Electrifying Collection Fleets and Improving Driver Safety With Republic Services

How do you introduce electric vehicles and AI-assisted safety technology into a collection fleet that customers depend on every day?

On Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Brett Rogers, Vice President of Operations Technology at Republic Services, to discuss the engineering, infrastructure, and human decisions behind modern waste and recycling operations. Brett's background includes work at Toyota, General Motors, and Cruise. He describes arriving from the automotive sector and discovering how much complexity sits behind a service most people expect to happen without thinking about it.

We give particular attention to electric refuse trucks. Range is part of the calculation, but the vehicle also powers equipment that lifts containers and handles material. Brett explains how Republic Services models energy use across the chassis and collection body, taking account of terrain, climate, speed, and the work required on a route. The goal is to identify where an electric vehicle can replace a conventional truck while maintaining service.

Route selection can produce some surprising answers. A residential truck making frequent stops may benefit from regenerative braking, while a vehicle with fewer container lifts can spend much of its day covering distance. Brett describes why his team began with residential applications, then used operational data to inform expansion into other vehicle types. The number of lifts alone does not tell the whole story.

Charging has its own planning cycle. Brett says utility discussions, design, and construction can require decisions roughly two years before trucks are needed. We discuss why depot readiness has to lead vehicle delivery, alongside the arrangements that keep service running if power is interrupted. He describes spare vehicles and equipment that can accept emergency power, while on-site storage and renewable energy form part of the options being considered. These approaches have different levels of maturity, and the conversation keeps that distinction clear.

Technology-enabled safety is the other major focus. Brett describes adding a bird's-eye camera view to help drivers see around large vehicles, then working with vendors on systems that distinguish people from objects. Spoken alerts such as "pedestrian rear" are intended to tell a driver what is happening and where, without requiring them to keep checking another screen.

The discussion goes beyond installing cameras. Brett says in-cab alerts were associated with an initial reduction of around 20% to 30% in what Republic Services calls unfocused behaviors. He reports a reduction of 95% after coaching was added to the approach. These are company-reported behavioral measures, not a claim that collisions fell by 95%. No evaluation period or underlying methodology is provided in the interview. The useful operational lesson is the connection between technology, explanation, and the opportunity for drivers to correct a recurring behavior.

We also discuss employee adoption. Brett recalls drivers who were initially reluctant to move from diesel trucks and describes how time in the electric vehicles changed their view. He points to lower noise, vibration, and heat, alongside cab design. His account is a reminder that the experience of the person doing the job can determine whether a promising deployment becomes a useful everyday tool.

We finish with routing visibility for municipal customers and plans to use AI and other tools to improve operations. For fleet leaders, the conversation offers practical considerations around duty cycles, charging resilience, driver support, and measuring results. For everyone else, it reveals the work behind a truck arriving on the right street at the right time.

I'd welcome your thoughts. What would give you the most confidence in an electric fleet rollout, and how should organizations demonstrate that their safety technology is helping drivers and communities?