The Town buys a new truck

Yet another winter draws to an end. The snow is retreating, and snowstorms will soon be a thing of the past — till next winter. Residents won't strain in the early morning to hear the welcome roar of the approaching Town plow truck, breaking them free of the white prison that thwarts the morning drive to work or to school. Our Town trucks are essential pieces of equipment that allow us to live our rural, car-centric lives in this northerly climate, year-round.

The Town of Thetford has five trucks that are used to different degrees for plowing and for transporting road materials like gravel and sand. Three of them are behemoths, huge ten-wheeler dump and plow trucks that dwarf the men who drive them. These have become our plowing workhorses. Then there is one six-wheeler dump/plow truck and lastly a Ford F-550, a beefed-up "Super Duty" extended cab pick-up truck that can do light plowing and is used as a general transport vehicle. Currently one of the ten-wheeler trucks is being replaced.

A while ago there was a difference of opinion over whether the Town should invest in the costly ten-wheeler trucks when, back in the day, six-wheeler trucks had sufficed. Six-wheeler trucks were touted as more appropriate for plowing as they are more maneuverable on narrow dirt roads with tight turns. Their shorter wheel base was more responsive on curves and steep sections, and as lighter vehicles they were less prone to sink in muddy conditions. However, for hauling stone and gravel their capacity was less than a ten-wheeler, which made for more round trips. Ten wheelers gained favor because they offered more power and stability in deep snow, and their greater weight and traction could plow through heavy drifts. For hauling road materials, the ten-wheeler's larger fuel tank and load capacity meant fewer returns to the Town garage. 

The Town received a quote of $172,168 for the base price of a new Western Star ten-wheeler. However, preparing a dump truck to plow snow requires an extra "plow package" priced at $106,700,  plus the Town chose the addition of 10 spare wheels and tires, basic warranty, and total engine and transmission warranty. That total comes to $307,738. 

Included in the plow package are reinforced front-end components like axle and suspension to handle the weight of the plow and wing, plus high-output alternators to manage the electrical loads needed for the plow lights and plow controls. In addition there is enhanced suspension to ensure a smooth ride when hauling the extra weight and wiring provisions to allow the Town DPW crew to install and un-install the plow itself. 

The plow and wing can add 3,000-6,000 lbs to the weight of a truck - all at the front end. That’s the equivalent of adding the weight of one or even two Toyota Priuses, which impacts fuel efficiency, stopping distance, and road wear. However, the plow must not dig into the road, it should “float” across the surface barely making contact, and there are built-in mechanisms to help achieve this. The float control allows the plow blade to follow the contours of the ground.  But for it all to work, a plow truck needs to carry about twice the weight of the front-mounted equipment in the rear, to compensate for the extra front end weight. In Vermont this is usually the truck's normal winter load of road salt or sand. 

It turns out that there is a considerable waiting list for ten-wheeler trucks. Thetford ordered its new truck to arrive in 2024, but the Town will be happy to get it sometime in 2025. Supply chain difficulties have evidenced themselves in a 10-12 month wait for new dump trucks nationwide. Upon receipt, the new truck will immediately be sent away to another dealer who installs the plow package since the truck supplier does not do this. There will be another wait while this work is accomplished, hopefully before the next winter.

The old truck that will be replaced will be nine years old this year and still has significant secondhand value, especially as it has been converted to a plow truck. Knowing this, the Town will trade it in to offset $80,000 of the price of the new truck. If it were not for the long wait for a new truck, the Town would have retired this truck at eight years of age. 

Reasons for retiring trucks this early include reliability and the cost of maintenance as a truck ages. This particular truck has cost the Town a total of $45,644 in maintenance and repairs over its lifetime with the Town. That's actually not bad for a town plow and dump truck exposed to winter conditions, road salt, and the heavy demands of plowing. Although Town trucks are undercoated to resist salt corrosion of the frame and body, there are many other working parts that experience wear and tear. The hydraulic system of plow lift cylinders, valves, and pumps can develop leaks and failures due to high pressure and exposure to salt and moisture. Repeated impacts with hard surfaces can loosen or crack the mounting brackets and pins supporting the plow blade. The heavy load of plow and ballast causes suspension bushings, springs, ball joints, and tie rods to wear out faster. There's a lot of stopping and starting which, with constant heavy load, contributes to premature wear of brake pads, rotors, and drums. Municipal work also entails frequent idling and high-load operation causing engine wear and tear and untimely failure of the injector, turbo, or fuel system.

Two other trucks, a ten-wheeler and the six-wheeler, are also up for replacement next year, so the Town manager is putting Thetford in the queue again. That's the reason the Town sets aside a chunk of money in the Public Works Capital Equipment Fund every year. In 2025 it is $150,400, just shy of 10% of the total Town Highway budget. The fund supports the purchase of the shiny new trucks and other equipment required to keep our roads drivable — in all seasons.