New trucks added to mail services, facilities fleets

Among the changes made on campus over winter break is the addition of several new vehicles to the Facilities and Mail Services Departments.

Facilities have replaced two vans and two pick-up trucks with newer Ford and Dodge models since December, bringing their total number of vehicles to six. Meanwhile, the Mail Services Department received a 2004 Ford Freestar to replace "Big Blue," their 1996 GMC Safari.

The new Facilities trucks and vans ranged between $16,000 and $18,000.

Facilities uses their trucks to transport ground service personnel, such as landscapers and groundskeepers. The vans also act as trade vehicles for carpenters, electricians, and other professional workers while they complete jobs on campus.

The four older vehicles were originally manufactured between 1989 and 1992. With repair costs for service trucks over five thousand dollars it became impractical to retain them. "The ones we replaced were getting very expensive to maintain," Said Ronald Esposito, Director of Facilities on the Medford campus. "After awhile, you're just throwing money away."

Mail Services relies on four different trucks, which deliver large packages to the apartments and dorms on the Medford, Boston, and Grafton campuses.

Over the course of eight years, Big Blue accumulated 77,000 miles on this route. By the end of last year, the doorframe was in need of serious repair, and the vehicle had windows on only one side, limiting driver visibility.

Mail Services Supervisor Ron Drauschke and Support Services Manager Sheila Chisholm agree that the replacement truck is "a big step forward." The biggest improvement in the Freestar is its more accommodating structure, Drauschke said.

"The sliding doors on both sides and the folding rear seats make loading and unloading much easier for the workers. And the windows allow much more visibility, making it safer to drive on campus."

Funding for service vehicles is typically supplied by the University's general budget, but according to Director of University Facilities Robert Bertram, "the actual purchases and decisions are done at the campus level."

New vehicles, regardless of cost, are considered capital expenses and are factored into the capital budget each year, along with proposed renovations and project funding. Once authorized, all such equipment purchases are dealt with through the Tufts Purchasing Department.

The school generally obtains new vehicles every year, Esposito said. Their distribution to the different service groups is based upon departmental need.

Many of the new service vehicles can be distinguished by their white exterior -- unlike the older trucks, Tufts has yet to paint them the school's traditional shade of blue.