INNOVATION
Giovanni Recalde, President, Atlantic Sweeping & Cleaning, Inc., grew up learning from his father, Alfonso Recalde, as he built a thriving commercial pavement sweeping business from scratch and then scaled it to cover the Mid-Atlantic states at a phenomenal rate.
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THE LEGENDARY POWER BEHIND SWEEPING
• Non-CDL version available
• Mechanical sweeping to handle heavy applications like millings
• Independent broom control for in-the-cut precision
• Single engine for fuel economy and less maintenance
• Simple start-up procedure with easy-to-operate controls
OF INNOVATION Great Waves
Giovanni Recalde, President, Atlantic Sweeping & Cleaning, Inc., grew up learning from his father, Alfonso Recalde, as he built a thriving commercial pavement sweeping business from scratch and then scaled it to cover the Mid-Atlantic states at a phenomenal rate. The younger Recalde, just 38 years old, now leads a still rapidly growing enterprise. Headquartered in Sterling, Virginia, the company has grown throughout Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Delaware, and has even started providing service in Tennessee.
BUILDING A GREAT AMERICAN BUSINESS
Recalde tells of a time when his father worked as a parking attendant in 1977. He had immigrated from Ecuador and worked for a parking garage company after college in Washington DC. Alfonso noticed that the commercial property was not well maintained and asked his boss if he could clean the parking garage on the weekends, while still keeping his day job as an attendant. His employers were pleased with the quality of pavement cleaning work he performed
and kept adding garages to his route. He later added shopping center parking lot sweeping and pressure washing to his side job services.
As that second job grew, Alfonso struggled through the challenges of working a regular job while building a business on the side. He decided to go full-time with entrepreneurship. He thrived, but also faced partnership issues, and ultimately restructured the company as a solo entrepreneur to keep it going. He had about 10 sweeper trucks on routes by that time.
He decided to go full-time with entrepreneurship.
Giovanni recalls that around 2014 the company launched exciting changes. Below, he shares the story of the progress of Atlantic Sweeping through the years.
LEADERSHIP AT ATLANTIC S&C, INC.
Asked about management at ASC, Inc., Giovanni explains — I’ve been running the company since 2011. Before taking the reins at ASC, he had cofounded AG Capital Investments, a firm that manages his, his dad’s, and other investment stakeholders’ extensive array of thriving businesses. Giovanni says he reports to his dad frequently.
SPOTLIGHT
We bought our first construction sweeper, an Athey Mobil Broom truck, and we started doing construction sites in the area.
My dad continuously monitors the other companies, more than I do, calling and staying apprised of activities across his entire range of diverse operations. Giovanni graduated with a degree in finance from George Mason University. In high school, he showed interest in technical fields and took mechanics courses. He notes the advantages he’s gained in his endeavors from having both in his educational background.
One of the strengths I have built is knowing what the mechanics are talking about. Understanding truck issues is essential to making well-informed decisions in this business. Throughout my youth, my father would take me along to his client meetings and to check up on projects, and he taught me along the way. He recalls with amusement, from age 16, I never enjoyed a free snow day. I was always plowing snow. I really got immersed in it all, everything to do with the business. I’ve done all the jobs people here do in some capacity, from truck repairs to figuring things out for bookkeeping.
My younger brother, Richard, just started at George Mason University and works in various capacities in the different businesses along with my sister Gaby, who is in high school. It seems he may have the business in his blood too and may pursue a career in the company after graduation. They are both hard-working students and perform well when working in business.
THE NEW ERA OF ATLANTIC SWEEPING & CLEANING,
INC.
We bought our first construction sweeper, an Athey Mobil Broom truck, and we started doing construction sites in the area. In addition to the parking lot sweeping services, this new revenue line quickly grew from one construction sweeper to three in only about 8 months. We also joined 1-800-SWEEPER around that time. We recognized a need for quality highway construction sweeping and kind of steered the company toward growth in that direction.
Since about 2015, with help and knowledge from the Sweeper Summit and our association with 1-800-SWEEPER, we’ve now got around 51 trucks running, including 36 sweeper trucks. Those are parking lot trucks, broom trucks, and air trucks, a mix of XBrooms, Elgins, Tymcos, Nitehawks, and ODRAs.
In 2021, we started doing more milling and paving sweeping. Just this year we’ve added 8 more ODRAs to the fleet.
We like the ODRAs because they’re comparatively very simple to operate and the cost of operation is low. The quick toggle switches are convenient, and my drivers like the enhanced view; they can see all around them without a big hood in front of them. The trucks can turn on a dime as well. It’s a less bulky truck, so it’s easier for drivers to get into tighter areas in the urban environment and to deal with city traffic. We mostly use them for dirt trackouts on urban construction sites and city street operations.
We have 10 or so field support trucks, including pickups, utility trucks, dump trucks, a roll-off truck and
3 mechanics’ trucks with cranes, compressors, and welders. We operate 2 shops with a total of 3 full-time mechanics and one part-time. We keep brooms and a selection of other parts, including a few hard-to-find parts at each shop. That’s proven to be a key practice, especially during COVID. That experience taught us to stay stocked up on what we know we’ll need.
