New Public Works Fleet

The City has partnered with Enterprise Fleet Management for several years and has worked to determine the best use of their expertise for the City’s fleet and budget. Through analysis of the trends, we have established several categories in our fleet based on the type of usage associated with various vehicles. Specifically, the Public Works department has low mileage usage and low upfitting costs on their vehicles. This makes these vehicles the primary candidate for a different approach to our maintenance and replacement program.

In order to take advantage of the market, the City has entered into 12-month leases for eight (8) crew cab trucks to replace most of the Public Works fleet. Below outlines how the Department benefits from this new Fleet approach.

1) Government Incentives: Government agencies receive additional incentives when purchasing vehicles, allowing the City to purchase vehicles at a lower price than the rest of the market.

2) Minimal Upfitting of Vehicles: With limited upfitting, which is handled internally by staff (magnetic markings, magnetic lights, easily removeable toolboxes), there are no extra costs included in the purchase of a vehicle for the Public Works Department.

3) Resale Market: The resale market is especially good for crew cab trucks. Additionally, the Public Works Department averages low mileage per year, allowing the trucks to resale for nearly as much as they were purchased.

This 12-month rotation model is projected to limit the City’s maintenance costs nearly 100%, with no projected tire purchases in the first year of use. Overall, Enterprise charted a course that is projected to save the City nearly $1,500 towards its 2021 budget and see an increase of over $18,000 in the fleet equity by the end of leases in 2022. By taking advantage of government purchase incentives and higher resale returns for crew cab trucks over single cabs, the City will essentially be cost neutral.

The shift in thinking from a reactive approach to one that schedules vehicle replacement based on market trends helped the City navigate through budget restrictions while maintaining a healthy fleet. Keep an eye out for the new fleet and be reassured that staff is looking for the most costeffective ways to achieve the City’s needs.