What is a Hauler?

June 14, 2016

A Hauler is a person or company who moves refuse for appropriate disposal. Typically, recyclable material or waste are collected from curbsides by hydraulic trucks, who then deliver these materials to a landfill or municipal recycling facility. In the case of waste, cans and bags of the matter are disposed into the truck from the side while hydraulics push and compact the waste allow for more space for collection.

With the arrival of the standardized refuse collection in the early part of the twentieth century, horse-drawn carts served as the means for moving waste to dump sites and incinerators. In 1918, cities began to shift towards motorized trucks for collecting.

In the United States, these vehicles were open-topped for convenience but emitted the foul odour of garbage and had the risk of spilling as it traveled. These problems were quickly fixed with the introduction of covered body trucks, though this innovation introduced a new issue with collectors having to lift heavy cans above their shoulders when loading.

In 1932, Austrian inventor Jacob Ochsner and French inventor Ferrnand Rey design the hydraulic rear loading compactor trucks in Europe. This innovation carried over to North America in 1937 by Garwood, but it did not catch on until after the Second World War. Since then, hydraulic compactors have become the standard in waste and recycling management.

Other Sources

“For Education.” Began with the Bin. http://beginwiththebin.org/resources/for-education. Accessed May 3, 2016.

“Hauler.” Oxford Dictionary. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/english/haulier. Accessed June 27, 2016.

“History of the Garbage Man.” Garbage Man Day. http://www.garbagemanday.org/history-of-the-garbage-man/. Accessed June 27, 2016.

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