’t get it in 60 days, you’re not managing your data. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Apparently, more and more companies are measuring and managing their data; Gardner reports that business has increased at a 30%–35% growth rate. Reed reveals that Granger recouped its investment within a year’s time and continues to see gains. “It tells us how profitable each stop is,” he says, adding that the company still hasn’t tapped into all the features Routeware currently offers. “We’re just looking forward to playing with all the fun things we have! We’re impressed with the product and service. It’s a real-world application.” Ken’s Sanitation went on-route in August, and Gillette says they’re still learning. “We started redoing garbage truck routes. We’ve made a lot of route changes already. We should be able to eliminate one route.” Efficiency is the name of the game, but adaptability is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the business. According to Baker, there’s more recycling going on. “The classification of waste has changed in 25 years. Landfills are geomapping so they can mine for resources like appliances and greenwaste. Cities and counties want stuff from their communities only. Keeping track of that requires technology similar to what’s used in aviation.” Grahek recognizes the pressure on municipalities to privatize, noting that they need to remain competitive to justify the taxes they collect. That’s why DesertMicro is taking this technology to the rolloff market, where everything is hand-held because the driver is out of the truck with customers a lot—like UPS. “Two years ago the cost of such a system was prohibitive for the mass market. Now costs are down 30 to 40%, and the return on investment is always within one year. “It’s close to traffic control,” he continues, “but we’re not there yet—maybe one year away. It’s a dynamic issue. We have to get the data from police, but it’s not standardized yet: All municipalities have different formats. Once we have the information, dispatch can reprogram it, creating geo-areas to avoid.” “Everybody thinks the government has screens to watch—like Captain Kirk’s chair,” Callen speculates. “Really, it’s less organized—it’s more chaotic. It’s a slow change. The industry is just starting to adopt it, but the video-game generation will accept the technology. The fact that it’s getting cheaper—about $4,200 for a basic operation—helps.” Not only is the cost of the system itself becoming more affordable, but as more of the process becomes automated, labor costs and errors are reduced and efficiency is increased. “It just makes sense,” Reed reflects. “We need to move forward. In this industry, you must provide good service.” Residing in Indianapolis, IN, Lori Lovely writes on transportation and technical subjects.
MSW - May/June 2008
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