Hauler News

FCC wins $215M contract in Palm Beach County, Florida

Palm Beach County, Florida, has awarded a seven-year contract to FCC Environmental Services—the U.S. subsidiary of FCC Group, Barcelona, Spain—for the collection of all residential and commercial solid waste. FCC says the value of the contract, which begins Oct. 1, is $215 million.

According to a news release from FCC, the contract covers two out of the four zones considered by the tender. FCC adds it was the only firm to be awarded two zones.

The scope of the service includes the collection of garbage, recycling, yard waste and bulky waste for about 50 percent of the total county population of 1.3 million. The contract also includes the exclusive franchise of commercial waste for the two zones, which, because of the significance of tourism in the area, “will play a very important role in the service,” FCC says in a news release.

FCC will provide the service with a new fleet of 108 vehicles, including 90 collection trucks and other ancillary units. The service will generate more than 120 jobs, especially “among local companies that FCC will subcontract,” FCC says.

With one of the highest incomes in the U.S., Palm Beach County is one of the three counties that make up the metropolitan region of Miami. FCC has a growing presence in Florida in Orange County and Polk County with plans to increase its activity in the southern portion of the state with the new Palm Beach County contract.

FCC says it has signed 10 contracts in Texas and three in Florida in the last few years, totaling more than $1.1 billion and servicing more than 8 million residents.

FCC says its newest recycling facility in Houston, which is now operational with a capacity of 145,000 tons per year, was recently opened with state-of-the-art sorting technology.

Republic Services crowns driving competition champions

Republic Services Inc., Phoenix, announced the winners of its ROAD-EO National Championship, which brought together nearly 80 of the company’s top drivers, operators and technicians from across the country for a competition focused on safety and skill.

Republic’s ROAD-EO competition involved 40 drivers, 20 heavy equipment operators and 19 vehicle technicians who qualified to compete by winning local and area competitions.

• Front Load: Dan Hill, Bettendorf, Iowa
• Rear Load: Jesus Lizares, Gardena, California
• Side Load: Eric Farnstrom, Lakeland, Florida
• Roll-Off: Jorge Marenco, Pacheco, California
• Collection Technician: Chris Shromoff, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
• Bulldozer: Juan Paniagua, Greenville, South Carolina
• Wheel Loader: Brandon Carithers, Winder, Georgia
• Post-Collection Technician: Roy Sauve, Denver

The collection drivers competed in one of four categories—residential rear-loader, residential side-load, industrial roll-off and commercial front-loader—and were required to complete seven timed challenges, including parallel parking, alley backing and a serpentine course.

In the post-collection division, 10 heavy equipment operators competed in the bulldozer category, while 10 others competed in the wheel loader category, completing seven challenges of their own, including forward/back, dirt pickup and drum roll.

The technician competition consisted of diagnostic tests on either a roll-off truck or a bulldozer. Competitors were challenged with identifying and troubleshooting 10 vehicle problems in an allotted amount of time.

The first-, second- and third-place winner in each category was awarded a cash prize and additional paid time off.

These 79 finalists qualified from a field of 16,000 drivers, operators and technicians. Altogether, the finalists have tallied nearly 1,000 years of service with the company.

The first-, second- and third-place winner in each category was awarded a cash prize and additional paid time off.