We start early to accumulate the parts for yearly rebuilds. We use a fleet tracking app, pre-trip and post-trip vehicle type-specific inspection tracking software for air trucks, broom trucks, pickup trucks, etc. The reports go to operations and the mechanics. A few times a day, there’s a truck getting triaged and determinations are made about priorities vs. what gets scheduled for another day, etc.
SPOTLIGHT
Our internal motto is “We just want to do good work, and we know people will ask us to come back if we do.”
We’ve been expanding our service area and just moved to a new office this year. We now have 2 offices – this one [Virginia], and one in Annapolis Junction, MD. We’re moving into other areas in all directions, just growing along with the demand for our services. We now sweep all the highways in Northern Virginia, we have municipal contracts, and we work for all the larger and some smaller contractors.
We have been building our team as we’ve grown the business over the past 10 years. In the last six months, we’ve hired more office staff to get things precise. Businesses have growing pains, and to remedy that, you need the right people in the office to meet your goals and vision. We just hired a new billing person, bookkeeper, dispatcher, additional account manager, and operations people.
We’ve also just brought in an HR Manager and a Marketing Manager. Marketing will collaborate with HR on employee retention strategies. We now have 10 people in the office, including these two new professionals.
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AT ASC, INC.
Our internal motto is “We just want to do good work, and we know people will ask us to come back if we do.” We do that by making sure our drivers are all well
trained and having good equipment for them to use. We know that the answer is not just having a new sweeper truck, but also having a good driver for it and a good organization supporting our service. So, we’re committed to giving our entire team, in the field and in the office, what they need to be successful in their jobs. I think that’s been the key to our growth and continued success.
We are very tech-heavy in this company; everything is app-based. From software for knowing where the trucks are and what’s happening there to completing mobile forms, to app-based dispatch technology, to dash cams, both inward and outward looking from the truck, we max out the field technologies. In the office, our staff has the latest touch-screen laptops, mobile hotspots, and cloud-based technologies. Just having the right software that works for special purposes, for example, though it may only be used a few times a year, is critical at those moments in time.
Everyone in the office can see anything driver-related.
That doesn’t have to be one person’s job. Successful operations come from finding the right people and building the right team. Each person should understand that it’s for the good of the company that everyone takes responsibility, as much as possible, and that it’s not just about each individual’s position, whatever it may be.
COMPANY CULTURE AT ATLANTIC SWEEPING & CLEANING, INC.
We have an all-hands meeting every Monday to give everyone a rundown of the past week and the week ahead. Our management approach gives a sense of ownership to the drivers for their areas of responsibility. I go out and see some of the guys and/or meet some of the clients, if I feel the need to have my voice heard or get more involved in providing a solution. Sometimes knowing the president of the company has come out to talk with them helps customers’ confidence in our level of commitment to solving their problem(s). I go to assure them we will provide a solution to the issue so that it won’t happen again. When equipment or service breaks down in some way, what matters is how you resolve the customer’s problem. We’re a problem-solving business. Our big push is safety. We want to provide the right training, signage, other resources, systems, and protocols to make sure work safety is maintained as everyone’s top priority. ASC is part of NAPSA. We use the association’s sweeper school. We have a long training process and use it to weed out people during that phase. Yearly training is emphasized and multiple checks and balances are used to ensure that the training material is taught, tested, and learned. Employees who do well in the training
receive a certificate that validates the educational accomplishments that help qualify them for their roles in the industry.
I think the main thing is that here the drivers, even in the job interviews, see that they’re in charge of their own destiny with the company. You can only guide them so much. They have to have the capacity to manage themselves. One of our drivers has been with us for 39 years. A couple have been with the company 20 years or longer, and others have been here for various other long terms.
The account managers field the calls, do the direct contact after the pricing, and manage the relationships with the customers. We want the customer interactions to have that small-company, personalized feel for all involved, but we also prioritize efficiency.
I think with our hyper-growth, people have confidence that the company is doing well and that contributes somewhat to longer-term staff retention. But, it’s not just about how many trucks we acquire. Reinstilling in our team every year that we care about people, by showing them appreciation, is essential to employee satisfaction rates.
We brought in our new HR Manager literally for that reason — to keep better tabs on how things are with our team. There are a lot of different personalities and understanding the right ways to work with all of them can be challenging over time. So, I don’t want to say it’s perfect, but we’ve been striving even more this year to build a team for the long-term future and have been putting the right resources into place to do that.
ASC “SERVICE BRANDING” AND “EMPLOYER BRANDING”
We are continuously enhancing our marketing through
SPOTLIGHT
our website. Our logo is also featured prominently on our trucks, and we have a range of branded items, like clothing with our logo, pens, notepads, etc. Our new marketing professional is managing our social media presence, including on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other platforms. One of her initial contributions has been upgrading the staff uniforms as we approach the holiday season.
Additionally, she will be involved in employee relations, working with drivers and new recruits, in collaboration with our new HR manager. She has already started the early stages of a program of accompanying Account Managers to construction sites.
