The cost of inaction is immeasurable when lives and livelihoods are at stake. It is our duty to push the safety envelope as far as it will go, and then some.
By James (Jimmy) Johnston
It鈥檚 always a joy for refuse workers to see children鈥檚 faces light up when the truck turns the corner. These everyday moments are a reminder of why we do what we do鈥攁nd why keeping our communities safe is a responsibility we all share. But there are always risks. That鈥檚 why we need to mitigate the risks as much as possible, to protect lives and livelihoods.
Safety is a moral obligation. I strongly believe that. I also know that companies need to be smart about their investments, too, and I鈥檝e never believed that we must pick between the two. First, keep in mind that the cost of liability risk for an accident can be in the tens of millions of dollars, so the cost of safety advancement will always be dwarfed by the potential financial loss.
Second, every accident we prevent protects lives and has a ripple effect that will help protect even more lives down the road. When we mitigate those losses, we see fewer disruptions, fewer claims, and more uptime. We free up resources that can be reinvested into our operators, in their training, and in the long-term health of our fleets. We build better trucks and develop even more cutting-edge technology to take protection further and further.
Simply put, that money saved is money spent on a better and safer future. It鈥檚 the most important investment we can ever make. It鈥檚 clear that everyone wants to improve safety; what we have to decide is how committed we are to actually making it happen, and doing it the right way. Technology today can get the job done.
Photo courtesy of Autocar.Trucks.
The Evolution of Refuse Vehicle Safety
For much of my 30+ years in the refuse industry, audio and visual warnings were considered 鈥渁dvanced safety鈥濃�攑assive systems like the 鈥渂eep beep beep鈥� of a backup alarm that put all the responsibility entirely on the operator and pedestrians. When these types of devices were first implemented, many in the industry thought they were a great innovation 鈥� and they were!
But we knew we needed to go further. Industry associations like Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) raised visibility to safety issues and pushed for more technological advancements to reduce the burden on workers. I helped develop some of these standards and practices that have been in place for some years now, and I can say that we as an industry have come a long way.
And yet, technology in our industry has lagged behind. For years, a family sedan came equipped with more advanced operator-assistance systems than the average refuse truck鈥攄espite the fact that our trucks are heavier, slower to brake, and more prone to blind spots. Technology can and should close that gap. Fortunately, the landscape is changing for our vocation, because the technology built for the job is available now.
Best-in-Class Safety Features: What They Are and How They Work
Thanks to a lot of hard work from brilliant engineers who have taken to heart the mission of community and operator safety, technology today offers impressive benefits and unprecedented protection. First, though, I want to touch base on one really important guiding principle for adopting safety technology in our industry: that what we do is different.
It鈥檚 possible to take after-market technology designed for passenger vehicles and for long-haul, over-the-road operations and outfit a refuse truck fleet. These systems, though, weren鈥檛 built for the type of work we do. They weren鈥檛 engineered in a controlled environment that reflects where we do our business.
A long-haul truck primarily drives on the highway, but refuse collection demands constant stops, frequent reversing, tight maneuvering in residential areas, and continuous operation in close proximity with pedestrians and cyclists.
Going forward, we need purpose-built safety systems engineered for our line of work, specifically calibrated for the different truck configurations we operate, the payloads and operating conditions, and the
vulnerable pedestrians around us.
With that being said, modern refuse vehicles include multiple layers of safety technology. These systems can detect imminent collisions and apply brakes, and they give operators a clear, comprehensive view of their surroundings鈥攅specially helpful with all the responsibilities a operator has to handle
Each feature serves as a tool that works hand-in-hand with the operator to create a safer environment for everyone, representing the merger of sensor technology, computing power, and deep understanding of refuse industry requirements.
Fail-safes build multiple layers of protection to assist the operator and serve as a backup system. These technologies are designed to complement skilled operators鈥� augmenting their awareness and decision-making. In high-pressure moments, they deliver rapid responses when reaction time is critical.
As we talk about what the technology can do, keep in mind how much better it can do its job if, moving forward, we invest with vision and integrate safety into the truck as it鈥檚 built.
Autonomous Braking Systems
Autonomous braking stands as one of the most significant advancements in refuse vehicle safety technology. These systems use radar and vision-based sensors to continuously monitor the vehicle鈥檚 path, detecting obstacles, and calculating collision probability in real-time.
The main benefits are simple: reaction-time reduction and automation of emergency maneuvers. Human reaction times typically range from 0.75 to 1.5 seconds from hazard recognition to brake application. Modern autonomous braking systems can detect hazards and initiate braking in milliseconds, often preventing collisions that would be unavoidable with human-only response.
Autonomous braking is especially valuable during stop-and-go residential collection routes where unexpected obstacles appear all the time (and when you least expect them). These are scenarios where split-second response times determine collision outcomes.
