Front Loader Garbage Truck

A front loader garbage truck is a truck equipped with movable forks in front of the cab, designed to attach to a container and empty it into an opening on the top of the truck. Typically this truck is suited for commercial trash and containers, but have specialized attachments that give them other uses as well.

The compactor on a front loader garbage truck is a wall that moves trash from the front hopper area into the rear-half storage area of the truck. The compactor doubles as the ejector when the truck is full and the tailgate is opened to dump the trash. When the tailgate is closed, the compactor only extends half way. The compactor is generally ineffective at crushing waste while near empty, but as the storage container reaches capacity, the compactor compresses the waste with increasing force, squeezing the hopper contents against the remainder of the garbage.

Front loader garbage trucks are suited for commercial trash and recycling, as well as for residential waste in townhomes, condominiums and apartments that use a communal trash container. A carry-can attachment is a container attached to the forks which allows for manual dumping or automated residential bin collection.

The advantage of the front loader is that the driver does not need to exit the cab to collect trash, except for when the bins are in a locked enclosure. This reduces physical strees on the driver. It is easier to collect trash on a solo basis and can also be quicker that other methods in many situations. The disadvantages of this type of truck is that trash tends to fall out in front of the compactor while compacting which needs to be cleaned, it is more limited in versatility, and is more expensive to purchase/rent.