ADVICE FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS IN THE INDUSTRY FROM GIOVANNI RECALDE, ATLANTIC SWEEPING & CLEANING INC.
My advice is to keep in mind that you don’t know it all and never stop learning. Keep your ears open for advice on operations and follow up with good work. That is the key to success. It may not all happen right away, but learning and improving will prepare you for your future, when you do encounter those opportunities to realize new growth for your business.
REFLECTIONS ON ATLANTIC SWEEPING & CLEANING, INC. – LEADERSHIP INNOVATION
Beyond ASC’s dazzling growth, the company leadership represents a strong innovative management model for the industry. From driver training to cohesive team building, to internal employer marketing, to advanced technology, to expansion strategies, the decision-makers appear to be intensively engineering an infrastructure for a more broadly scalable operation and administrative system. ASC demonstrates the wisdom of maintaining a robust employee skill-building program as a primary motivational system, vs. relying solely on practices like granting token rewards. With the addition of Atlantic’s new cross-functioning service marketing / employer marketing agent, Giovianni Recalde is taking this higher approach to long-term competitiveness in the employer market to the next
...the company leadership represents a strong innovative management model for the industry.
level. This creation of a marketing role that pivots to HR collaboration on employee retention cracks the code to access professional resources that elude so many small and medium-sized business operators.
It, in effect, creates a wealth of crossover benefits for a growing business and its workers by fusing, anytime needed, two otherwise often unaffordable advanced business units. This level of interdepartmental teamwork also presents a deeply enriched integrated role for a talented marketing professional up to the unique challenge. It represents quite a sizable step beyond common management problem-solving in terms of its potential effects for a small to mediumsized business in this or any industry.
The ASC management has also established a policy of cross-departmental responsibility sharing in its administrative offices to monitor and support the field services team more efficiently. The company has put advanced digital systems in place to ensure that everyone is equipped with the means to help track and respond to what’s happening in the field. The company president emphasizes this kind of overlap and discourages rigid interpretations of roles that disregard emergent needs of other team members or customers.
The company has further effectively tailored its growth through wide-ranging strategies that we cannot cover here. Along with the sustained rapid growth of the business and its apparent functional stability and resultant low attrition rates, the above forward-thinking ASC programs and strategic practices stand out in the industry. Giovanni Recalde and his team appear sharply focused on steady development of all the systems and talent needed to sustain an agile team highly equipped to keep delivering optimally for customers.
Due to the transformative vision and drive of Alfonso Recalde, an immigrant parking lot attendant in the 1970’s who rose to entrepreneurial greatness in the USA, Atlantic’s current leadership appears especially well-positioned internally to continue flourishing in a B2B service environment of ever-increasing expectations and operational cost factors. So, it seems fair to expect that the company, under the direction of Giovanni Recalde, will continue fostering organic growth in the east and increasing its resources and the sophistication of its processes as needed to reach farther west across the US market.
For more information about Atlantic Sweeping & Cleaning, Inc., call (703) 684-1095, or visit atlanticsweeping.com.
For more information about Atlantic leadership, see linkedin.com/ in/giovanni-recalde-99213332/.
BUSINESS CORNER
BEST PRACTICES FOR WASTE DISPOSAL IN STREET SWEEPING
Street sweeping is more than just keeping roads free of debris. A big part of it is managing the waste you collect in a responsible way. Handling waste properly is a crucial part of the job for street sweeping and paving contractors. It may not always be glamorous, but it’s a necessary piece of the puzzle that keeps things running smoothly, keeps you compliant with local regulations and helps avoid costly fines.
Let’s walk through some practical best practices for handling street sweeping waste to help your business operate more efficiently and stay in line with environmental rules!
KNOW WHAT YOU’RE COLLECTING
When your sweepers are out there cleaning up streets, they’re collecting all kinds of material. You’re most likely dealing with a mix of dirt, leaves, litter, oil and — on some occasions — hazardous waste like chemicals or other contaminants. Understanding what’s in that mix is the first step to figuring out how to handle it properly.
Generally speaking, street sweeping waste falls into two buckets:
Regularly testing the waste your sweepers pick up can help you figure out whether or not you’re dealing with hazardous materials... .
4 Non-hazardous waste: Think dirt, leaves, sand and everyday trash like wrappers and plastic bottles.
4 Hazardous waste: This might include things like motor oil, industrial chemicals and other pollutants that can harm the environment.
You don’t want to mess around with guessing here. Regularly testing the waste your sweepers pick up can help you figure out whether or not you’re dealing with hazardous materials that require special disposal methods. Keeping these materials separate from the start can save you time, money and headaches down the road.
Don’t Mix Hazardous With Non-Hazardous Waste
If hazardous and non-hazardous waste gets mixed together, the entire load has to be treated as hazardous. This complicates disposal and raises costs, so keep things sorted from the get-go.
continued on page 18
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Many areas have restrictions on what types of waste can be sent to landfills....
