| Norcal Waste Systems,
Inc. of San Jose, California wanted to reduce
their costs for collecting curbside waste
under their contract with the City of San
Jose, CA. The management team thought that
having MODAPTS studies of their drivers would
provide a means to measure and standardize
the work being done. They hired a TPT Engineer
to go to San Jose and ride with the drivers
over a two-week period to gather this data.
At the end of the project, the TPT Engineer
presented his report to Norcal management
which included all of the data collected.
Sample spreadsheets were provided to the
Norcal supervisors to use to evaluate each
route and provide a baseline for the amount
of time needed to complete each type of
route. One of the most significant conclusions
of the report was that the time required
for collection was not the primary factor
in the lost time. The primary factor was
the emptying of the trucks. While Norcal
management knew there were issues with the
disposal, the MODAPTS study numbers brought
this issue into sharper focus.
The spreadsheets also provided Norcal with
a tool that they could utilize in their
next contract negotiations with the city
that would include additional routes. The
TPT engineer identified the specific data
points that had to be input in the spreadsheets
for the study, such as: distance from terminal,
number of houses on the route, and length
of the route. This study simplified the
calculation to determine the extra trucks
needed (cost) to meet the city’s new
requirements, and enabled Norcal to make
a more competitive bid.
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