By Jerry Schuber 

Solid Waste & Recycling Director

You may have noticed the City of Broken Arrow is modernizing its fleet from the rear-load service model trucks to the Automated Side Loaders (ASL's). 

The ASLs are more efficient for our drivers and are the latest innovation the City is installing to improve our customer service. Getting all of our trucks converted to the new loading system will take some time, but it will be well worth the wait!

The City has already improved its technological capabilities by investing in the Routeware system. This technology provides information to the drivers, such as a customer's service levels and special needs from the trucks. It is also programmed to enable the driver to snap a photo when the carts are not at the curb. The cameras are integrated into a rugged tablet and mounted on a cradle inside the truck. 

When a customer calls and says their trash has been missed, our customer service team can pull up a time-stamped photo of the house in question and see if the carts were out, if they were not in the right place, or if they were placed at the curb later than 7 a.m. It also lets us relay to the customer if we have not yet arrived at their residence.  

The trucks are GPS tagged and traced all day long, with the Geo-Codes for the homes in the system. This system helps us identify if we need a return visit or if the customer needs to pay the $10.50 return fee.  

With the addition of the new equipment and the comprehensive training for the team, crews will be able to go from 700 homes to 1400 homes per service day. It is very exciting! Please have your carts to the curb by 7 a.m. on your service day. Our routes are fluid, so we may not service your location every week at the same time. We can arrive at your residence any time after 7 a.m. And then it's click, flash, and they are off to the next house!