STAY ON TOP OF LOCAL REGULATIONS
Regulations around waste disposal can vary depending on where you’re operating. What’s allowed in one state or city might be a no-go in another. If you don’t follow the rules, you could be looking at some huge fines. As a general rule, non-hazardous waste can go to a landfill or be recycled, but hazardous waste requires more specific handling.
Key regulatory areas to keep in mind are:
4 Landfill limits: Many areas have restrictions on what types of waste can be sent to landfills, especially if the waste is contaminated or mixed.
4 Stormwater compliance: Street sweeping helps prevent pollutants from getting into storm drains, but you might need to comply with local stormwater permits, like a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.
4 Hazardous waste handling: When you’re dealing with hazardous materials, work with licensed facilities that specialize in proper disposal.
Staying up to date with local regulations will save you from potential penalties and make sure your operation is compliant.
GET THE RIGHT GEAR FOR THE JOB
Handling waste properly isn’t just about what you’re collecting — it’s also about how you store and transport it. Street sweepers often pick up wet or contaminated materials, which means you need the right kind of containers and equipment to avoid leaks or spills.
Some best practices for handling waste include:
4 Using water-tight containers to keep liquids and contaminants from leaking out
4 Labeling your containers so everyone knows what’s hazardous and what’s not
4 Regularly cleaning and maintaining your disposal sites to avoid buildup and environmental hazards
Consider investing in automated equipment to help sort and handle materials. This can reduce labor costs and help streamline your disposal process.
RECYCLING: SAVE MONEY AND HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
Not everything your street sweepers collect has to be dumped in a landfill. A lot of materials can be recycled, which not only cuts down on disposal costs but is also a greener way to run your business. For example:
4 Organic debris like leaves and grass can often be composted and used in landscaping.
4 Construction debris like gravel, sand and small chunks of asphalt can be repurposed for paving or road repairs.
4 Scrap metal picked up by sweepers can be sold to recycling facilities.
Recycling what you can reduce your landfill fees and create more sustainable operations.
Model 600® COMDEX ® Street Sweeper
Model 500x® High Side Dump
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AVOID STORMWATER CONTAMINATION
One of the main goals of street sweeping is to keep pollutants from entering storm drains, so be mindful of how you store and dispose of waste. Here are a few simple ways to prevent stormwater contamination:
4 Cover your waste containers to stop rain from washing pollutants into drains.
4 Keep waste storage areas away from stormwater drainage spots.
4 Dispose of liquids like oil at hazardous waste facilities to prevent runoff into storm drains. Protecting stormwater systems helps the environment and keeps you out of trouble with local authorities.
KEEP TRACK OF YOUR WASTE DISPOSAL
You should be documenting the waste you collect and how you dispose of it. Not only is it a good practice, but
There are plenty of digital tools out there that can make tracking waste much easier.
it’s often required to comply with regulations. Keeping thorough records will help you if you’re ever audited and show that you’re handling waste responsibly.
Track things like the volume of waste collected, where it was disposed of and whether it contained any hazardous materials.
There are plenty of digital tools out there that can make tracking waste much easier. Use them to keep your records up to date and avoid piles of paperwork.
KEEP YOUR WASTE DISPOSAL PROCESS SMOOTH
When it comes to street sweeping, managing waste is just part of the job, and getting it right is key to staying compliant and avoiding unnecessary costs. By understanding the waste you’re collecting, sticking to local regulations, and recycling when possible, you can streamline your operations and make waste disposal more efficient.
For more tips and expert advice on keeping your street sweeping business on track, subscribe to North American Sweeper magazine. Get the latest industry insights and stay ahead of the curve!
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BUSINESS CORNER
WINTER TIPS TO PROTECT HYDRAULIC
MOTORS
As winter approaches this year, northern commercial pavement sweeping companies once again face the seasonal challenge of keeping the functional parts of their road equipment working. That includes the hydraulics and the hydraulic motors. These critical components must operate efficiently throughout the winter months.
REGIONAL WINTER ISSUES WITH HYDRAULICS MOTORS
During the coldest months in the northern regions, the motors that power hydraulics on sweeper trucks must withstand the extra strain of managing heavier loads and longer hours in worse conditions without overheating. Farther south, operators may expect to deal with more rain, slush, and tree and landscape debris on pavement during fall and winter. That may mean longer operating hours than in summer. Coastal providers are confronted with even more extreme salt impacts on equipment in more turbulent winter weather and that’s an even worse problem along northern coastlines.
All these conditions can be punishing for hydraulic mechanisms and motors. Whether your street sweepers continue to operate as such year-round, or with snow removal equipment attachments, deicing
material spreaders, etc., they need protective care to prevent hydraulic motors from overheating.
DANIEL STRATI, CANADA SALES DIRECTOR, BAILEY HYDRAULIQUES
Early on, Strati fell in love with hydraulics, became an outside sales rep in the industry, a buyer, even ran a shop for a few years, then opened his own company. He took a number of hydraulics courses through the years and studied under multiple academic leaders in the field, including Drs. Fitch, Tessman, Hong, and Porel in France.
