DumpsterBossPro Blog — Driver App & Routes

Dump and Return Jobs: Same Can, Same Spot, One Trip to the Landfill

A swap brings a new can. A Dump & Return takes the same can, empties it, and brings it back. Some companies use it when they do not have a spare can of the right size. Some customers prefer it because the can is already where they want it and they do not want a different one. For the driver, it is a round trip that has to end exactly where it started.

After the swap walkthrough in Running a Swap From the Driver App: Empty On, Full Off, Haul-To Next, this guide covers the job type that looks like a swap but runs differently.

How It Differs From a Swap

On a swap, the truck arrives loaded with an empty and leaves with a full. On a Dump & Return, the truck arrives empty, leaves with the full can, and comes back with the same can empty. That means the customer has no can for the length of the round trip, which is worth telling them, and the site has to be clear for the return.

It also means the timing depends almost entirely on the haul-to. A Dump & Return near a fast transfer station is quick. One behind a long landfill line can take most of a morning.

Before the Trip

Open the job and check three things: the unit number, so you pull the right can; the haul-to, so you know where you are going and roughly how long it will take; and the placement notes, so you know exactly where the can goes back. A placement photo from the original delivery is useful here, because the customer is going to expect the can back in the same spot.

On Site

Send the on-the-way text so the customer knows to stop loading. On arrival, check the can. A quick photo of the loaded can before pulling it gives the office a record of how full it was. If it is overfilled past the rim, that is a conversation to have with the office before you leave, not at the scale.

Before you leave, look at the spot. If the customer is going to put a trailer there while you are gone, say something. A Dump & Return that comes back to a blocked spot is a wasted trip.

A quick word with the customer, or a short note to the office if nobody is home, saves a lot of trouble: "Customer has trailer in drive, said will keep spot clear." When the driver comes back and the spot is clear, nobody remembers the note. When it is not, the note explains why the job took longer.

The Haul-To Run

Tap the haul-to and go. At the scale, get the ticket. The weight gets entered on the job in the office and any overage is billed per ton, so the ticket has to make it back. Whatever your company's routine is, whether it is a photo of the ticket from the app or handing in the paper at the end of the day, make it consistent.

The Return

Back at the site, the can goes in the same place. Use the delivery photo or the placement notes to match the position. If boards were used, they go back down. Take a placement photo after the can is set, just like a delivery. Send the arrival text if the customer wants it.

Then tap complete. The office sees the job is done, the can is back on the rental, and the customer is ready for the next load.

Do not tap complete when the can leaves the site. The job is not done until the same can is back in the same spot. If something goes wrong at the facility and the return gets delayed, the office needs to see that the job is still open so they can let the customer know.

When to Choose Dump and Return

From the office side, Dump & Return makes sense when inventory is tight, when the customer is particular about the can staying put, or when the empty yard is far from the customer and the haul-to is close. From the driver side, the main thing is that the job type is clearly marked on the list, so nobody shows up with an empty expecting a swap. See how DumpsterBossPro handles every job type in the dumpster driver app.