Granger Waste

Deciphering a driver’s handwritten vehicle inspection report was a daily challenge for mechanics at Granger Waste Services. Whether examining a Mack Heil front loader or a Mack Labrie side loader, they often found themselves squinting at smudged logbooks.

“The JJ Keller logbooks would just float around in the truck cabs getting damaged and dirty,” recalls Neil Parsons, purchasing manager at Granger Waste Services. “Between moisture, food stains, and grease marks, reading these legally required documents was a constant struggle.”

Adopting RTA’s software transformed this messy process for Granger, a family-owned operation managing an extensive fleet across Michigan.

Granger’s equipment includes 130 front and side loading-trucks from manufacturers like Mack, Labrie, and Heil, along with Western Star Class 8 tractors.

The company’s operations span five facilities and two landfills in Lansing and Grand Ledge, encompassing roughly 500 pieces of equipment, including generators, roll-off containers, trash machines, utility vehicles, off-road trucks, bulldozers, and excavators.

Lansing’s main repair facility is the hub for most of its maintenance operations. Here, 18 of their 25 mechanics work across two shifts, from 3 am to midnight, handling nearly all repairs in-house except for warranty work.

The switch to RTA’s digital system has significantly streamlined their maintenance documentation – making those illegible paper logbooks a thing of the past. Through a strategic combination of digital tools and analytics, RTA’s platform transformed Granger’s core operations while delivering measurable improvements in efficiency and cost control.

Mobile Inspection App

Using a specialized inspection app, drivers now select from drop-down menus that offer clear, standardized descriptions of component issues. The tablet’s camera feature lets them capture and upload photos directly to mechanics, providing visual documentation of any concerns.

This digital transformation, powered by RTA’s integration with its vehicle inspection system, has finally helped Granger achieve their 13- year goal of becoming a paperless operation.

In the waste disposal and recycling industry, timing is everything – especially when a new diesel-powered trash hauler with specialized compacting equipment carries a price tag exceeding half a million dollars. Granger’s in-house maintenance strategy helps optimize these substantial investments.

The company maintains a careful balance between maintenance and replacement cycles.

“We’re constantly working to see where that repair-or-replace level should be,” he added. “Ideally, we’ve found you want to get at least seven years out of the vehicle before you require that first engine rebuild. Still, it’s always an ongoing discussion with maintenance and leadership because of the capital outlay that’s involved.”

VMRS Codes

RTA’s implementation of vehicle maintenance reporting standards (VMRS) codes, developed by the American Trucking Association, has become a cornerstone of Granger’s equipment tracking and maintenance success.

“What you need is software like RTA to be able to provide those figures to help create that case, which again, I go back to the beginning—with good data in, you get good data out,” Neil said.

“While we’re far from perfect when it comes to that, we’re constantly striving to get better at the quality of the data we’re entering. With RTA, we’re certainly getting further along in that journey.”

As the waste management industry evolves, Granger Waste Services remains at the forefront of technological adoption and analytics utilization, with RTA playing an integral role in this advancement.

Streamlined Parts Management with Advanced Analytics

RTA’s platform provides Granger with comprehensive historical parts tracking and cross-referencing capabilities, enhanced by big data analytics and digital documentation features for inventory management.

“You constantly want to strive to keep that inventory level down to manageable levels,” Neil said. “But also, in the trash business, especially with the varying ages of vehicles, sometimes there are certain parts that are hard to get. So, you want to be able to keep a hold of those parts.

RTA has algorithms and formulas that can help manage your min-max levels, which is a huge benefit if you have a large inventory because you can focus on your fast- and slow-moving parts. But there are also other things to consider, like seasonal parts.”

The system’s customizable table formats allow users to tailor their view of data to their specific needs.

“If you work in a certain area, and you want to see things a certain way, you can save it that way, which is a big plus, when you have many different people in the system,” Neil said.

Flexible Reporting Solutions

With RTA’s transition to cloud-based operations, the platform has enhanced its reporting capabilities, offering customers unprecedented flexibility in creating customized reports – a feature Neil describes as “huge.”

“If you have the staff and capabilities of doing that, it’s there for you,” he said. “And even if you don’t, if you’re a small mom-and-pop shop, that doesn’t matter because there’s a lot of great RTA programs.”

For organizations needing additional support, Neil notes that RTA maintains a team of consultants who can assist with creating specialized reports, ensuring that fleets of all sizes can maximize the platform’s capabilities.

Comprehensive Training

RTA Connect offers diverse training resources representing another avenue through which organizations can get the most out of their fleet management potential, according to Neil.

“RTA Connect offers all of us an opportunity to learn from fleet experts,” he said. “And as a result, it helps ignite a spark in you to where you want to do better at your job. RTA offers training in every medium possible to match different learning styles. If you like to read, you can read manuals, if you’re a visual person, you have slide decks. They have videos that you can watch - every learning style is covered.”

The impact on operational efficiency is clear. “Bottom line—it’s all about efficiency,” Neil added. “I think if you’re not using some kind of digital base system like RTA to manage work orders, then I think you’re missing out on a big way to gain a lot of that efficiency.”