These conditions are hard enough for the average commuter to endure - but when you're a professional driver who spends all day battling traffic, the last thing you want to do is spend more time parked on local freeways on your drive home.

Managers at Waste Management's San Diego/Orange County Market Area have found a solution: company-sponsored vanpools.  With more drivers living outside of the Market Area as media home prices approach $500,000 in San Diego County and top $600,000 in Orange County, their commutes were growing, as were the numbers of requests for transfers to districts closer to home.

"Before we started the vanpool program, we had 30 people signed up to transfer," said Alberto Guardado, District Manager in Irvine.

With home prices substantially lower in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties - $388,000 and $344,000, respectively - drivers were willing to endure a longer commute for more affordable housing.  Workers in these areas have the highest average travel time to work in Southern California, at 31 minutes, and many Waste Management drivers were making a daily roundtrip drive of 150 miles or more on their own, commuting between Riverside and San Diego counties.

Along with the increased requests for transfers came concerns about driver fatigue, safety and work-life balance.

"We faced a number of challenges, and the idea to solve them was the vanpool, which came from Duane Woods," said Jason Rose, Market Area General Manager.  "We thought it would work well, and help our employees get more rest and spend more time with their families."

With the vanpool program, drivers have an opportunity to be passengers during their commutes and can nap, pay bills or engage in other activities, rather than driving - and come home safely and more refreshed for their families.  A total of 88 employees participate in the Market Area's vanpool program.  The districts cover the cost of the van rental and insurance through Enterprise - approximately $1,200 per month per van - and the vanpool participants chip in for gas, about $10 per person per week.

Van departures are staggered based on the duties of the passengers.  For example, Irvine operates three vans - the first leaves from Corona in Riverside County at 4:15 a.m. and the second and third leave at about 5 a.m.  At the end of the day, as people finish work, the vans fill up and leave for home - starting at about 5 p.m., with the final van departing at 8 p.m.  Because of the number of passengers in each van, the drivers can use the less-congested carpool lanes.

"It's very nice.  People are very happy and appreciate the company paying the bill," said George Gomez, an instabin driver in Irvine who drives one of the vans.  "We are saving a lot of time and saving a lot of money, and also saving our cars by not putting on extra miles or wearing out the tires." 

Since the program was instituted throughout the Market Area this summer, the districts have seen many positive results.

"We have a happy, ‘non-transferring' group of employees," said Carl Scherbaum, District Manager in El Cajon, whose van runs the 155-mile roundtrip between Menifee and El Cajon.  "We're also sending a good message that the company cares about our employees."

"The employees who use the vanpool all say that they like the additional rest they get on the drive in and they have better attitudes," said Tom Koutroulis, District Manager in Santa Ana, who estimates that about 50 percent of the 31 employees participating in the vanpool were planning to transfer before its implementation.  "The vanpool has boosted morale because it shows we value our employees and they appreciate what we have done." 

Since the program's successful implementation in Orange and San Diego counties, other regions are following suit - a program was recently initiated in Ventura County.

"I'm very pleased with the success of the vanpool program in Southern California, and glad to see its implementation in other market areas," said Duane Woods, Senior Vice President of the Western Group.  "Like the local managers, I was concerned about the effects long commutes were having on our drivers and hoped the suggestion of the vanpool would address these concerns.  I'm glad to see that it has, and we are retaining talented, veteran drivers."

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