Now, after 46 years designing hydraulics systems and consulting internationally in the US and Europe, Daniel offers the benefit of his wisdom to North American Sweeper magazine readers. Daniel is the resident hydraulics motor design expert of the Canadian division of US-based Bailey Hydraulics.
continued on page 24
BUSINESS CORNER
Here, he shares some critical insights and tips on hydraulic motor design selection, the best lubricants for various applications, ventilation systems installation for hydraulic motors, currently available temperature monitoring systems, and more.
HYDRAULICS MOTOR DESIGN
Daniel explains that a motor converts energy to generate motion. He emphasizes that the primary factor to consider is the design of a hydraulic system. He notes that although you may be able to fix it later, the first priority is to ensure the motor is sized for the system properly in the design phase. He explains that a critical symptom of an improperly sized unit is that it is creating excess heat inside the motor.
Another emphasis is ensuring that there are no air
leaks. These can lead to increased heat generation, which can produce bubbles and cause heat cavitation. Per Daniel, “A nightmare of hydraulic motors is a pump that will generate excessive heat. Once a bubble of air is created, and it smashes against a plate, it will burst the plate and run down the motor, make marks on the metal, and lead to less efficient aeration.”
A hydraulics system needs to run between 110°F and 130°F. So, if it’s operating properly, you can lay your hand on it and it will feel barely warm. Some systems run at around 150°F to 160°F due to the sweeper vehicle’s engine temperature.
Therefore, according to Daniel, when you design the motor, the question becomes, “Are we in a cold or hot situation in operating the vehicle?” He explains that
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when you design the motor, the fluids you use need to maintain their viscosity to have smooth operation. For optimum lubricity, additives to the oil may be necessary to avoid damaging parts.
As you gain in temperature, some of the oil will damage itself very fast. Some oils will maintain their viscosity at virtually any temperature. So, use only the best oil for your hydraulic motor. Don’t be cheap on this.
To avoid an excessive load working at the top end of the motor, try to use it at its most efficient range.
the motor, try to use it at its most efficient range. It will develop a torque. It should not be at the minimum or maximum, but in the middle. If you use a motor at an extreme level, it won’t last as long. It will generate excessive heat and prematurely degrade, and lose efficiency.
Efficiency loss means generating additional heat, which accelerates the deterioration. So, remember:
4 Don’t over speed a motor. Don’t look at it as a motor that can run at 3000 rpm, for example. Don’t run it too fast.
4 Loss of efficiency causes heat generation.
4 Control contamination. if you don’t have clean oil, you’ll have less efficiency, which, again, creates heat.
4 If you underestimate the pressure and do an adj at 2000 psi for ex and in reality it’s 2200 psi. The 200 lbs of pressure you’re losing is causing heat generation.
Try to use a very good motor, not a cheap one. Some are efficient at 70% and some at 90%. That is the measure of the flow outside, low pressure and high pressure, and how it remains in terms of the volume metric efficiency of the motor, i.e., if it can give you 100 gal per min, for example.
Further, Daniel points out, misalignment of a hydraulic motor during installation is obviously a serious error. “People often think they have no side load. When you have a load pushing on the side of the shaft, you can expect to have some efficiency issues.”
The other percent discussed is heat not being used. That input energy is not converting to work and is therefore causing heat inside your system. Size the cooler effectively. If the total input power loss to heat ratio is greater than the heat will dissipate, then the system will overheat 25-40% is the rule of thumb.
PROPER USE OF YOUR HYDRAULICS MOTORS
To avoid an excessive load working at the top end of
4 Improper adjustments create heat. We see this all the time. Have needed adjustments made by a hydraulics professional.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR HYDRAULIC MOTORS FROM OVERHEATING
Hydraulic motors convert energy from pressurized hydraulic fluid into motion. So, per Daniel Strati, from design to installation to routine maintenance on the essential hydraulic components, there are factors for equipment owners to consider when designing a hydraulic system include:
1. Size your system properly; do not undersize it to save money.
2. Ensure against air leaks that can cause bubbles and generate heat in your system.
3. Stay on the lookout for aeration and cavitation.
4. The normal operating temperature to consider is 110°F to 130°F.
5. Consider the ambient temperature.
6. Avoid excessive load or over-speed of the motor.
7. Size the cooler effectively. If the total input power lost to heat is greater than heat dissipated, the system will overheat. A rule of thumb is to cool 25% to 40% of input power.
8. Prioritize quality in fluid selection.
9. Ensure against misalignment of the motor during installation.
10. Inefficiency results in losses of input power, which is converted to heat use in high-efficiency motors.
11. Contamination control is paramount in the smooth operation of hydraulic motors and mechanisms.
COMPREHENSIVE HYDRAULICS MOTOR MANAGEMENT
Remember, the right design, materials, installation, and maintenance are all necessary to achieve the right oil
pressure. Any input energy that is not converting to work will cause heat to be generated excessively and efficiency will be compromised. So reach out for help when needed.
Bailey Hydraulics’ engineering team of about 18 experts helps our customers’ engineers design and oversee the building of snow and ice clearing equipment.
