Folsom residents will begin seeing a handful of new generation garbage and recycling trucks on city streets in the future after the Folsom City Council approved the purchase of six new solid waste collection vehicles Tuesday night as part of an ongoing effort to replace aging equipment and maintain reliable refuse service throughout the community.
Acting on a recommendation from the city’s Utilities Department, the council authorized a $2,553,976.32 agreement with Western Truck Parts and Equipment Company, LLC for the purchase of six new collection vehicles that will replace some of the oldest trucks currently operating in the city’s waste and recycling fleet. The purchase will be funded through the Solid Waste Operating Fund and will not require any additional appropriations.
According to city staff, the replacement program is intended to ensure the city maintains an efficient and dependable fleet capable of meeting the community’s waste collection needs while reducing maintenance costs associated with aging vehicles. Several of the trucks being retired have exceeded their expected service life and are becoming increasingly expensive to maintain.
The vehicles being replaced range in age from 11 to more than 20 years old. Among them are three automated side-loading collection trucks from 2015, a 2015 front loader, a 2007 roll-off truck and a rear loader dating back to 2003. Several of the vehicles have logged well over 140,000 miles, while others have accumulated thousands of engine hours after years of daily service throughout the city.
Among the vehicles being retired is a rear-loading refuse truck that has been in service since 2003, along with several other collection vehicles that have exceeded a decade of daily use throughout the community. City officials noted that replacing the trucks now follows the Waste and Recycling Division’s fleet replacement schedule and helps avoid escalating repair expenses that often accompany older heavy-duty vehicles. The department stated that the existing trucks have surpassed their anticipated life expectancy and are due for replacement.
The approved purchase includes three automated side-loader collection trucks, one front-loader collection truck, one rear-loader collection truck and one roll-off truck used for hauling large waste containers. Together, the vehicles support a wide range of city operations, including residential garbage collection, curbside recycling service, commercial waste collection and the transport of large roll-off containers used throughout the community. The new vehicles will be built on Peterbilt chassis and equipped with specialized refuse collection bodies designed for municipal solid waste operations.
The largest portion of the purchase consists of three New Way automated side-loader trucks, which will cost $464,392.76 each. These vehicles are commonly used for residential curbside collection routes and feature automated arms that allow operators to service carts without leaving the cab. The city also approved the purchase of a New Way front-loader truck for $454,463.32, a New Way rear-loader truck for $405,563.93 and an Amrep roll-off truck for $300,770.79. Prices include taxes, tire fees and delivery costs.
The purchase highlights the rising cost of specialized municipal equipment, with the city’s new automated residential collection trucks costing more than $464,000 each and the overall six-vehicle package totaling approximately $2.55 million.
Rather than conducting a separate bid process, the city utilized a cooperative purchasing contract through Sourcewell, a national government purchasing consortium that allows public agencies to leverage competitively solicited pricing agreements. According to the staff report, city staff determined the pricing offered through the contract represented the best value available and met the city’s procurement requirements.
The purchase is one of the larger fleet investments approved by the city this year and underscores the importance of maintaining reliable sanitation services as Folsom continues to grow. Refuse trucks operate daily under demanding conditions, often making hundreds of stops per route while carrying heavy loads and running hydraulic systems for extended periods.
Maintaining a modern fleet can also improve service reliability by reducing the likelihood of breakdowns and minimizing the amount of time vehicles spend out of service for repairs. Newer collection trucks typically offer improved safety systems, enhanced fuel efficiency and lower maintenance requirements compared with older equipment.
The Utilities Department reported that sufficient funding for the purchase is already budgeted and available within the Fiscal Year 2025-26 Solid Waste Operating Fund. The council’s action authorizes the city manager to execute the purchase agreement and move forward with acquiring the six vehicles.
Once delivered, the six new trucks will gradually replace some of the oldest vehicles in Folsom’s solid waste fleet, helping ensure the city can continue providing residential and commercial garbage, recycling and waste collection services with dependable equipment for years to come.
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