GBB uses FleetRoute Software to Complete Collection System in Baltimore

Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. has completed the re-routing of the residential trash collection system for the city of Baltimore using its FleetRoute route optimization software, which the city has been using since last July.

The route optimization project is expected to result in labor, fuel, equipment and maintenance savings. The program was provided to the city through a contract with the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority. For this effort, GBB teamed with C2logix to provide the city with a combination of solid waste and IT expertise.

Before the re-routing project, the Baltimore Department of Public Works, which services 190,000 households, collected refuse twice a week from each residence, with about 63 trucks operating six days a week for a total of 214 routes. The DPW also collected recycling twice a month.

"In 2009, the GBB FleetRoute Service Bureau developed five alternative conceptual route scenarios. Each of these optimized the routes, workdays, and equipment allocation, and analyzed cost savings," says Frank Bernheisel, Vice President of GBB. "This in-depth analysis provided the city with the necessary tools to make an informed decision regarding changes in its collection operation and will allow for significant collection cost reductions for the city while improving services to residents with a more efficient operation."

The alternative conceptual route scenarios were provided to NMWDA and the city and included both weekly and twice weekly refuse collection. The weekly collection also included recycling collection by the city. Scenarios included both five-day work weeks and four-day work weeks. The analysis indicated that the change in the collection system could save the city about $6 million a year.

The new program provides one trash collection and one recycling collection each week for the single family residences in Baltimore. Collections are made Tuesday through Friday. The GBB Project Team developed the routes, providing route boundary overview maps, customer sequence lists, travel path maps and travel direction reports to the City and NMWDA, which were used in the roll-out of the new collection program.