Carter County awards two Kenworth trucks; commissioners send loader bids for further review

Carter County commissioners voted to purchase two heavy trucks from Black Hills Truck of Rapid City and deferred final decisions on multiple front‑end loader bids until staff can complete inspections and compare options.

At the meeting the chairman moved to buy a 2026 Kenworth T880 for $180,902.20 and a Kenworth W900 for $217,976.10; the motion as read into the record described those two prices and the total amount stated in the motion. Commissioners voted in favor. The recorded motion and tally were read during the meeting.

Earlier in the session the county opened multiple bids for front‑end loaders from several vendors. Vendors who introduced their bids included Marvin Dole of Voyage Truck Center (Rapid City), David Mills of Tri State Truck and Equipment (Billings), representatives from Titan Machinery, RDO (John Deere), Modern Machinery (Komatsu), and T and E Caterpillar. Bids varied by make, year, trade allowance and whether the offer was for a machine in stock or a factory order; reported bid prices with and without trade-ins ranged roughly in the mid‑$300,000s to low‑$450,000s depending on model and options. The county’s procurement official said some loaders were in stock with low hours, while others would be built to order.

Commissioners said they will review the loader bids in more detail and scheduled time on the next meeting (May 19) to complete the evaluation. Staff noted that some vendors included optional equipment and that the county will ask follow-up questions about needed specifications and whether lower‑cost packages would meet operational needs.

The vendor presentations and the truck purchase vote were recorded in the meeting minutes. Commissioners asked staff to prepare a full comparison of loader options—including trade‑in value, included options, delivery timelines and warranty terms—before making an award.