Work out waste collection vehicle requirement instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Each vehicle carries payload times trips per day. Dividing the waste to collect by that gives vehicles needed in service, and dividing again by fleet availability gives the fleet to own — availability of 80-90% is realistic once maintenance and breakdowns are allowed for.
Vehicle requirement
Vehicles in service = daily waste / (payload x trips per day); fleet = ceil(vehicles / availability)
Vehicle loading must respect axle and gross weight limits. Overloading is an offence and compromises braking and stability.
Travel distance to the disposal or transfer site, collection density, traffic and crew hours. A transfer station close to the collection area is often the most effective way to increase trips.
No. Use the achievable payload for the actual waste density and compaction ratio. Light waste fills the body before the axle limit is reached, so volume rather than weight governs.