While automation has certainly carved out a place in residential collection over recent years, the steady rear-loader has always been a vital part of the waste industry. The additional convenience with the integration of carts and cart tippers have only made them more effective and efficient over time.
By Adam Hankins
It is no secret that in recent years there has been a shift in residential waste hauling away from rear load collection methods, towards automated side-load (ASL) trucks. While this makes sense in many areas for a multitude of reasons, the rear-load truck still has, and will always have, a place in the waste industry. In some cases, haulers have even shifted back to rear loaders after brief periods of experimentation with ASL collection due to increased fleet maintenance costs, area restrictions, driver training issues, amongst other factors affecting the return on their investment (ROI) actually realized over time.
Infrastructure Factors
Just like when setting out to accomplish any other important task, choosing the “right tool for the job” is essential for efficiency and profitability in waste removal. In residential collection, route conditions are one of the most meaningful factors when selecting the type of truck to service the area most effectively. Automated trucks often excel when there is ample room to maneuver on open roads and dangerous rural highways, while rear load trucks prove more effective on tight neighborhood or city streets. Other infrastructure factors often play a role as well.
Kelly Melgard, President of Steve’s Sanitation (Perham, MN), states, “As a hauler, we are often asked why we continue to run rear-load trucks equipped with cart tippers when automated side loaders get so much of the industry’s attention. The answer is simple: on the right routes, the rear-loader is still the better tool for the job. An ASL needs room to work. The arm requires a clear reach to the cart, consistent curb-side placement, and space free of parked cars, mailboxes, snowbanks, and low-hanging obstructions. On tight alleys, narrow streets, cul-de-sacs, and older neighborhoods where residents park on the street, that clearance simply is not there. A rear-load with a cart tipper handles those same stops without missing a beat—the crew can pull carts from either side of the street, work around obstacles, and keep the route moving.”
Photos courtesy of Diamondback Products
According to Tommy Sims (“Tommy Trash”) of All-Star 91TV Services LLC (Benson, NC), “rear-load is the way to go” for his region, “especially in the established towns and neighborhoods” around Clayton, Garner, and Benson. Sims has found that his rear-load truck can service one of his large neighborhoods “1.5 to two hours faster” than his automated truck, noting that “the rear-load truck can service both sides of the street in one pass while the automated truck has to drive each street twice”. He cites “it’s also better for the resident” as it allows his helpers to “take better care of the container by returning it safely to the curbside, upright with the lid securely in place”. Rear-load trucks also allow All-Star 91TV to provide a personal touch to their business, providing “backdoor service” to certain residents in town, when necessary.
Versatility and Value
In this business, like most others, bang for the buck is the name of the game. Rear-loaders consistently provide that ROI in multiple ways. With lower initial investment than their automated counterparts and multipurpose uses in waste collection, it is easy to see why so many haulers still rely on rear-loaders as their primary workhorse machines. Their overall cost of ownership and value are unmatched in many applications.
Kevin Limbert, Sales Manager for Premier Truck Sales & Rental emphasizes, “Rear loaders with cart tippers have always been, and will continue to be, an important part of the waste industry. They’re incredibly versatile and remain one of the workhorses of collection because they offer a lower upfront investment, straightforward maintenance, and the ability to service both sides of the street. With a cart tipper on each side, if one unit needs to be taken out of service, you still have another available, which helps keep the truck working. Rear loaders can also get into smaller areas, including alleys and tighter collection routes, where larger automated equipment may not be as practical. Smaller rear loaders can also provide an important operational advantage because, depending on the truck and application, they may not require a CDL, opening the door to a broader pool of drivers.”
Melgard echoes those sentiments, “Versatility is another big factor. Our routes are rarely carts-only. A rear loader takes carts on the tipper, but it also takes bags, bulky items, overflow, and the occasional commercial stop in the same pass. An ASL is a ‘one-trick truck’ by comparison—if it is not in a properly placed cart, it is not getting collected without a second vehicle or a call-back.”
