Milwaukee's fleet services manager told the budget committee that the city operates more than 4,000 vehicles with a total asset value exceeding $350 million and that the average age for vital classes is above industry recommendations.

Brian White said key categories are older than recommended: average ages cited in the hearing were about 11.9 years for snowplow trucks and 11.5 years for refuse packers, versus an industry guideline average age near seven years. The 2026 equipment budget adds funding for replacements that the department says will reduce average age over time; the proposed capital plan includes 10 refuse packers and 10 snowplow trucks among about 32 total units budgeted in 2026.

White described steps the fleet will take to reduce operating costs: additional packet purchases, preventive maintenance staffing, and diagnostics (two vehicle service technicians added in budget, financed as reimbursements), and expanded deployment of telematics and fleet diagnostic equipment. He said telematics deployed on snowplows last winter helped improve weather response and the department is exploring broader telematics rollout to improve routing, maintenance planning and salt usage monitoring.

Fleet also reported a continuing program of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles for refuse collection (about half the packer fleet runs on CNG), backed by municipal CNG fueling infrastructure on city property. Low-emissions goals include battery-electric vehicles (EVs): DPW expects nearly three dozen EVs in service by the end of the year and has installed a handful of level-2 chargers at DPW yards; Fleet said it is evaluating charger-to-vehicle ratios to expand EVs under constrained charging capacity.

Committee members asked about staffing and recruitment of skilled mechanics in a tight labor market. White said recent market studies and pay adjustments had improved recruitment and retention but that many trades remain nationally competitive with limited candidate pools. Members also asked for historical data on replacement rates, telematics impacts and equipment totals; staff said they would provide detailed lists for the council record.

No formal vote was taken at the hearing; budgeted purchases are included in the mayor's proposed 2026 capital plan that now goes to council review.