What is a Road-E-O

The SWANA Road-E-O is a great opportunity for the “front-line” employees in the solid waste management field - truck drivers, heavy equipment operators and mechanics - to obtain education through formal training and networking. The Road-E-O also gives these front-line employees a chance to display their on-the-job skills in a competitive arena.

Many of the SWANA Chapters hold an annual local Chapter Road-E-O event. Competitors from both the public and private sector are welcome to participate, as long as they or someone within their employer or sponsorship organization is a SWANA member.

There are typically three separate competition categories – landfill equipment, truck equipment, and equipment mechanics. The truck category includes five different truck classifications, covering all aspects of solid waste collection and transfer. The 2011 Oregon Chapter Road-E-O will feature four of these truck classifications. They are roll-off, front loader, automated side loader, and transfer trucks. This year, the Oregon Chapter Road-E-O will also include equipment mechanics category.

The 2011 Oregon Chapter Truck Road-E-O starts Saturday morning with contestant and attendee registration at the Lane County Fairgrounds parking lot. Competitors will initially be given a verbal briefing on the competition, its rules and scoring procedures.

Truck Drivers

A course walk-through will be conducted to introduce the drivers to the course and the seven obstacles that must be completed. The course is intended to test the driver’s ability to start and stop the vehicle, negotiate the road, back up the equipment, and exhibit general safe driving skills. Once competition begins, the driver will be allowed a few minutes to familiar themselves with the piece of equipment they must use for the driving skills competition. When instructed, they must then perform a commercial driver license (CDL) pre-test inspection, including an air brake procedure of the vehicle. This will then be followed by the driving skills portion of the event. The competition also includes a short written exam on general knowledge of the equipment and driving safety.

A roll off truck maneuvering through an obstacle

at the 2010 SWANA Oregon Road-E-O

Mechanics

Like the truck competition, an overview of the trucks and competition area will be given. The competition will begin with a CDL pre-test inspection, including an air brake procedure. Mechanics will then move on to the troubleshooting portion of the competition where they will be given a series of problems and vehicles and must pinpoint the cause of each problem in the allowed time. A 50 question written exam covering shop safety, power train, brakes, hydraulics, electrical and general knowledge of shop operations will be the final part of the competition.

The competition will continue throughout the day Saturday. The winners are determined by the highest combined score of their written exam, pre-trip vehicle inspection and driving/operating skills or vehicle troubleshooting skills. The winners will be announced on Saturday after the competition is completed. Awards will be given to the first, second and third-place finishers for each truck classification and for the mechanics. In addition, the overall winner of the competition will be crowned the Top Gun. The first and second-place winners of each classification will be eligible to advance to the annual SWANA International Road-E-O event which pits the winning drivers from the various Chapter events against each other. For 2011, the International Road-E-O is scheduled for September in Dublin, Georgia.

As with all SWANA events, there is a high level of professionalism. The Road-E-O is one of the only events strictly for the front line employees. The friendly rivalry, networking and educational component makes the Road-E-O a winning combination!

Example truck driver test