Every morning before the sun comes up, a refuse truck operator starts his/her shift. He rolls out into quiet neighborhoods, steering a heavy vocational vehicle that gets heavier as the day goes on. He navigates it through tight residential streets, alleys, and intersections—all before most people have had their first cup of coffee.
It’s a tough job. As someone who’s been in this industry for over three decades, I’ll tell you this, if we don’t give that operator every possible tool to help him do his job safely, we’re not doing our jobs.
That’s why the operator is the most important person in the loop. When we talk about safety, when we talk about uptime, when we talk about community impact, it all begins and ends with the person behind the wheel. If we are serious about protecting lives and livelihoods, then we must be serious about equipping operators with the kind of advanced, integrated safety technology that’s built specifically for the way they work.
Fortunately, technology has come a long way, and it’s more advanced and capable than many in the industry realize.
TURNING TECH INTO A SECOND SET OF SENSES
The reality is: operating a refuse truck today means making hundreds of decisions on a single route. You’re watching kids darting out between cars, managing constantly shifting situations, navigating tight turns in alleys, and trying to stay on schedule.
Operators can handle a lot, but why make them do it all by themselves? Why not give them intelligent systems that help watch those blind spots, scan the road for hazards, and step in to assist when milliseconds count?
Take Mike, our hypothetical operator. Let’s walk through his day. He starts up the truck and gets ready to head out. There are a lot of traffic signs along the way, and they’re all important. We want to make sure they’re seen and followed. That’s why his truck is equipped with road sign recognition technology, which identifies those critical signs—speed limits, school zones, weight restrictions—and alerts him instantly. He doesn’t have to squint or second-guess.
That’s what it means to assist the operator: help make him safer, sharper, and more confident in his decisions. It is amazing how well safety systems today can augment an operator’s senses, and it is exciting to think about what they can do in the future.
A LAYERED APPROACH TO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE
Back to Mike’s route. He’s approaching a busy intersection, and a delivery van suddenly brakes in front of him. In that split second, Mike starts to react—but the automatic braking system already has. It’s been scanning the road ahead, calculating distance, velocity, and stopping time. It engages the brakes automatically, helping him avoid what could’ve been a serious collision.
That kind of help is invaluable in the refuse world. Operators are dealing with the unexpected every day. Dogs running loose. Bicyclists sneaking up on the side. A toddler chasing a ball into the street. These are not theoretical scenarios; they’re real, and they happen fast.
With a combination of cameras, radar, and smart braking logic, today’s refuse trucks provide multiple layers of awareness. The truck gives the operator another set of eyes. It responds when there’s no time to hesitate. It communicates with the operator in real-time—subtle alerts, clear visuals, and automatic actions when necessary.
SEEING MORE THAN MIRRORS EVER COULD
One of the most transformative changes I’ve seen over the years is in 360-degree visibility. We used to rely entirely on mirrors, backup alarms, and an operator’s memory of what was around the vehicle.
Today, trucks have the option of being equipped with a suite of high-resolution cameras—rear-facing, side-mounted—so operators like Mike can see everything happening around them. Turn signals trigger the side cameras. Putting the truck in reverse activates the rear view. Radar supplements the visuals by detecting pedestrians or objects that might be hidden from the camera’s view.
When these systems work together, they give Mike a full picture, one that no mirror or single camera could ever provide on its own. That kind of situational awareness is what helps prevent accidents, reduces stress, and builds operator confidence.
PROTECTING THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE ON THE ROUTE
Operators work near people, on sidewalks, in crosswalks, near playgrounds. These are our neighbors and families, and we want to deliver great service to the highest standards of safety possible. That’s why trucks today can be built with pedestrian and cyclist detection to recognize people. Not just large vehicles or objects, but human forms, moving at different speeds, from different angles, in all types of weather.
When a cyclist is approaching on the blind side, or a pedestrian gets too close during a turn, the system alerts the operator and, if needed, applies the brakes automatically. This is where real engineering shines, not just detecting motion but understanding context. Knowing the difference between a mailbox and a stroller. That’s the result of years of hard work from bright engineers for whom safety is a personal mission.
REVERSE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT GUESSWORK
One of the most stressful parts of operating a heavy-duty refuse truck is backing up. That’s where many accidents happen because it’s tough to see especially in tight quarters. However, modern reverse safety technology options have changed that. Systems today can use a combination of radar and cameras to create a zone of awareness behind the truck.
When Mike backs into a tight alley, he’s not relying on memory. He’s got sensors watching every angle, alerting him if something enters the danger zone. And if needed, the truck can brake on its own. That’s how you back up a vehicle of varying weights in a variety of road conditions, with the confidence that your tool was built for your work.
BUILT FOR THE JOB—NOT BORROWED FROM THE HIGHWAY
Now, let’s be honest: refuse work doesn’t look anything like a highway haul. Constant stops. Tight quarters. Side streets. Reversing into alleys. These are edge cases for OTR trucks, but they’re constant in refuse. These trucks operate in a different world. Stopping and starting constantly. We reverse in tight quarters. We drive through crowded neighborhoods, past schools and parks, often with limited maneuvering space.
Building a tool once correctly will always yield a safer product. Integration of chassis and body from the start, with the safety system in mind, is the only way that can happen, because that’s how you can ensure your tool is calibrated for the unique demands of our industry.
When Mike pulls that truck into the bay at the end of the day, there’s one thing on his mind: going home to his family. We owe it to our operators to help them get there safely, every single time, satisfied that they did their job and took care of their communities. That they were able to do their part to protect their family and the families they served that day.
Technology can help; we must commit to equipping our fleets with the latest advancements, train our operators to use them, and keep thinking of and building better ways to do better tomorrow than we did today.
about the author
James (Jimmy) Johnston has led Autocar Trucks as its president since 2003. A 2025 inductee into the NWRA Hall of Fame, Jimmy has been engaged in the truck and body business, serving severe duty industries, since 1986. With a focus on the refuse industry since 1992, he has been driving chassis and body integration while always making safety a top priority.
