Rollin With Rumpke Rear Load Trucks

They’re big, they’re heavy, and they hold a lot of trash or recycling! Wake up early enough and you might catch a glimpse of a Rumpke truck driving through the neighborhood.

Rumpke’s fleet of more than 1,700 vehicles includes front load, rear load and roll off trucks. Rear load trucks are designed to handle trash or recycling in the safest, most efficient ways possible.

Here are a few fun facts about that truck you see every week.

How Many Times Does a Rear Load Garbage Driver Stop? 

Did you know that on garbage day, your driver stops, on average, at 500 houses? With each household throwing away an average of 50 pounds of trash a week, that’s a lot of garbage! Collection routes are designed to be as efficient as possible, to minimize emissions and fuel usage.

How Much Does a Rear Load Garbage Truck Cost? 

A brand new rear load garbage truck can be very expensive, costing around $190,000. To keep the trucks in good shape and keep streets safe, all Rumpke drivers must go through 40 hours of training before hitting the streets.

What Fuels Rumpke's Trash Trucks? 

Rumpke extracts gases from its Colerain Township landfill and converts it into a useable natural gas that can be used to power homes, businesses or vehicles. In Greater Cincinnati, Rumpke is using about 25 rear load trucks that are powered by compressed natural gas, as an alternative to diesel.

How Much Does A Rumpke Rear Load Truck Weigh? 

Even without any trash or recycling, these trucks are extremely heavy! Completely empty, a rear load truck weighs 35,000 pounds. Add about 50 pounds from each household, and that’s one heavy truck!

How are Rumpke Trucks Kept Clean? 

Garbage and recycling collection is a dirty business; which is why we tend to say that a clean truck is a happy truck. Every time a truck makes a trip to the landfill, its tires need to be washed. The wheel wash is a very high pressured stream of water that cleans all the dirt and garbage off the underside of the truck.

A Common Misconception

Although they are often recognized as “garbage trucks” these trucks can be used to haul trash, recycling, yard waste or other materials. This is why people sometimes see their recycling thrown into a "garbage truck."

Want to Learn More?

Check out Rumpke education or book a free landfill tour for a chance to see the trucks in action!