Dunn County weighs building snow trucks in-house and approves purchase of two 1-ton pickups

Highway staff described a months-long review of whether to continue fabricating heavy winter trucks in-house or contract the work out.

A staff member said the county has “approximately $380,000 invested in these trucks” (referring to two recently built units) and estimated outside fabrication for the same truck would have cost less or been comparable. He said fabrication hours declined between the first and second in-house truck, noting the first took “almost 700” hours and later units were closer to 350 hours.

The staff discussion covered trade-offs: in-house work keeps mechanics’ experience in the county’s shop and can speed repairs, but the labor-intensive process raises depreciation and opportunity costs. The group discussed removing underbody spreader systems on some trucks to reduce fabrication time and equipment cost; one staff member said removing an underbody and a brine system could save about $50,000 on a chassis.

Committee members and staff also discussed blade use and winter costs. Staff reported unusually high usage of cutting blades last winter and estimated current replacement needs and lead times. The meeting record shows concerns about storage and shop space for large trucks and whether certain trucks should be dedicated to interstate use to extend their life.

On procurement, the committee voted to purchase two 1-ton work trucks under the state contract. The state-contract quote used in discussion listed a per-unit price in the meeting materials; staff explained that model-year pricing and state contract availability change annually and that the quoted price was time-limited. The motion to acquire two pickup trucks was made and seconded and the committee approved the purchase.

No formal county-wide policy change about in-house fabrication was adopted at the meeting. Staff said they have paused plans to fabricate the next two units and will further evaluate whether to continue building trucks in-house or outsource fabrication.

Committee members asked staff to return with additional cost comparisons and with options that could prioritize local dealers or multi-year procurement if the board seeks to emphasize local purchasing in future capital plans.