In an era when technology advances so quickly, many of us hold off on making tech purchases. We hope for a lull that will allow us at least enough time to learn all the neat things our new toy can do before causing us to hanker for the next big thing.
Portable restroom and accessory manufacturers, truck builders and equipment suppliers display beautiful new offerings every year at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International. It’s a visually dazzling array of items designed to help you do the job better, faster and more profitably.
And how about those folks back at the office, making it possible to keep the guys in the trucks busy and on the road? Surely, they’ve got their eyes on some promising new technologies. Let’s check in to see what these PROs have to say about their widget wish lists.
Randy Schutheis drives truck for J & J Septic & Sewer Cleaning. He wishes for an on-board computer in his truck to provide real-time road maps that would be the equivalent of a GPS system, only more accurate and up-to-date. He’d like to know about road closures or detours, any information that would help him not only locate the restroom pickup and drop-off points, but also help him plan a smarter, more efficient route.
“It’s always good to have a more organized trip,” he says.
Robin Wertz is the office manager of the septic pumping, portable restroom and trash disposal business she owns with husband Ken Wertz. She says software that would make her dispatching duties easier sounds appealing.
“I think it would be very helpful to have the kind of routing (software) that would let you know where all your portable units are at any given time,” she says. “Real-time tracking devices on the units would be a very big advantage.”
She and her husband have given a lot of thought to adding tracking technology. “I think it’s an interesting possibility for our future,” she says, adding that the more units they get, the more attractive such a solution becomes.
They currently run three trucks to service about 300 units, and Wertz says the company has grown each year. “For us last year, I expected the economy to put a dent in our growth, but we ended up buying a tractor-trailer load of 28 new units. For our particular area, which is mostly small towns, that was a pretty big thing, especially now.”
She anticipates growth will continue, and that within a year, the tracking technology will become more of a necessity than a dream. For now, she’s content to do her homework on available solutions, so when it’s time to buy, she’s ready to make an informed decision.
Tommy Breeding pumps septic tanks and rents portable restrooms. He, too, says a GPS unit might be just the ticket for his truck.
“It helps in finding locations, directions, and I think it cuts down on time on your trip. They allow you to run your trip in demo mode, so you can get a good idea where you’re going.”
Breeding also believes a GPS unit would help back in the office with route planning. “The secretary in the office does that a lot of times, gives us a pre-run, letting us know (our destination) is going to be close to this or that little community, so we have an idea and can start looking for it.” He says that, though the secretary does a great job, the GPS technology would make her work faster and possibly more accurate.
