What are the types of garbage trucks?
Several types of garbage trucks have been designed based on the commercial and municipal needs of the owner/operator. With the advent of mandatory recycling in most communities, garbage collection has become more complex. Coupled with how garbage is collected and cities' street grid layouts, garbage trucks are designed to perform specific functions. Types included front loaders, side loaders, and rear loaders, grapple trucks and recycling tucks, dump trucks and roll-off trucks.

Front Loaders
Front loader trucks have automated forks in front of the cab to lift and empty large commercial dumpsters using a set of levers. Once the garbage is emptied in the box, the garbage is compacted. Mack front loader trucks, for example, produces a 66,000-pound front and rear capacity truck powered by a 350-horsepower Mack diesel engine.

Rear Loaders
Rear loader trucks perform a different function than the front loader truck versions by collecting garbage at the rear with personnel tossing trash bags and emptying the contents of bins into a large container. Once the container is filled, the contents are compacted. The dimensions of the rear loader are similar to those of the front loader, such as the 350-horsepower Mack diesel engine equipped in the Mack rear loader truck.

Side Loaders
Side loader trucks can be automated or manually operated by collecting garbage on the side of the truck. Typically, the side loader trucks are operated by a single person who can operate the side loader from the cab. A second person is employed on manual versions. International, Mack, Volvo, Freightliner and Peterbilt are among several truck makers producing 300-horsepower diesel-powered side loaders.

Roll Off Trucks
Roll off garbage trucks are typically used at construction and demolition sites, for the collection of large volumes of waste. A roll off dumpster is placed on a special roller chassis, or trailer, and transported to the location where the bin is needed. Once the roll off truck arrives at the destination, the roll off can is rolled off the truck, where it will be filled with trash or debris. After the roll off can is full, the roll off truck will return, roll the box back onto the truck and deliver it to the landfill, where the roll off truck will be used as a dump truck to empty the contents of the roll off container.

Recycling Trucks
Recycling trucks are specialized, often automated, side load trucks designed for the collection of recyclable materials. Recycle trucks are operated by a single worker, who manages the truck's functions from within the cab, providing the highest level of saftey for the operator, and allowing for quicker route times. Although, recycle trucks may be used in commercial applications, they are primarily found in residential settings. International Harvester and Peterbilt produce a line of recycling trucks, equipped with the Cummins diesel.

Grapple Trucks
The grapple truck is a versatile trash truck, with an A-frame or tube shape tower, which typically has a two peice boom, with a grapple attached at the extended end, for grabbing large objects from multiple areas surrounding the vehicle. Once the grapple truck is on site, the operator will first engage a PTO (power take-off unit, commonly hydraulic) to supply the necessary power for the operation of the machine.

Because the grapple boom is used to lift heavy objects, two stanchion type props will then be deployed, on each side of the vehicle, from inside the frame of the grapple loader, if it is an A-frame, or from beneath the chassis of the vehicle on other styles, in order to stabilize and balance the truck before the loader can be utilized. Once the truck is in a stable position, the operator can then use the machine to reach outside of the body of the truck, and grab debris.

The A-frame grapple truck boom is operated by lever or joystick style controls, depending on year and manufacturer, from a seat attached at the top of the tower, this seat rotates with the machine, and gives the operator a bird's-eye view of the debris around the vehicle, with the exception of some close to the frame blind spots. These grapple trucks are mostly used for hauling tree debris, large recyclable metals and other bulky and weighty materials.

The tubed shape, pylon style towers, usually have a platform around the base of the tower for standing operation, typically with controls on both sides of the truck, which allows the operator to load from both sides of the truck. Unlike the the A-frame style, The tube tower style grapple loader does not normally have a 360 degree rotation, but does give the operator full view of the debris, all the way up to the frame on each side of the truck.