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U.S. Faces National Garbage Truck Driver Shortage

U.S. Faces National Garbage Truck Driver Shortage

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Some people are calling it the “Great Resignation.” In October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 4.3 million American workers quit their jobs in August. This comes after several months of increasing resignations, setting records in labor markets.

Economists are not completely sure why this massive increase in resignations is occurring. Theories revolve around dissatisfaction with stagnant pay, an increase in government benefits, and an awareness of the challenges of stressful work that built during the COVID-19 shutdowns.

With remote work more available, and a test period of not working at all, fewer people are willing to step into the daily grind of day-to-day in-person work again.

This mass exodus from the workforce has touched most industries. It is particularly noticeable in the service industries. One sector that is struggling to maintain its level of productivity is the waste management and hauling industry. A shortage of workers in this line of work is not easy to solve and has resulted in some challenging consequences to businesses, cities, and residential customers.

Solid Waste Industry Struggling to Retain Drivers

In May, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) released a report on the growing challenge of hiring and retaining drivers and helpers for solid waste and recycling haulers in both the private and public sectors.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The biggest culprit has been the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has not only increased an ongoing worker shortage, but has added further disruptions in service.

David Biderman, the executive direction and CEO for SWANA told 9News, “We certainly face a heightened challenge in the waste sector because we have a perfect storm of increased garbage collection from residents because more people are home and more people are eating at home on a regular basis.”

It’s not only an increase in garbage, but also a decrease in the number of workers. Biderman further explains, “Some hauling companies and some local governments continue to see a high absentee rate among their employees. In some communities, up to 10% of the labor force is absent on a regular basis.”

The Problem Goes Beyond the Pandemic

But this problem did not start with the pandemic. Even before the WHO declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic in March of 2020, the waste collection industry was facing driver shortages. This is reflective of a wider licensed commercial driver shortage caused by an aging workforce, lack of recruitment of women drivers, and an increase in federal and state regulations.

More Competition

There are also more opportunities for drivers as companies such as Amazon, grocery and restaurant delivery services, and other delivery and hauling industries continue to expand.

Marylou Berg, the director of communication for the City of Rockville, Maryland, spoke about this competition for labor. “Sanitation collections are competing with deliveries, construction, and other less physical demanding positions. There is a tremendous amount of competition for drivers, which has an impact on the industry’s ability to recruit and retain qualified employees,” she said.

Garbage truck drivers dealing with a lot of trash.
Garbage truck drivers dealing with a lot of trash.

Shortages Across the Country

Rockville, Maryland

The City of Rockville recently experienced incomplete waste collection and asked residents to leave their trash out for several days to allow for delayed pickup. Without an increase in drivers, the city has warned residents that these types of delays could continue.

To this growing shortage of drivers, the pandemic added further hardship, creating the perfect storm that has hamstrung many hauling companies and city agencies as they try to maintain consistent waste removal services. What consumers see are missed pickups, unreliable service, and broken promises by many city officials.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, delays in garbage pickups this summer caused borough officials to direct its municipal workers to begin picking up residents’ trash themselves, rather than relying on their contracted waste hauler, something not seen since the 1970s. And still, the delays around the Philly region extend to days and even weeks.

Flagler County, Florida

Residents in Flagler County, Florida, are piling up complaints along with the piled-up garbage that sometimes doesn’t get picked up on schedule. County Administrator Jerry Cameron issued a press release explaining the labor shortage their contracted garbage collector is facing. “They have received zero applications for their advertised positions of ‘helper’ on the truck routes and have had to resort to using temporary agencies. The temporary agencies are also unable to find sufficient staffing to meet the need.”

These issues are repeated in cities across the country, from piles of trash in the streets of New Orleans to missed pickups in Euclid, Ohio, to stopped yard waste collection in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Denver, Colorado

In Denver, the city has responded to the labor crisis by extending the time between extra trash collection of large items from four to eight weeks and by focusing on hiring initiatives. They are also streamlining routes and offering bonuses of up to $2,500 to new hires. Private haulers in the area are staging career hiring events and offering signing bonuses. They’re promising free education and training to prepare their workers for advancement in the company.

Is There a Long-Term Solution?

