Because of a generator’s “cradle-to-grave” liability, choosing a transporter is an extremely important – and equally daunting – task. But choosing a transporter for your hazardous waste wisely may save you thousands of dollars in fees and ensure you maintain a positive business reputation. We covered tips 1-5 in our previous post, “Top 10 Tips for Selecting Your Hazardous Waste Transporter: Part I”.
Tip 6: Find transportation experts who can train and educate your staff.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) stipulate that any employee who works in a shipping, receiving or material handling area or who may be involved in loading, unloading, preparing or transporting hazardous materials including the shipping papers, manifests, labels and markings, and more are required to have training. Making sure your employees comply with requirements outlined by HMR is a crucial piece of the transportation process. Find a transporter who understands these requirements thoroughly and provides training for your employees. At Enviro-Safe, we customize our courses for your facility and operations. We offer DOT hazardous material training, DOT security training and DHS training in interactive courses with various teaching methods to help maximize employee knowledge retention. Sessions are scheduled based on your needs.
Tip 7: Look for transporters who can assist you on your waste manifests.
The burden of paperwork required for transporting your waste can quickly drain your time and resources, so ask your transporter whether they prepare waste manifests and bill of lading (BoL) or assist you by reviewing paperwork you prepare. Good transportation experts, like those at Enviro-Safe, can check paperwork and spot any inaccuracies that might have cost your business money for being in noncompliance.
Tip 8: Don’t let cost be your only (or most important) consideration.
Remember that ultimately, the generator pays the price for accidents and spills and the resulting cleanup. Finding the lowest priced transporter may be tempting, but do not sacrifice quality for price. If a transporter does not use best practices or have a quality environmental protection program, move on. You will pay more for their mistakes in the long run. That being said, do ask questions to understand how your transporter is charging you for their services. Some larger, national transporters have hidden agendas that may not serve your best interest. Rather than finding the cheapest solution, find transparent transportation experts who can explain their pricing and help find the most optimized, cost-effective solutions for your business.
Tip 9: Look for a transporter who can offer sustainable solutions.
If your transporter is also your TSDF, carefully evaluate them and confirm they have their permits in order with the EPA and your local state agency’s lists (Wisconsin’s is here). Not all TSDFs are created equal. Some, like Enviro-Safe, specialize in sustainable, cost-effective solutions for your business and help companies improve their landfill diversion rates. Our recycling and resource recovery programs mean we can pass cost savings on to our customers. We also own and operate our own transportation fleet that include straight trucks, vans and tanker trucks. This level of control ultimately saves our customers money.
Tip 10: Find transporters who are known for great customer service and pride themselves on high customer retention.
Enviro-Safe’s contracts are with only permitted, fully insured, and licensed transporters. Our nationwide network of transporters are properly trained and have met all DOT requirements for transporting hazardous materials, non-hazardous and hazardous waste. Our goal is to provide the best services and lower your bottom line by not charging for numerous adders. Our services are competitively priced and without hidden agendas. All of this means our customers are happy with our services and trust us with their transportation needs … for the long haul. Ask us about our high customer retention rate, something on which we pride ourselves, and learn more about our numerous awards, including our recently being named a Master Mettle Winner for the 2019 MMAC Future 50 awards. We would love to add you to our growing list of satisfied clients. Contact us today.
