ISO 14001 in Transportation (Truck) - Small to Medium Transportation
- Thread starter Marc
- Start date
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> Oil is controllable to some extent. There are now small
> relatively inexpensive recycling units that organizations
> can place in facilities. Antifreeze can also be recycled
> onsite. There are machines that crush filters to remove
> the fluids also.
I would look closely at onsite distillers with a doubtful eye unless I was working with a very large company. In part because you may 'cleanse' old oil but there are still particulates which you would have to dispose of including heavy metals. All my clients have just paid to have a recycler haul motor oil and antifreeze away. Oil filters they drain (no need to crush) and the residue is acceptable by the regular trash hauler (yes - we double checked).
> Marc, I believe that Randy and I (if I might place words
> in his mouth) were refering to handling waste oil from
> servicing the trucks. We might not be able to control the
> amount of waste generated without endangering our fleet.
> We can however make intelligent choices on what to do with
> the waste generated.
That's what I'm referring to - used motor oil. As far as having a choice about what to do with it, you don't have much choice. You can recycle it yourself or you can have a recycler pick it up. You can't pour it on roads any more to keep the dust down and you aren't allowed to burn it as was once common. What other choice do you have?
> As far as leaks. The control would be to ensure leakage
> was rare and small.
Yup.
> If an oil cooler is blowing oil, then
> the impact would of course change dramatically.
Well, yes. But this would be a rare, catastrophic event which puts us into the hazardous spill mode.
> I think tires would be rather significant.
Yes - tires are in my list. What I have found is - at least my transportation clients so far - all lease tires. So when they get a new tire the company takes the old one. In addition, while tires are an aspect, can you think of a way to control tire wear (other than preventive maintenance like wheel alignment and balance)? Batteries are also leased/exchange.
> In many places storm
> water runoff might even be regulated. Check with the state
> to find out. Michigan has some pretty exact regulations on
> how storm water runoff is to be handled. I'm can't say
> about other states.
In part that's why I listed truck wash water. The same applies to rain (storm) water runoff. There is also the possibility of flooding and runoff water from that (see how well you've taught me?). With my client we evaluated the property surface aqnd determined the slopes and where water runs. Then we verified that the city checks so that we don't - and they do.
Yup - we're on the same wave length. Gee, this is fun! :thedeal:
> relatively inexpensive recycling units that organizations
> can place in facilities. Antifreeze can also be recycled
> onsite. There are machines that crush filters to remove
> the fluids also.
I would look closely at onsite distillers with a doubtful eye unless I was working with a very large company. In part because you may 'cleanse' old oil but there are still particulates which you would have to dispose of including heavy metals. All my clients have just paid to have a recycler haul motor oil and antifreeze away. Oil filters they drain (no need to crush) and the residue is acceptable by the regular trash hauler (yes - we double checked).
> Marc, I believe that Randy and I (if I might place words
> in his mouth) were refering to handling waste oil from
> servicing the trucks. We might not be able to control the
> amount of waste generated without endangering our fleet.
> We can however make intelligent choices on what to do with
> the waste generated.
That's what I'm referring to - used motor oil. As far as having a choice about what to do with it, you don't have much choice. You can recycle it yourself or you can have a recycler pick it up. You can't pour it on roads any more to keep the dust down and you aren't allowed to burn it as was once common. What other choice do you have?
> As far as leaks. The control would be to ensure leakage
> was rare and small.
Yup.
> If an oil cooler is blowing oil, then
> the impact would of course change dramatically.
Well, yes. But this would be a rare, catastrophic event which puts us into the hazardous spill mode.
> I think tires would be rather significant.
Yes - tires are in my list. What I have found is - at least my transportation clients so far - all lease tires. So when they get a new tire the company takes the old one. In addition, while tires are an aspect, can you think of a way to control tire wear (other than preventive maintenance like wheel alignment and balance)? Batteries are also leased/exchange.
> In many places storm
> water runoff might even be regulated. Check with the state
> to find out. Michigan has some pretty exact regulations on
> how storm water runoff is to be handled. I'm can't say
> about other states.
In part that's why I listed truck wash water. The same applies to rain (storm) water runoff. There is also the possibility of flooding and runoff water from that (see how well you've taught me?). With my client we evaluated the property surface aqnd determined the slopes and where water runs. Then we verified that the city checks so that we don't - and they do.
Yup - we're on the same wave length. Gee, this is fun! :thedeal:
I don't doubt that there are such systems. The clients I have are simply not big enough for the economics to make sense. They simply pay a recycler to pick it up.
I'm sure for companies like Fed Ex, UPS, Ryder, U-Haul and such it probably would make economic sense. They will still have to do something with the distillate.
I'm assuming we're looking at a distillation to bring over the oils leaving the contaminates as opposed to a centrifuge (particulates removed leaving many dissolved chemicals) or a 'chemical washing' type of recycling. well - motor oil, anyway. I'd think anti-freeze would be easier to 'cleanse' than motor oil in part due to the blow-by motor oil gets.
Maybe I should be asking, since you apparently know about them - How do they work and what's the cost per gallon (post process)? Any idea?
Either way, however, you're looking at a purely economic issue. The aspect and/or significance does not change because either way you're recycling.
I'm sure for companies like Fed Ex, UPS, Ryder, U-Haul and such it probably would make economic sense. They will still have to do something with the distillate.
I'm assuming we're looking at a distillation to bring over the oils leaving the contaminates as opposed to a centrifuge (particulates removed leaving many dissolved chemicals) or a 'chemical washing' type of recycling. well - motor oil, anyway. I'd think anti-freeze would be easier to 'cleanse' than motor oil in part due to the blow-by motor oil gets.
