Who's Right for You: Nationals, Dumpster Brokers or Local Haulers?

​So you know you need a waste dumpster… Great! We’ve already armed you with the questions you’ll need to ask before ordering a dumpster, (thanks to last month’s blog post) but how do you figure out who to contact? Back in the good ol’ days, you’d flip through the yellow pages of a big, bulky phone book and make a call. In a recent survey done for WhitePages.com, nearly seven out of ten people hardly, if ever, use the paper kind anymore! Because of this trend, phone books are becoming obsolete. Some communities are going so far as to ban the distribution of phone books to save trees because they’re so hard to recycle. If phone books are rapidly nearing extinction, where else can you turn to get the same information? 

Many organizations are monitoring technology trends, and the consensus is that, as of January 2014, about 90% of Americans have a cell phone, 58% have a smartphone, 32% own an e-reader, and 42% own a tablet. Makes sense then, that more and more people are relying on search engines, online directories, and mobile apps to look up contact information. These techy resources contain the same information, (if not more,) and are more easily accessible than physical phone books ever were. If you know exactly what company you’re looking for, one of these methods would be a cinch! However, that’s not always the case. The amount of information can be overwhelming at times, and it’s up to you as a consumer to understand how these resources work, and the differences in the types of companies you’ll find when using them.

If you type in keywords such as “waste disposal” or “dumpster rentals” into a search engine, online directory, or mobile app, there are essentially three different kinds of companies that you’ll find: Nationals, Brokers, and Local Haulers. From the surface, they all appear to be on a level playing field, and likely claim to provide comparable services. However, there are some distinct differences between the three that are important for you to know before picking up the phone or requesting an initial online quote.

Nationals
Nationals are typically the big companies with highly recognizable names. While you may find comfort in a brand you’ve seen all over the place, the customer experience may not be as pleasant as you’d like. These companies use generalized call centers where the operators are trained to close deals, meaning they can feel a bit pushy. Because they service such a broad area, they tend to lack the knowledge and understanding of your local area. Their operation is more of a one-size-fits-all approach, providing standardized equipment for any job. For instance, we’ve seen them send a large truck into a residential setting, which isn’t practical, and in many cases, not even safe! Most Nationals are also higher-priced, oftentimes because they also control landfills and/or transfer stations in addition to their waste disposal/dumpster rental operation.

Brokers
Brokers are companies that have an office only; they don’t personally own any equipment themselves. Essentially, Brokers are middlemen that subcontract with Local Haulers, (which means you pay the Local Hauler cost plus a brokerage fee). They use keywords like “local dumpster rental,” “hometown waste disposal,” or “cheap dumpsters” in their names or marketing materials, and usually purchase advertising space in some of the more popular search engines so they appear at the top of the list. (This increases the chances of you reaching out to them first… Tricky, tricky!) While Brokers feel a bit more customer-oriented than the Nationals, it’s still oftentimes hard to resolve any issues that may arise because there are so many people involved in a single transaction.  

Local Haulers
Local haulers tend to be slightly smaller operations, but don’t let that deter you from using them! When you call a Local Hauler, you’ll typically experience exceptional customer service throughout the entire process, from initial quote to final bill and beyond. Because of their narrower service area, they are considered experts for the local communities. They are generally more flexible in scheduling and tend to have a wider variety of equipment to better accommodate each customer’s individual needs. As a bonus, Local Haulers are typically actively involved in their communities. You may not know it, but many of them donate containers for various festivals, charity events, disaster recovery efforts, etc. So, buying local essentially puts money back into your own community! How cool is that? They say you can't buy happiness, but you CAN buy local... And that's kind of the same thing!

Of course it’s still up to you to determine which company fits your needs and who you ultimately want to give your business to, but we hope that you’ll at least consider digging a bit deeper into your search for a service provider for all of your dumpster rental, waste disposal, and recycling needs.