For more information about hydraulics motor design, installation, or maintenance, or to order parts, contact Bailey International LLC, Knoxville, TN, by calling (800) 800-1810, or visit baileyhydraulics.com.
TOP PRIORITY TIPS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR SCHWARZE SWEEPER TRUCKS FROM COSTAS CORDONIS
At NAS, we are very fortunate to have Costas Cordonis, the industry’s foremost expert on sweeper truck equipment. He has agreed to share here with readers some critical knowledge about maintaining pavement sweeping trucks built by Schwarze, the world’s most famous manufacturer of this class of heavy equipment.
COSTAS
CORDONIS, WARRANTY & TRAINING ADMINISTRATOR, SCHWARZE
INDUSTRIES
Costas Cordonis has represented Schwarze for over 37 years. He started with the company as Quality Control and Safety Manager. Additionally, when the company ships components in containers to buyers in foreign markets, he sometimes flies overseas and places the modulated sweeper trucks onto the awaiting chassis for the new customers.
SCHWARZE TRAINING ACADEMY
The Schwarze Training Academy opened in 2013. The facility’s classroom accommodates a maximum of 12 attendees. Costas explains, “The academy provides detailed technical training for mechanics and end users of the equipment. The training covers maintenance, troubleshooting, setting up the
machines, etc. Customers who send their employees to the training include highway departments, cities, dealer technicians, and commercial operators. People come to Huntsville for the classes, and I sometimes travel to their locations and conduct training onsite. It’s usually better for people to come here to the classroom sessions, if possible, for the advantage of hands-on displays presented on easily accessible pedestals, depending on what type of machine they’ve got.”
From regenerative air and parking lot sweepers to mechanical broom sweepers, whether you run a fleet of Schwarze A series or S series sweeper trucks, below are some essential tips from Costas Cordonis for protecting your investment in your equipment and keep your Schwarze sweeper truck performing ideally for many years to come.
TOP PRIORITY TIPS FOR MAINTAINING YOUR SCHWARZE SWEEPER TRUCKS FROM COSTAS CORDONIS
Here are some important Schwarze sweeper truck maintenance tips from the industry’s top expert on the world’s leading commercial pavement sweeping trucks and components:
Regenerative Air and Parking Lot Sweepers
Maintenance Tips
1. Regularly check and adjust broom down pressures. Excessive down pressure can slow the brooms,
raise hydraulic temperatures, and accelerate broom wear. Always fine-tune the down pressure and broom pattern based on curb conditions and material depth. This maintenance tip is especially crucial during the spring season.
2. Maintain the hydraulic oil and filter in good condition. The sweeper’s hydraulic system can become contaminated from dusty conditions, water condensation, or failed hydraulic components. It is recommended to change the hydraulic oil and filter after the first 500 hours of operation, and then every 2,000 hours thereafter. It may, however, be necessary to maintain the changes more often when conditions are more severe.
3. Worn or torn sweeping head flaps or misaligned side plates will cause poor vacuum and trailing. Inspect the sweeping head, adjust or replace the flaps to maintain optimum air flow and seal to the ground.
4. Inspect and adjust the tension of the springs on the sweeping head on the air sweepers regularly. Tension on the head springs will reduce the weight of the sweeping head to the ground and minimize the wear of the carbide skid plates.
5. It is very important to follow the greasing charts on the sweeper maintenance schedules. Grease your sweeper as directed, keeping in mind that overgreasing is as bad as not greasing at all.
6. Keep a close eye on the auxiliary engine and propulsion engine air filters. Do not use high pressure air to clean clogged air filters. Use only nozzles with 10-15 PSI to eliminate filter damage. The best practice is to replace the filters.
7. Beware of any abnormal vibration or unusual noise. Inspect the fan for wear or buildup in the blades. Any buildup on the fan blades or abnormal wear due to sandblasting will cause vibration to the power module and possible fan failure.
8. If the hydraulic oil has a cloudy or milky residue at the tank’s side glass, that will be a sign of water contamination. The oil and filter will have to be replaced to avoid hydraulic component damage.
10. Prior to the winter months, it may be necessary to apply dielectric grease on electrical connectors, electrical plugs on the hydraulic valves, and valve coils to prevent corrosion. This maintenance tip is especially important in winter.
11. During sweeping around or under trees, leaves and small twigs tend to accumulate in the engine compartment area. It is necessary to keep the area clean to avoid possible fires around the exhaust manifold area.
12. Do not bypass any of the sensors or sending units on the sweeper or auxiliary engine. Bypassing sensors does not work anymore with the new electrical systems.
MECHANICAL SWEEPERS MAINTENANCE TIPS
1. Inspect and adjust the pattern and speed of the main broom regularly. Doing so will eliminate debris carryover, trailing, and uneven wear of the broom (coning). The main broom pattern should be 4-6 inches across, and the broom speed should be 100-120 RPM’s.
