Dive Brief:
- Officials in Dickson, TN will spend $7,010 to buy back a totaled trash truck from an insurance company. The city officials will use its parts to maintain their trash truck fleet.
- The truck — which recorded 5,400 miles — had an engine valued at $25,000 while its transmission and hoses were in good shape, according to public works director Jeff Lewis.
- The Council approved the purchase in a 7-0 vote. Lewis told The Dickson Herald that the purchase was "a steal."
Dive Insight:
Depending on the size of the municipality and the amount of households that need trash pickup, towns can spend thousands of dollars to maintain their garbage truck fleets. Therefore, the decision to buy back a totaled trash truck is economically beneficial for Dickson, as the average trash truck costs around $250,000.
The expense of a trash truck is one of the reasons why companies and municipalities are hesitant to switch to CNG fleets. While CNG is a more eco-friendly fuel option, many towns cannot afford to purchase an entire new fleet. The possibility of reusing cheap parts from damaged trucks to save money on fleets may be a possibility that can help towns make the CNG shift.