Reducing Pickup Frequency

SWANA has found that trash hauling companies are coping in a variety of ways: reducing the frequency of pickups, eliminating some bulky waste collections, and using temporary workers—when they can get them—especially in the busy times after major holidays. Some public sector organizations are resorting to paying overtime or are turning to outside contractors to pick up some of the slack. But employers in the industry realize that these are just short-term stopgaps. They don’t address the need for a long-term solution.

Higher Wages for Workers

In an industry report, SWANA explains that likely solutions will come in the form of higher wages and talking up the potential for waste hauling jobs to offer career growth into management and supervisory roles. Michael E. Hoffman, managing director at Stifel spoke at this year’s WasteExpo. He explained, “The reality is that for a long time, millennials and Zoomers don’t want to drive for a living.” He feels that this is a failure of the industry to work with high school and other vocational programs to promote industry jobs as financially reliable and “honorable.”

The truth is jobs in the waste hauling industry are typically recession-proof and offer long-term career opportunities beyond just driving a truck. SWANA is encouraging employers to offer new hires free training, education, and certification opportunities on their own dime.

Better Safety on the Job

Labor union representatives agree that wages are a contributor to the driver shortage. But they explain that it is more than just the pay.

Chuck Stiles, solid waste and recycling division director for the Teamsters union, explains, “Waste and recycling workers are leaving the industry because they are tired of the disrespect and poor working conditions.”

If workers cannot be confident that they will be working in safe conditions with competitive wages and benefits, they have opportunities waiting for them at other companies looking for drivers with a commercial drivers’ license (CDL).

So, will higher wages alone solve the driver shortage? Not necessarily.

Automation

It will probably take a combination of better pay and technology enhancements. Automation could have a significant impact. Side-loading robotic technology requires a larger initial investment, but it does result in a decrease in labor costs down the road. Reducing the need for more employees in this way can help solve the labor shortage.

But investments in technology and higher wages don’t come without a cost. This will lead to a likely increase in fees for waste hauling services, which will drive up costs for both residential customers and municipalities. Cities working under tight public sector budgets may face some tough debates as fees increase.

Hiring Released Felons

Some in the industry have proposed looking at filling staffing holes in more creative ways. A session at this year’s WasteExpo discussed how to overcome barriers to hiring convicted felons and other individuals who would not typically be considered for employment. One success story is the work release program jointly administered by the Kent County Sheriff Department and the Department of Public Works in Michigan. Through this program, inmates are paid minimum wage to work on the sorting line at the county’s material recovery facility (MRF), separating and processing recyclables. There is now a waitlist of inmates waiting for jobs to open up.

Garbage truck drivers at work
Garbage truck drivers at work.

Other programs help place recently released inmates in waste hauling positions. One barrier to entry for these workers is the requirement to obtain a CDL, which involves upfront costs. When employers are willing to subsidize this cost, they can fill open positions faster.

Hiring Immigrants, Veterans, and Longer-term Unemployed

Other initiatives focus on immigrants, veterans, and people who have been out of the workforce for some time. By offering supports such as translators, part-time and flex-time schedule opportunities, and extra training, companies can attract non-traditional workers to fill labor shortages.

Heather Stalvey, vice president of human resources and administration at Environmental Solutions Group (ESG) explains, “You’ve got to broaden and open your mind to individuals that were not necessarily considered traditional for certain roles ... But you’ve got to give them the help that they’re going to need.”

To accomplish this, many in the industry are working with new federal programs, such as the FAST Act, which assists military veterans into careers as commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. There are also calls to pass the Professional Pell Education Learning (PROPEL) Act, which would extend Pell Grants to students of vocational and trade schools.

Final Thoughts

Solving these staffing shortages is a top priority for city managers. Leaving garbage to pile up in residential and commercial business areas is not just unsightly, it can be unsafe and is a significant quality-of-life issue for residents. With no real end in sight for labor shortages across industries and the country, waste management officials will likely be dealing with these challenges for years to come.

About Monica Mayhak

I am an expert content writer with a depth of experience in the waste management and dumpster industry, with over 25 years of experience writing about construction, home improvement, property management, and education topics. As lead research writer for Discount Dumpster, I have expanded my knowledge and understanding of waste management, construction, and environmental issues over the past several years.

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