2. Check the adjustment and alignment of the conveyor belt or chain on the mechanical sweeper regularly. Misalignment or a loose belt will cause damage to the elevator housing and the belt. A misaligned or unadjusted chain will also cause damage to the elevator housing and the drive sprockets.
9. Dirty hydraulic filters will cause back pressure and restriction to the flow. This condition will increase the temperature of the hydraulic oil and shut the system down. Make sure to check for contamination and change the oil and filter as soon as necessary.
3. Keep the conveyor always clean. Accumulation of twine, wire, rope and millings can build up in the elevator and the shafts. Such a buildup will damage the drive sprockets, stretch the conveyor
chain or belt, and will cause the conveyor to run slow or stall and cause the hydraulics to run hot.
4. Keep the main broom on your mechanical sweeper adjusted correctly behind the elevator to avoid wind row trailing and side plate damage. The main broom should be centered to the elevator housing with both skid plates having equal distance to the side of the main broom.
5. Inspect and adjust the curb brooms pattern and down pressure correctly to assure a clean sweep path and prevent premature broom wear.
6. Keep the belt elevator height from the sweeping surface adjusted to avoid abnormal wear to the belt flights.
LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR SCHWARZE PAVEMENT SWEEPER TRUCK
All Schwarze equipment owners are encouraged to attend the Schwarze Training Academy and enroll your team members to advance their education in best practices for operating and maintaining your sweeper trucks and their critical components.
For more information about Schwarze pavement sweeper trucks and components, or to inquire about attending the Schwarze Training Academy, call Schwarze Industries at (800) 879-7933, or you can contact Costas Cordonis directly at ccordonis@schwarze.com.
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11 BUSINESS TAX TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS FOR 2024-2025
You probably already know you should contribute to a retirement plan, claim premiums you paid for health insurance, make gifts to your family, employ and pay your children, etc. You also may know you can make changes in your estate and claim gift tax exemptions that will end after 2025, prompting you to be creative in finding ways to transfer more of your business out of your personal estate. These and many other wellknown strategies for minimizing a small business owner’s tax liability can save you significantly at tax time. Here are some perhaps less-familiar tax saving tips to use in evaluating your business’s financial position and applying appropriate strategies to maximize tax savings in 2024 and 2025.
Work with a qualified tax advisor considering these 11 strategies. to cut your tax bills for 2024 and 2025...
11 TAX TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN 2024
Whatever your small business circumstances, your tax strategies and year-end tax preparation choices can significantly impact your total tax obligation. Work with a qualified tax advisor in considering these 11 strategies to cut your tax bills for 2024 and 2025 and beyond:
1. Find out whether your business qualifies for different tax treatment. You may be entitled to deduct 20% of qualified business income from your federal taxes. But, it necessitates planning. Along with other provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017), this deduction will end after 2025. It typically applies to “passthroughs” for owners filing tax returns and paying taxes themselves on their business’s income, vs. having the business filing the tax return and paying the tax. Work with your tax advisor to understand which
deductions you’re legally entitled to claim for your business.
2. Use bonus depreciation or IRS Section 179 to deduct for fixed assets.
IRS Section 179, including bonus depreciation, is a federal tax law that allows small and medium-sized businesses to deduct the full cost of purchasing a fixed asset vs. depreciating it over multiple years. Before 2023, you could deduct 100% of qualifying purchase amounts as bonus depreciation. But in 2023, bonus depreciation became limited to 80%; for 2024, the bonus depreciation was lowered to 60%.
Section 179 enables businesses to maximize fixed asset deductions on business machinery, trucks over 6,000 pounds, and office equipment by claiming the Section 179 maximum ($1,220,000 for 2024).
Businesses can also claim the bonus depreciation on the remaining amount of the equipment purchase cost (60% for 2024). The maximum spending cap on equipment purchases in 2024 is $3,050,000. The key is to complete your business’s purchases and put equipment and machines in service by December 31, 2024.
3. Develop a sound plan for paying taxes on your business income.
Prepare as early as possible in the tax year, and even before it, to avoid disruptions to cash flow. You may prefer to save money throughout the year to pay your tax bill or arrange for a line of credit to pay it when you file your business income tax return. With inflation and the resulting higher operating costs, being ready for the upcoming April tax payment can prevent potential risk to liquidity. Paying periodic estimated
tax payments (based on the previous year) can help in maintaining a steady cash flow during the months after tax filing. Pay at least 90% of your tax for the current year before the upcoming April tax deadline, or pay 100% of the tax on your previous year’s return to prevent the risk of underpayment penalties.
4. Claim all allowable equipment deductions –at the right time.
If you buy equipment this year, especially at the enormous cost of a new or used sweeper truck, and start using it before December 31, 2024, you could qualify to expense that purchase and claim it as a whopping federal tax deduction, per IRC Sec 179.3.
The cumulative cost of assets expensed in full is currently limited to $1,220,000 per tax year for some business entities, but for a small business, you may be able to expense equipment investments up to about $3 million. If it is more advantageous for tax purposes,
...for a small business, you may be able to expense equipment investments up to about $3 million.
you may consider delaying such purchases to more strategically practical future tax periods.