“There’s no question that automated side loaders have become a major part of the industry, but we don’t see rear loaders going away. A rear loader gives operators flexibility that you simply don’t get with every collection method. You’re not dealing with the possibility of losing a tote during an automated pickup, which can ultimately mean losing a customer. Cart tippers and rear loaders remain a valuable tool for haulers and municipalities, and we believe they’ll continue to have a place in the industry for years to come,” continues Limbart.
Cost is a factor as well—more specifically, the “overall cost of ownership.” Per Melgard, “There is a business case as well. The rear loader carries a lower purchase price and a simpler hydraulic system than an automated arm, which means less specialized maintenance, less downtime, and a truck that any of our drivers can run. For a route mix like ours—rural miles, small towns, tight residential streets, and mixed waste streams—the rear load with a cart tipper delivers the semi-automated efficiency we need while keeping the flexibility an ASL cannot match. The ASL absolutely has its place on dense, uniform, carts-at-the-curb routes. But where conditions are anything less than ideal, the rear load with a cart tipper remains the workhorse of our fleet.”
Adding Cart Lifters
Once you have analyzed your service area, weighed the pros and cons, and made a truck decision, the next step is to properly specify the ancillary equipment to make your job easier and safer. On residential rear-load trucks, those decisions generally are centered around accessories such as lights, camera systems, and cart tippers/lifters.
Currently, in 2026, cart tippers/lifters are installed on almost every workhorse residential rear-load truck (yard waste specific trucks excluded). Even large municipalities that have not used them in the past are moving further in that direction year after year. The last 20 to 30 years has seen an increased focus on keeping your workforce safe, avoiding unnecessary injuries whenever possible, as well as keeping the streets cleaner and free of excess debris (see Delivering Reliability sidebar). It is difficult to place a value on how many joint and back injuries are prevented by using carts and cart lifters versus the “hand-tossing” days of old. As a percentage of the new truck cost, the cart lifter is generally between 1 to 2 percent of the total while being one of the hardest working mechanisms on the unit. I would argue that only the brakes operate more cycles per route. For this reason alone, the cart lifter chosen should not be an afterthought or “throw in” item when writing truck specs. Do your research and be sure to choose lifting products that will not damage your expensive carts, give you the durability required to hold up to the toughest environments, and work with a company that will bend over backward to support you when you need it because, in this industry, downtime is the enemy of success.
While automation has certainly carved out a place in residential collection over recent years, the steady rear-loader has always been a vital part of the waste industry. The additional convenience with the integration of carts and cart tippers have only made them more effective and efficient over time. They are versatile, relatively easy to maintain, and one of the more cost-effective ways to perform curb-side waste collection. Do not kick the tried-and-true methods to the curb just yet. The rear-loader is in it for the long haul. | WA
Delivering Reliability
“Tommy Trash” and his Johnston County team exclusively use Diamondback Products cart lifters on their fleet of approximately 35 rear-load trucks. As someone who values taking care of his equipment, Tommy prefers Diamondback for their cart-saving features, durability and elite customer service. Replacing broken carts on the route can be an extremely expensive endeavor, wasting his team’s hard-earned revenue, therefore, he deploys equipment that also places importance in preserving his valuable assets.
Kevin Limbert agrees, “We’ve continued to use Diamondback Cart Tippers on our rear loaders because they have consistently delivered the durability, reliability, and performance our customers expect from equipment that is going to work every day. When you’re putting a rear loader into a rental or sales fleet, you need components that can stand up to the demands of the waste industry and keep the truck productive. Diamondback has proven itself in that environment, which is why they’ve been our choice and why we’ll continue to put Diamondback Cart Tippers on our rear loaders moving forward.”
Adam G. Hankins is General Manager for Diamondback Products, Inc. He has almost 25 years of experience in manufacturing. During his current 13-year tenure in the waste industry with Diamondback Products, the company has grown tremendously with the support of a strong team dedicated to continuous improvement and unmatched customer service. Additionally, he oversees a “sister” manufacturing company, Diamondback Industries LLC, a trusted Machining & Fabrication business, providing production parts and assemblies to service a wide variety of business sectors throughout North America.
To learn more about Diamondback Products or schedule a live demonstration of their cart lifters, call (336) 236-9800 or contact Jeff McDonald, Sales Manager, at (336) 528-3979.