Dive Brief:
- Waste Pro USA, a trash and recycling company concentrated in the South, partnered with Houston-based safety equipment manufacturer Alliance Wireless Technologies (AWTI) to buy and set up a 360-degree external video system in 1,800 trucks, as reported in Waste360.
- The $3 million 3rd Eye System is designed to alert fleet drivers of potential dangers while on route, ultimately preventing accidents, bodily harm, and property damage.
- Other capabilities include remote, real-time monitoring of trucks along their routes. A camera records data that provides drivers with better visibility, integrated radar systems help drivers avoid blind spot accidents, and two-way radio communication enables fleet managers to remotely coach drivers as they are on the road.
Dive Insight:
The technology’s aim is to provide a comprehensive safety mechanism to protect communities and workers — a necessity considering the time that drivers spend on the road, in and around neighborhoods. It is also a necessity considering that these heavy-weight, bulky trucks are not easy to maneuver, which in part leads to the 6,000-plus accidents that waste truck drivers are involved in every year.
"The 3rd Eye camera technology Waste Pro is using in our fleet offers the company unmatched access to what is happening in and around our vehicles at all times," said Waste Pro Director of Safety Josh Densberger to Waste360. "We use the information from the cameras to coach both positive and negative behaviors of the employee’s before accidents, injuries, and property damage occur.
"Our highest priority is the safety of our employees and the general public ... through our partnership with AWTI and the 3rd Eye Camera system we have the most advanced in cab coaching application available in our industry to help achieve this goal," he said.
Throughout the waste industry, similar systems have been leveraged to make a potentially hazardous occupation safer, including another newly released blind spot detection technology and GPS, infrared radar, accelerometers, and gyroscopes to assist in navigation and lifting. The solid waste management industry is carefully assessing these evolving systems as safety continues to rise to the top of agendas and priorities lists in the trash collection business.
