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If you believe the mayor about the trash problem, I have a bridge for sale.

I see and hear the commercial trucks at the school and our residential waste truck as they work. I was in the waste business for over 20 years and know just by watching the trucks work if the PM program is working.

It starts with the driver knowing his truck, being responsible doing a good DVIR (driver vehicle inspection report} every afternoon and in the morning before the truck is put in action.

It is his job to make sure the truck is safe to operate and all the items he reported at night was repaired. Keeping the same driver in the same truck works great.

It is the shop’s job to repair what the DVIR reports. It is the shop manager who is responsible for a PM program where the trucks get a total inspection once a month.

I have managed sites with as many as 75 waste trucks, some 20 years old. Most major companies keep a truck for 12 years or more.

If your shop does their job, that is the life of the fleet. It is better to spend $10,000 on a truck then to spend $125,000 on a new one.

Folks, new trucks break down and if you patch one instead of repainting it, that is why their life is shortened.
I know problems do happen. The better maintenance program you have, the fewer one you face.

When you have what the mayor has stated, 12 trucks and only 6 working, you double shift those 6 trucks.

Have a second shift of drivers come in at 4 p.m. and once the truck is inspected, send them out again. You get the trash up while giving the shop time to repair the other truck.

It’s time for the city to evaluate the whole waste program and its employees.

You gave the employees a raise, purchased Rose Hill, built a new park and now want new waste trucks when the streets are in poor conditions. Where is all the money coming from?

I think the public wants the streets fixed before new trucks are purchased. It is time for real leadership to start at city hall.

— Warren Grammer

Port Arthur