Please Step Away From That Truck

By George Recktenwald, Director, Volusia County Public Works Department and Harry Lorick, PE, Principal, LA Consulting

A comprehensive fleet assessment and improvement program initiated for the Volusia County Public Works Department has resulted in annual savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars without impacting workloads. One of the biggest opportunities is optimizing your equipment needs and keeping equipment resources that add value.

This article outlines how a process was used to utilize equipment by deciding when to keep or retain equipment by using a combination of tools, some of which include equipment rates, low use equipment and resources needs projections.

Volusia County, located on the northeastern coast of Florida, has a population of 500,000, with 1,207 square miles and 47 miles of coastline. The County includes 16 incorporated cities, 980 paved centerline miles, 51 bridges, 302 signalized intersections, Class I and Class III landfill and transfer station, 265 miles of water mains, 210 miles of sewer mains and a countywide Mosquito Control District. All of these asset groups have over 620 pieces of related equipment to maintain and operate.

The County has several major tourist events throughout the year that impact operation requirements. These include the Daytona 500, College Spring Break, Bike Week, Biketoberfest and Destination Daytona. The Daytona 500 and Bike Week, a 10-day event, attracts over 500,000 visitors, which exceeds the population of the County and creates increased demand on County infrastructure and facilities.