6 Benefits of Waste Container Tracking

January 22, 2021

Waste container tracking software.

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Key Takeaways

Waste container tracking software offers a streamlined view into all of your assets. By remotely monitoring your waste containers, roll-off dumpsters, or waste bins, your waste collection or equipment rental business can save thousands of dollars per year in asset replacement costs and deliver better customer service.

Whether your fleet owns roll-off dumpsters, waste containers, or a mix of different waste haulers, the key to operational efficiency is visibility into your asset locations and utilization. If you’re a fleet manager or part of an inventory management team that oversees waste containers, you may want to consider a waste container tracking system to help ensure the security of these valuable assets. 

Read on to learn six key benefits of waste container tracking. 

What is waste container tracking? 

Waste container tracking software (otherwise known as container management, asset management, container tracking, or equipment tracking software) uses IoT-connected Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices to help fleets keep better track of their roll-off containers, dumpsters, and more. 

Whether your dumpsters or roll-off containers are stationed at your headquarters or at customer sites such as landfills or recycling centers, waste container tracking software with real-time GPS trackers help your business maintain visibility into asset locations. With data on your container locations, your business can spend less time searching for assets and more time using them. 

Who can benefit from waste container tracking? 

Waste container tracking software can be valuable for fleets with dumpsters, roll-off containers, waste haulers, or any other unpowered asset used in the waste industry. While businesses and organizations of all kinds can benefit from waste container tracking, fleets and rental companies in the waste management, recyclables, or container management fields will benefit the most. 

For example, Samsara customer ACV Enviro has an extensive inventory of more than 1,000 assets, ranging in cost from $3,000 to more than $500,000. Their most commonly used asset is roll-off containers, specialized for hazardous waste work, but they also own generators, tankers, light towers, and boats. 

Before Samsara, ACV Enviro tracked their container inventory and work orders on paper and spreadsheets. This system not only made it challenging to properly track their waste containers’ whereabouts but they had difficulty determining when drop-offs and pickups were made with customer accounts. With the data collection from Samsara Asset Gateways (AG46), ACV Enviro is able to keep better track of their assets, gain insight into asset utilization, and improve billing—making their operations more efficient and profitable. 

6 benefits of waste container tracking for your fleet 

A waste container tracking system can be an advantageous tool for your business for a number of different reasons. Below, we’ve boiled it down to the top six benefits:

1. Increase profitability with visibility into asset locations 

With waste container tracking software, your fleet can spend less time searching and more time using your waste containers, dumpsters, and roll-off containers to generate more income and increase profitability. 

Additionally, with tools such as the Samsara Time on Site Report, you can get insights into how long your assets spent at customer sites. By combining the Time on Site Report with Samsara geofences, you can determine exactly when a drop-off was made in order to streamline invoicing and increase your revenue. 

2. Make data-driven procurement decisions with utilization data  

With Samsara Utilization Reports, your fleet can analyze dumpster and roll-off container utilization, identify underused assets, and make procurement decisions using reports backed by data. These utilization metrics, combined with asset location data, can help your fleet minimize dumpster rental fees by getting the most out of the assets you already own. With better visibility into your assets’ locations, your organization can improve asset inventory management and cut costs. 

For example, ACV Enviro was able to avoid $30,000 in rental company fees per year after adopting Samsara Asset Gateways to track utilization for their roll-off containers. 

3. Detect and recover lost or stolen waste containers 

If your waste management business or organization regularly misplaces assets, waste container tracking can provide savings by simplifying container inventory management, detecting unauthorized movement, and increasing the likelihood of asset recovery. Plus, some telematics providers like Samsara include geofence alerts to identify and mitigate theft and unauthorized use of equipment.

With the help of Samsara, Blue Lightning Logistics was able to save $200,000 by preventing the theft of three assets. 

Learn more: Anti-theft tips from Samsara 

4. Optimize maintenance scheduling 

If your assets ever sustain damage, it’s important to have a system that can automate asset maintenance and work orders. With Samsara maintenance scheduling, your fleet can plan waste container maintenance around usage or time. 

Automated maintenance scheduling will help minimize costly repairs and ensure that your assets are always operational and earning your business money.  

5. Streamline dispatching 

A dispatcher’s job can be difficult without consistent visibility into your containers’ or dumpsters’ locations. Luckily, if you select a dumpster tracking software solution that’s a part of a broader fleet management platform, your fleet can take advantage of route optimization tools to streamline routing and dispatching.

With visibility into asset locations through Samsara, dispatchers can quickly and easily dispatch extra waste containers or dumpsters to a job site, ultimately providing better customer service and improving your business’ reputation. 

6. Improve customer service 

With GPS tracking your business can provide your customers pinpoint accuracy for the pick up and drop off of roll-off containers and dumpsters and wake on motion features make sure you're notified if the container is moved.

What to consider when selecting a waste container tracking system 

Though waste container tracking software can be helpful for keeping track of your fleet’s waste containers and dumpsters, your fleet will benefit most from a complete fleet management platform. Look for a telematics platform, such as Samsara, that's intuitive, easy to use, and can give you a more complete view of how your fleet’s assets are performing. 

Keep an eye out for the following functionalities: 

  • Quality of location data: Would your fleet benefit from real-time tracking or is a single location ping every five to 10 minutes sufficient? Ask your fleet management software provider how often their GPS trackers update your asset’s location and whether they offer real-time asset location tracking. 

  • Ease of installation: How seamless will the installation process be for your fleet? Can you plug-and-play or organize assets by serial number or barcode? Before selecting a GPS tracking solution for your waste containers, ask how long a technology deployment for your size fleet takes. 

  • Mobile workflow: Are you frequently on the go or managing your fleet’s dumpsters and roll-off containers remotely? If you want access to information about your fleet on the go, consider a web-based fleet management solution that offers a mobile app, like the Samsara Fleet App

  • Battery life: How frequently will you need to replace batteries on your waste container trackers? Be sure to select a system with long-lasting or rechargeable batteries to save time and improve your bottom line. 

Customer support: What type of customer service will you need? If you want a provider who can support you during the hours your drivers and business are operating and beyond, check to see if your provider has 24/7 technical support.

The different types of Samsara asset tracking devices

Whether you only need to track containers or you’re also looking for a solution to track trailers, reefers, equipment, and more—Samsara has you covered. Samsara offers a variety of unpowered and powered asset trackers, so you can keep all your GPS tracking data consolidated on one platform.

For more information, learn more about our asset tracking solutions or reach out to our team for a free trial.

Waste container tracking tracking with Samsara 

Samsara brings the experience of Android and Apple engineering to waste container tracking with a telematics platform that provides fleet managers with more visibility into their operations. Samsara also offers a solution that provides organizations with the resources to move quickly, sift through data effectively, and integrate seamlessly with existing systems. 

If you want to leverage the power of the Samsara dashboard from your phone, the Samsara Fleet mobile app includes key features at your fingertips so you can access important asset data and insights on the go. If any issues come up, our United States-based 24/7 technical support team is always ready to help.

Questions about pricing? To learn more about how Samsara can help you with GPS tracking and beyond, reach out today for a quote.

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