Classic Refuse Trucks DEMPSTER

The End of an Era through the End of the Decade

George R. Dempster died of a heart attack on September 19, 1964 in Knoxville at the age of 77. He was succeeded as president by his nephew James Dempster, who had been with the company since 1937. During his remarkable life, he had been both a hobo and locomotive engineer, operated heavy equipment during the construction of the Panama Canal and survived Thyphoid. Along with his brothers, he later established a successful construction company and like so many others, was nearly wiped out during the Great Depression. At a time when many established manufacturers were closing up shop for good, he established a truck equipment business and eventually created an entirely new market for his product that the competition had mostly overlooked. Dempster equipment was built in his home town of Knoxville ( where he had also served on the City Council and as Mayor ) during a time when heavy manufacturing facilities were somewhat uncommon in the American south.

So common is the "dumpster" in modern times, that it is difficult for many of us to imagine what life was like before Dempster made it a household word. Few other inventions had a more sweeping and positive impact on public health and sanitation practices than his original Dumpster container system, which introduced many communities to a new concept in bulk refuse storage. By the time of his death, countless municipalities and contractors were using it, with over fifty U.S. cities also using his latest Dumpmaster front loader system. While Dempster hadn't invented the front loader, his critical improvements to it have become industry standards, further adding to his legacy. For these reasons, George Dempster was, and remains, one of the all-time greatest individual figures in refuse truck history.

Dempster's legacy is best summed up by the before and after photos above. His contribution to the betterment of public health can not be overstated

During the remainder of the 1960's, Dempster remained a family owned concern and further solidified its hold on the bulk refuse handling business. Though there would be increased competition for front loaders and container haulers, their long-established distributor network and unmatched name recognition would insure status as the industry leader. During the mid 1960's, the "trash train" was in vogue as a cost cutting refuse collection method. It entailed a series of 4-6 yard front load containers fitted with axles and hitched together. A light truck towed the train along residential collection routes, periodically stopping to have the boxes emptied by "mother truck" front loader. The system was designed to consolidate hauls, and minimize crew downtime by keeping the trains rolling while the mother truck made the trip to the disposal point. Virtually every front load manufacturer advertised this system in the mid 1960's, Dempster being among them. However, Dempster could rightfully lay claim to having pioneered the idea in 1945 with their Dumpster Kolector system, which was perhaps just slightly ahead of its time.

A three car Dumpmaster train used at Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Dempster was more than just a trash truck builder-the firm offered the a complete line of bulk refuse collection solutions, and in the late 1960's through the early 1970's they expanded this broad lineup to include ever larger transfer trailers as well as complete municipal transfer stations. Built-in compaction and storage systems, custom fitted for use in large apartment and office buildings were soon offered as well. In 1970, Dempster Brothers was purchased by Carrier Corporation, ending 35 years of family ownership.

Left: Wastepactor system received refuse from chute, compressed it and ejected it into a container or in wrapped bales. Top right: Dempster transfer station and transfer trailer. Bottom right: Super Mite packer feeds directly into Dinosaur or Dumpmaster container

1/7/06