Mayor Freddie O'Connell and Nashville Department of Waste Services Commission Nine New Collection Trucks to Support Residential Curbside Collection

The Nashville Department of Waste Services (NWS) today announced the launch of nine new Automated Side Loader (ASL) waste collection trucks that will support the department's ongoing work to support the delivery of residential curbside collection services across a quickly growing city. Mayor Freddie O'Connell, NWS Director Tracey Thurman, and representatives from the companies that helped build the new trucks attended a ribbon-cutting event at Nissan Stadium's Lot R on Wednesday, May 27, as the department unveiled the new fleet.

The New Way Sidewinder ASL trucks will strengthen weekly curbside trash collection and biweekly recycling services for more than 146,000 households. These specialized trucks are outfitted with live tablets and GPS routing and utilize a technology-enhanced hydraulic robotic arm to lift and empty carts, verify service delivery, and service curbside residential routes much faster than multi-person crews in high-density areas. The additions are part of the department's continued efforts to modernize operations, ensure crews have the tools they need to work safely and effectively, and provide the additional resources needed to deliver the service residents expect and deserve.

"As Nashville continues to grow, we're working hard to ensure we are providing residents reliable trash and recycling collection," said Mayor Freddie O'Connell. "These new trucks help our Waste Services department keep pace with that growth and support the people who are doing the work that touches our lives daily. This is another step in how our community improvement program improves city services."

"This is a new day for Nashville and rolling out these additional waste trucks helps us keep the momentum going," said Tracey Thurman, Director of the Nashville Department of Waste Services. "We've had incredible success this year, and our team has worked hard to modernize routes, stabilize service, and provide excellent service to our residents. This moment is as much about our people as it is about the new equipment."

The vehicles were built in partnership with AutoCar , which provides the chassis, and New Way, which manufactures the truck bodies. The vehicles were purchased through a cooperative agreement with Municipal Equipment, Inc., one of the leading suppliers of refuse and recycling equipment throughout Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. Each truck is equipped with New Way's Sidewinder body, a modern ASL platform that supports faster, safer, single-operator collection.

"We're incredibly excited to partner with the City of Nashville and support the work Nashville Waste Services does every day for its community," said Mark Clindaniel, President of Municipal Equipment. "At Municipal Equipment, we take a lot of pride in building relationships that go beyond delivering trucks. It's about being a long-term partner our customers can count on. Together with New Way Trucks, we appreciate the trust Nashville has placed in our teams and look forward to growing this partnership for many years to come."

The event included a photo and video shoot highlighting NWS drivers and operations teams which will be shown soon on the department's social media channels on Facebook and Instagram . The new vehicles will be placed into service this summer as the department continues its work to strengthen reliability and support Nashville's long-term waste and recycling goals.

View the event on Metro's YouTube channel