360-Degree Visibility and Camera/Radar Systems
Refuse trucks, like all trucks, have blind spots. That鈥檚 why we use multiple high-resolution cameras positioned to cover blind spots on all sides of the vehicle. Advanced installations include cameras with wide-angle lenses and night vision capabilities, so you can maintain visibility even in adverse conditions.
The integration of camera systems allows the operator to see what鈥檚 going on based on operational context. Just like when backing out of a parking space at the grocery store in a family car, a truck going in reverse will activate a rear-facing camera. Turn signals can also trigger side-mounted cameras to show areas adjacent to the vehicle鈥檚 turning path.
It is not just visual, though. To get true 360-degree awareness, modern trucks use radar to detect the presence of obstacles and pedestrians so it can alert the operator and make adjustments with some systems automatically breaking if the radars detect an imminent collision. Radar adds a reliability and dependability factor in refuse that compliments camera technology and makes the system more capable overall.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection
As we鈥檝e discussed, refuse trucks often operate near schools, parks, and bike lanes鈥攑laces where awareness becomes critical. Advanced detection systems use radar and camera technology to identify people in potentially dangerous zones around operating vehicles.
Forward-looking camera systems can detect pedestrians and cyclists approaching the vehicle鈥檚 path, providing early warnings that allow operators to adjust speed or route positioning. Side-mounted sensors monitor areas adjacent to the vehicle during turning maneuvers, alerting operators to vulnerable road users who might be hidden by the vehicle鈥檚 bulk.
Road Departure and Lane Awareness Alerts
Refuse vehicles don鈥檛 just operate on residential streets. They often must travel on roads between routes, or on the highway to the landfill or a collection center. That means road departure is a concern, particularly during the early morning or late evening when visibility is compromised.
To help, advanced awareness systems use camera-based lane detection technology that continuously tracks road markings and boundaries, calculating vehicle position within the roadway. When vehicles approach lane boundaries without operator input signals, the system provides audio and visual warnings to prompt corrective action.
Reverse Safety Technologies
Backing up is one of the highest-risk operations in refuse collection. Advanced reverse safety systems combine multiple technologies to provide comprehensive protection during backing operations.
In these systems, sensors detect objects in the vehicle鈥檚 backing path, providing collision warnings as people or objects approach. These sensors are built to perform at low speeds, which makes them a great fit for the stop-and-go way our trucks operate.
The next step forward in safety innovation is the integration of reverse sensors with autonomous braking logic鈥攆actoring in speed, distance, and vehicle load to trigger automatic braking when a collision is imminent. Both aftermarket and OEM-integrated solutions are available. While aftermarket systems can be effective, purpose-built OEM integrations often offer greater precision and reliability due to deeper access to vehicle data and tighter system alignment.
Road Sign Recognition
Finally, anyone who has ever driven anything on the road knows just how easy road signs are to miss. (Many of us have the tickets to prove it!)
Modern systems can recognize road signs and advise and guide the operator so the truck is operated safely and legally. Trucks can respond accordingly when they notice signs alerting the operator to everything from speed limit, stop, and yield signs to school zones, weight limits on bridges, and more.
Looking Ahead to the Future of Refuse Safety
We鈥檝e come a long way from passive systems to active integrated safety systems. The next era of advancement will incorporate two things: more autonomous operation; and connected fleet management systems.
The former will further reduce accident rates and also provide for more efficient operation of routes, better vehicle handling, lower operator fatigue, and other benefits. The latter provide real-time monitoring of vehicle performance, operator behavior, and safety system status, enabling proactive management of fleet safety performance.
The key is to continue moving forward, forward, forward. Investing in advanced safety technology for refuse vehicles is both imperative and strategic. Communities want to feel safe.
Operators want to do their jobs without incident. Fleet owners want to protect operators, communities and avoid causing damage or liability.
We can鈥檛 move closer to our goals without prioritizing safety, and that means making critical investments and driving innovation 鈥� and these investments work. One of the most positive returns we have noticed in multiple different fleets with our first advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) was how it changed operator habits. In many cases, the longer an operator was in an ADAS-equipped vehicle, the less work the system had to do. The result is a safer environment.
The cost of inaction is immeasurable when lives and livelihoods are at stake. It鈥檚 our duty to push the safety envelope as far as it鈥檒l go, and then some. We have the technology 鈥� now let鈥檚 make sure we have the will. | WA
James (Jimmy) Johnston, President of Autocar Trucks, has led the company since 2003. A recent inductee into the NWRA Hall of Fame, Jimmy has been engaged in the truck and body business, serving severe duty industries, since 1986. With a focus on the refuse industry since 1992, he has been driving chassis and body integration while always making safety a top priority. Jimmy can be reached at
[email protected].