How to Track Dumpsters as a Dumpster Rental Business Owner

Huntor: The biggest reason I wanted to kind of run with Docket was the GPS, being able to see where my dumpsters are. The hardest thing that I found was where are my dumpsters. So, my name is Huntor Barnard, and I’m the owner-operator of Red-E Bins of Tulsa. It’s a franchise based out of Canada, actually.

A little bit of my background: I didn’t really have any business background when I first kind of started this business. I’m actually a physical therapy assistant. I went to school to be a physical therapist assistant. I worked there for six years. I did all the COVID stuff; I wore the mask every day, day in and day out. Ultimately, I was the director of rehab, and I just got tired of making money for everybody else. I just decided, hey, let’s try to figure out something that I can do that doesn’t really require me to learn an entire new skill. I already knew how to drive a truck and back a trailer and operate some hydraulics.

I started getting the ball rolling in October, maybe September of ’23. Then I got all of my dumpsters and my trailer, I think, the Monday after Thanksgiving in 2023. So really, I just started December 1st of ’23. I kicked off and started running dumpsters. Initially, when we first started, we didn’t have a lot of online presence and stuff. It was really just I had a place on the highway, and drive-by people would see my number and call me. For the first six or eight months, that was where I got most of my business.

Then I decided, hey, we’ve probably caught everybody’s attention out here. Let’s try to catch everybody’s attention online, and we’ve spread that direction as well. The biggest challenge was probably the number of other companies in town, competition-wise. There are probably four or five big companies that offer those 30 and 40-yard dumpsters for big projects. That’s where I don’t really compete with them because my dumpster sizes are 5-yard, 10-yard, and 15-yards. I find the niche of, hey, let’s hang out in the residential stuff with the occasional small contractor here and there.

That would probably be the biggest one so far outside of just learning how to run a business. My background is in medicine, so I didn’t take a single business class in college. I think the only one I might have taken was statistics, and that’s just Excel. You just plug everything in Excel, and it works.

The biggest reason I wanted to run with Docket was the GPS, being able to see where my dumpsters are. Running a business yourself, you have folks helping you on the back end with the books and stuff, but ultimately it’s you working on the schedule and figuring out where you need to go and when you need to be there. The hardest thing that I found was where are my dumpsters because I would have a hard time keeping up with people’s addresses and stuff in Google Calendar or just writing them down. Ultimately, that was where I wanted to use Docket and their GPS coordinates; I can just go in there, say it was dropped off, and then put the address in and say, “Hey, we’re good.” Then I can look on the map and say, “Well, where are they?” I might not have one. I’m like, “Well, okay, there’s this one here, and it’s going to be picked up tomorrow or whatever,” and then I can go from there.

That’s probably been the biggest deal. Before Docket, I would spend 15, 20, sometimes even an hour just sitting at the dumpster lot figuring out where they are. I had a note on my phone: “Where are my dumpsters?” There were times where I didn’t know where they were. It was a little frustrating because you just have to blame yourself because that’s what your issue is. Now, I don’t have that issue.

Knowing that I have Docket to help grow the business is going to be one of those things I think I mentioned before of us being able to get into the territory. Once I do that, then I’m going to have employees, right? I can get those employees to clock in and clock out, if you will, and use that same situation because I’m not going to be there. It’s two hours away from where I currently am now. Being able to hop on there and say, “Okay, well, here’s where these dumpsters are,” or making sure that those employees are coinciding with me, then we’re going to be good. Not having that would definitely be, you know, I’d have to get it right.

Running two businesses is going to be a big change, but that’s the goal: to continue to grow, have more money than you think you need. You can go out and buy your trailer, buy your dumpsters, buy your truck, but there are so many hidden fees essentially, right? You’ve got tires, brakes in your truck, brakes in your trailer, tires for the trailer, insurance for your truck, insurance for your trailer, general liability insurance, all those things.

I’ve had multiple franchise owners send a lot of guys who have questions like that. They would call me and say, “Hey, what would you do?” I was like, “Listen, man. Your capital needs to be way more than what you think it needs to be because you have to make a living too.” That would definitely be what I would say: if you’re thinking you’re going to start out with $100,000, you need $150,000 or more. That’s what I’ve learned; things are not decreasing in cost.

Diesel fuel is always going to be the same price, and it’s never going to go below that number you think it’s going to. I’m at the point where I don’t drive a truck that’s a half ton because, one, safety reasons and two, I have the need for the stopping power or the hauling power because those dumpsters get heavy quick.

It’s possible to run with a half ton, but if you’re on the highway a lot like me, 90% of my driving is highway driving. I feel like I’ve got to have that though. That cost of that truck is going to be 25 grand more than what you’re going to pay for a smaller truck. Have more money than you think you need. Figure out where you’re going to dump, how many landfills there may or may not be in town, or figure out if those landfills, which one’s cheapest, or which one’s going to take this material versus that material.

Also, see what your competition looks like. That’s going to be one of the biggest things that I probably didn’t do the best of, which was to see how many other dumpster guys there are in town. You’ve got the franchise owners like me, then you’ve got the other guys who have kind of gone on their own and opened up their own deal that have grown it, right? Those guys are doing great, but then you also have the weekend warriors, those guys that buy a trailer and buy one dumpster and advertise prices that are a hundred bucks less than yours on Facebook. It kind of gets a little frustrating because those guys are taking some business out of your pocket.

I’ve learned that those guys come and go and they’ll always come and go. I’m like, it is what it is. I’ll just continue to provide a better product.

FAQ

What motivated Huntor to start using Docket?

Huntor was motivated to use Docket due to its GPS feature, which allows him to efficiently track the location of his dumpsters, resolving the challenge of keeping up with their addresses.

How did he initially gain business for Red-E Bins of Tulsa?

Initially, Huntor’s business came primarily from people driving by his location and seeing his number on the highway, which was the primary source of customers for the first six to eight months.

What is the primary challenge Huntor faces in his business?

The primary challenge he faces is competition from other dumpster companies in town, particularly those offering larger dumpsters, although he focuses on niche residential services with smaller dumpster sizes.

How does Huntor plan to expand his business?

Huntor plans to expand by managing multiple locations, employing staff, and using Docket to coordinate operations across distances, even when he’s not physically present.

What financial advice does he offer to other franchisees?

Huntor advises franchisees to have more capital than anticipated, suggesting starting with at least $150,000 due to hidden costs like maintenance, insurance, and fuel.