Page 14 - May-June 2021 Vol 39 No 1

LAFAYETTE By Lisa Hood Skinner
New Automated Side Loader
Boosts Public Works’ Efficiency

Jeff Harper, Public Works Director “Previously, we used
of Lafayette, TN, in Macon County, multiple garbage trucks
said the city’s new Heil Command- with six people, and now
SST™ Automated Side Loader (garbage we pick up our entire 2400
truck) is all about efficiency and weekly stops with one
quiet, two attributes highly valued by driver driving this one
Lafayette’s 4400+ residents. truck, from 6 a.m. until
noon, Monday through
The county seat, Lafayette was Friday,” Harper said.
founded in 1843 and named in “Now, that’s efficient.”
honor of the Marquis de Lafayette of
Revolutionary War fame. A largely Lafayette acquired the
rural area with an economy heavily truck from Stringfellow
relying on the agricultural sector, the out of Nashville. Stringfellow said
city encompasses five square miles and Lafayette’s positive experience matches
straddles a divide between the Barren up with that of other cities’ operators,
River and Cumberland River. maintenance technicians and fleet
owners, who have found that a side
Harper said his department loader improves productivity, safety, and
appreciates the efficiency of Heil’s ease of operation.
automated collection features, which
include easier garbage bin line-up Enhanced maintenance simplicity,
and access, and a quieter engine that combined with fuel economy, is making
has fewer emissions. He also has been the truck a popular choice among
watching as improvements have been departments like the one in Lafayette.
added to the basic single arm.
Heil Autonomous Lift Option

For example, the arm picks up
overturned carts without the driver
leaving the cab. It’s called the Heil
Autonomous Lift Option – or H.A.L.O.
With it, carts can be serviced by the
driver with the touch of a single button,
enabling that driver to remain focused on
the road and other variables associated
with its operation. The automated arm is
so efficient, Harper’s department requires
fewer personnel, he said.

Register Now for the MEMPHIS IN 2021
TCAPWA/SWANA NOVEMBER 1-3

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

14 TPW May/June 2021