Maybe I should be asking, since you apparently know about them - How do they work and what's the cost per gallon (post process)? Any idea?
Either way, however, you're looking at a purely economic issue. The aspect and/or significance does not change because either way you're recycling.
Randy
Super Moderator
I've got some figures buried somewhere. This is a project I worked on a couple of years ago in support of a logistics contract. I'll try to dig the stuff back up.
Antifreeze is a bit easier to clean. The recycling of it changes some EPCRA reporting requirements and disposal costs. The effluent materials still have to be managed, but the oil that is removed is in itself recyclable.
Paying a recycler is paying for the same material twice. This is not good business. The recycler is reaping a benefit (making money on both ends of the transaction) so they should be paying for the raw material, even if it only pennies per whatever. The same goes for pallet disposal and other materials.
Antifreeze is a bit easier to clean. The recycling of it changes some EPCRA reporting requirements and disposal costs. The effluent materials still have to be managed, but the oil that is removed is in itself recyclable.
Paying a recycler is paying for the same material twice. This is not good business. The recycler is reaping a benefit (making money on both ends of the transaction) so they should be paying for the raw material, even if it only pennies per whatever. The same goes for pallet disposal and other materials.
As I say, I understand and agree. The question is whether it's economically feasible which will be a function of company size and their processes. Many smaller companies, for example, hire owner-operators and thus do few oil changes. So maybe they do maybe 200 gallons a month (a few tractors a month) - sometimes less. For that company buying equipment to recycle oil and/or anti-freeze is probably not going to be economically feasible.
Yes - a recycler charges, but I don't know the prices so you may be paying 'twice' but probably not twice as much. Part of that cost is off-loading the liability issues involved in both transportation and the recycling process(es) as well as lawful disposal of the 'residue' (contaminates) from the recycling process.
To me this is not unusual. Any time you sub-contract a part of your process it costs (theoretically) more than if you do it in house. But as the auto industry long ago found, often sub-contracting processes is cheaper than doing it in house. That could lead us to talk about core functions of the business and such.
How many tractors was the contract you were working on? Long distance or mostly local routes? Own their own or hire owner-operators?
Yes - a recycler charges, but I don't know the prices so you may be paying 'twice' but probably not twice as much. Part of that cost is off-loading the liability issues involved in both transportation and the recycling process(es) as well as lawful disposal of the 'residue' (contaminates) from the recycling process.
To me this is not unusual. Any time you sub-contract a part of your process it costs (theoretically) more than if you do it in house. But as the auto industry long ago found, often sub-contracting processes is cheaper than doing it in house. That could lead us to talk about core functions of the business and such.
How many tractors was the contract you were working on? Long distance or mostly local routes? Own their own or hire owner-operators?
R
Randy Stewart
Marc,
One thing you may want to look at is combining the recycler. We found that the company that picked up the waste oil also would pick up the batteries, etc. it proved to be a significant cost savings. We purchased an oil recycler and found the viscosity to be an issue. We can't reuse it and haven't identified a market for it.
You may already have something like this, but if it helps you're welcome to it.
One thing you may want to look at is combining the recycler. We found that the company that picked up the waste oil also would pick up the batteries, etc. it proved to be a significant cost savings. We purchased an oil recycler and found the viscosity to be an issue. We can't reuse it and haven't identified a market for it.
You may already have something like this, but if it helps you're welcome to it.
Yeah. The 14001 clients I have in transportation are small. I'll have to check on the combination of anti-freeze and oil, but as I remember those are picked up by the same recycler.
The other stuff is really out of their control. They lease batteries so the company they lease them from exchange a good one for a 'bad' one (thus assuming responsibility for recycling the batteries in accordance with federal and state law). The same for the tires. Tractors are almost all owner-operator deals.
Neither client is like Randy's case of having 4000 tractors. Very big difference. But that's one of the interesting parts of the project. That is also why it is hard to come up with targets and objectives - so far we haven't come up with any (which we have discussed with the registrar).
The other stuff is really out of their control. They lease batteries so the company they lease them from exchange a good one for a 'bad' one (thus assuming responsibility for recycling the batteries in accordance with federal and state law). The same for the tires. Tractors are almost all owner-operator deals.
Neither client is like Randy's case of having 4000 tractors. Very big difference. But that's one of the interesting parts of the project. That is also why it is hard to come up with targets and objectives - so far we haven't come up with any (which we have discussed with the registrar).
Randy
Super Moderator
Maybe you have to look in instead of out. How much are hey involved in using recycled material like office consumables?
Take another look at how much energy they use. Do they have areas that may be lighted too much or when it's not necessary?
Do they lease their vehicles? Maybe they could specify that vehicles must meet certain emission standards.
What about their suppliers? Maybe they could say that by such -and-such date they will only use X% suppliers that don't have an EMS. They don't need to demand that their suppliers implement systems, but they can attempt to influence their doing so.
Step out of the box for a while and try to view the operation from a different perspective. It may allow some additional creativity.
Take another look at how much energy they use. Do they have areas that may be lighted too much or when it's not necessary?
Do they lease their vehicles? Maybe they could specify that vehicles must meet certain emission standards.
What about their suppliers? Maybe they could say that by such -and-such date they will only use X% suppliers that don't have an EMS. They don't need to demand that their suppliers implement systems, but they can attempt to influence their doing so.
Step out of the box for a while and try to view the operation from a different perspective. It may allow some additional creativity.
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