Trucks Case Study
Breakthrough Performance
Load control helps lighter-weight trucks exceed expectations.
Pete Kennedy
In 2009, Matt Wood, regional maintenance manger for Republic Services (Phoenix, AZ) asked himself a few questions: Could lighter-weight trucks deliver enough savings in fuel and other costs to offset lost productivity? Is there a way to prevent drivers from overloading and damaging the lighter trucks? Could the trucks be built to last as long as their heavier counterparts? And, if all of this were true, could such a truck possibly be affordable?
Republic asked two preferred body vendors whether they would be interested in attempting to develop such a truck. Heil responded quickly鈥攁nd with the best alternative.The decision was made to work with Heil Environmental (Chattanooga, TN) on concepting the lighter-weight trucks鈥攁nd to find answers to the above questions. Making the final decision for Republic was a team consisting of Wood; regional managers Larry Allen, Troy Hintze and Brian Beaudrie; and Roy Svehla from Republic鈥檚 corporate office.
Republic and Heil spent about a year and a half developing the truck, and another seven months testing 15 Heil Half/Pack Freedom front-loading trucks in Houston. The results of those tests are now in, and virtually all the numbers confirm the performance and projected cost savings of the lighter-weight models. The 15 test trucks also underwent recent structural inspections and passed those with flying colors.
鈥�I would say the lighter trucks have exceeded my expectations,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 one of the coolest things we鈥檝e done in a while, and long-term it鈥檚 the right way to go.鈥�
Loading System鈥檚 Role
While lighter-weight trucks previously have been available, the Heil Half/Pack Freedom model separates itself through its load-control system, Wood says. The trucks cannot be overloaded because of patent-pending Heil technology. That new loading system鈥攃alled the Heil Overload Prevention System, or HOPS鈩⑩�攃onvinced Wood it was time to test the lighter trucks.
鈥�We had to have a way to regulate the payload,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淥therwise, drivers would continue with their old loading habits, and they could damage the new trucks. Controlling how much they could load was crucial to considering the lighter weight trucks. HOPS provides us with that control. Once that system was developed, we saw it was time to test the trucks.鈥� The trucks have delivered some key benefits for Republic. Among them:
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Improved fuel efficiency of 5 percent to 6 percent
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A reduction in tirewear of 6 percent to 7 percent
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A nearly identical savings on brake wear
鈥�The lighter weights also extend the life of both the chassis and the body,鈥� says Nate Davis, product manager with Heil. HOPS will be key to that longevity. 鈥淲ith properly sized payloads in the body, we expect a much longer life,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淏efore a body might last eight to 10 years. Now that could stretch to 10 to 12 years.鈥�
Productivity
Perhaps most appealing, Republic鈥檚 analysis showed the benefits could be gained without a loss in productivity. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 lost any鈥攏ot one bit,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e reduced costs without sacrificing anything. In fact we鈥檝e found some unexpected benefits,鈥� such as improved operator comfort.
Republic鈥檚 acquisition plans confirm its support of Heil鈥檚 Half/Pack Freedom refuse collection vehicle. It plans to purchase the lighter-weight trucks for operations in the North East and California, a weight-sensitive state, in the near future. It will expand their use in the coming years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a breakthrough product,鈥� Wood says.
The Process
Wood has been involved from the beginning. He originally challenged Heil to build a truck with a true lightweight body that could haul a 10.5-ton legal payload鈥攜et maintain its structural integrity.
Even then, Wood saw two factors as crucial to the success of the lighter-weight truck. The first was obvious: removing enough weight to make a difference. That was achieved by shedding as much as 5,000 pounds from the body and 2,000 pounds from the chassis.
鈥�We鈥檝e done that by using alternative materials, such as aluminum and some plastic composites,鈥� says Nate Davis, product manager with Heil.
The new materials are used 鈥渙nly in ancillary areas,鈥� Davis says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a low-risk, weight-saving strategy. We took weight out of areas of the body that don鈥檛 see a lot of force or stress.鈥�
Specifically, the cab shield was converted to aluminum, while the top door is now an aluminum and plastic composite. The tailgate has been redesigned and shed some weight in the process. Oil tanks and under-ride bumpers are also now aluminum. In addition, the chassis manufacturer, Mack Trucks, also was able to eliminate additional weight.
How HOPS works
Payload control was the second key element recognized by Wood during the initial discussions. That issue was addressed through HOPS. The system:
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Uses axle transducer scales, accurate within 2 percent, to determine the vehicle鈥檚 gross weight.
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When the payload exceeds 9.5 tons, HOPS sends the driver an audio and visual warning inside the cab. The driver knows some weight can be added, but is aware that the loading must stop soon.
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When the maximum allowable weight is reached, HOPS prevents the operator from loading any additional containers.
鈥�Our inspections show the lighter trucks will hold up, but they can鈥檛 be routinely overloaded,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淭here have always been scales, but drivers can ignore them. HOPS actually controls the payload on the fly, which is a new innovation.鈥�
Changing Methods
Wood and others in the waste hauling business have long understood the benefits of lighter weights. The question has always been whether the vehicles could withstand the tough duty鈥攁nd compensate for lost productivity. Productivity concerns led Republic to take a detailed look at hauling habits while considering use of the lighter-weight trucks.
鈥�We found that the average heavy-duty truck carried about 30 tons per day,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淲e took a closer look at the loads delivered to landfills. We found that with some route balancing and carrying three equal loads per day productivity was maintained.
鈥�That鈥檚 when we decided to investigate the use of lighter trucks and balance our loads equally for all three trips,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淎t the end of the day, we鈥檙e hauling the same amount with the lighter trucks as we did with the heavier trucks. It鈥檚 just that the load sizes are consistent with the Half/Pack Freedom trucks.鈥�
The Impact on Drivers
Of course, drivers load those trucks and they have habits. Changing them was easy because of HOPS. In addition, drivers found reasons to embrace their new rides. 鈥淭hey absolutely love the new trucks,鈥� Wood says. 鈥淲ith lighter trucks, the drivers benefit from improved ride.鈥�
In fact, increased driver comfort has been a significant鈥攁nd unanticipated鈥攁dvantage. 鈥淲e had not expected that drivers would see such an improvement in comfort,鈥� Wood says. Republic also expected route balancing to be a challenge with drivers, but that has not been the case. 鈥淗abits can be hard to break, but once they understood how this system functions, they saw the benefits,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he fact they were driving a comfortable new truck didn鈥檛 hurt.鈥�
For more information, contact Heil Customer Care at (866) ASK-HEIL (866-275-4345) or visit www.heil.com.