5. Defer recognition of revenue and increase expenses.
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which ends after 2025, the top marginal income tax rate
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Commercial pavement sweeping businesses may qualify for green energy tax credits...
for individual taxpayers will increase from 37% to 39.6%. Therefore, if you’re anticipating high profits in 2024, it may make more sense to defer recognition of some revenues to 2025 and increase your expenses by paying some 2025 costs during 2024. Using this strategy is subject to legal restrictions, but you can potentially generate a significant tax savings in some cases, due to a lower marginal tax rate. Alternatively, if you expect a net loss in 2024, you may opt to talk with your tax advisor about carrying the loss to future years, to offset predictably higher income tax in those years.
6. Claim all allowable green energy tax credits.
Commercial pavement sweeping businesses may qualify for green energy tax credits due to the contribution such operators make every year using their equipment to help maintain cleaner groundwater and waterways and the general environment. Even if you don’t perceive your company as one necessarily dedicated to green processes and equipment, look more closely at the credits you may actually be entitled to claim. Also, consider making some green upgrades to increase your eligibility for more tax credits. The Inflation Reduction Act (2022) allocates almost $400 billion to clean energy tax credits and other climate change mitigation incentives. Buying electric or hybrid vehicles, installing clean energy equipment, and other
investments may qualify you for unexpected federal and/or state tax savings.
7. Claim your Qualified Business Income Deduction (Form 199A).
Through 2025, you can reduce your business’s taxable income by claiming the QBI deduction up to the equivalent of 20% through your personal tax return as a sole proprietor, owner in a partnership, or shareholder in an S-corp. Limitations on the income deduction do not apply to joint filers with a combined taxable income under set thresholds. For example, in 2022, the threshold was $340,100 for joint filers and $170,050 for single filers. Even if your 2024 taxable income is above the current applicable threshold, you’ll probably be eligible for some amount of deduction. The calculation is more complex in those cases, but your CPA will know what to do.
8. Employ people who qualify you for Work Opportunity Tax Credit.
You are entitled to the Work Opportunity Credit (WOTC) as a business owner who employs workers who have a state certification classifying them as members of one of the groups listed below. You can claim 40% of the worker’s first year of pay if he/she worked 400 hours or more, or 25% of pay to those who worked at least 120 hours under 400 hours. File IRS
Form 8850 before making an employment offer to:
4 Vocational rehab participants
4 Veterans
4 Family assistance recipients
4 Title IV-A recipients
4 Convicted felons
4 SNAP benefits recipients
4 Summer youth program workers
4 SSI benefits recipients
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9. Use pass-through entity status if it can help reduce your taxes.
If your business structure is an LLC or S corp, find out if your state has enacted PTE taxes. Many have done so, and this policy provides business owners with an IRS-approved way to effectively bypass the $10k limit on state and local deductions included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. PTE-eligible S corps, LLCs, partnerships, and possibly others, can elect to pay a PTE tax for the business owner’s share of the business’s qualified net income. This triggers a federal deduction, which reduces the taxable income on your IRS Schedule K1 (Form 1065).
With an S-corp, you pay tax only on your W2 wages and salary. Making the conversion to an S-corporation is a good way to reduce your tax obligation.
10. Change your sole proprietorship into an S-corp.
In sole proprietorships, business owners pay both self-employment tax and income tax. With an S-corp, you pay tax only on your W2 wages and salary. Making the conversion to an S-corporation is a good way to reduce your tax obligation. When you hire employees, you can show that the business’s income is due to their work, vs. only your own labor. So, the IRS can
clearly recognize your own work as other than a wageearner’s level of contribution to the business’s income, which will generate payroll tax savings, among other financial benefits and legal protections.
11. Above all, get a licensed CPA.
Find the right small business tax expert to advise you. Your bookkeepers may be able to enter income and expense totals on tax forms, but they’re not tax professionals. Get a licensed CPA. Over the years, your CPA service will pay for itself in cumulative tax savings for your business. And, it can help ensure that every dollar is appropriately accounted for and every deduction is properly claimed.
ON YOUR WAY TO TAX FILING…
Even when you’re working with a licensed CPA, keep your eyes and ears open, and note any recommendations or warnings you discover and discuss them with your accountant. The best professionals don’t miss much, but you’re better off fully understanding all the possibilities that may apply to your tax responsibilities and opportunities now and in the future. So, always, ask questions, claim everything to which you’re entitled without exceeding the limits of your eligibility, and continuously strategize to minimize your tax bill.
Bensink
704-658-1333 / buchermunicipal.com
elginregenx.com
909-713-1600 / globalsweeper.com
866-994-4929 / gregoryhighway.com KeyStone
800-635-5238 / kpbrush.com
/ mascosweeper.com
800-448-9364 / nitehawksweepers.com
313-343-4328/800-372-5007/sharpcosweepershoes.com
Street Sweepers
888-652-2137 / skavinjer.com
Equipment Co.
800-482-2302 / stewart-amos.com
888-653-6800 / streetsmartrental.com
