The trucks for MSU police’s Parking Services might not be the most popular vehicles on campus, but Brandon Hirt’s complaints about the trucks differ from most students.
“They’re in the shop every couple of years because of the amount of short range and slow mileage driving,” said Hirt, a clinical laboratory sciences senior who has been driving the trucks for four years. “We get a lot of squeaks and creaks going on.”
Parking Services will receive a new fleet of six trucks through the university motor pool. The motor pool is a university service allowing for the rental of university vehicles.
Because the trucks are used often, Parking Services leases a new set of trucks every five years, MSU police Deputy Chief Mike Rice said.
“These vehicles spend a lot of time driving at low speeds around the campus,” Rice said. “The amount of downtime (they have), it gets to the point where it’s more prudent to buy new vehicles.”
Hirt said the nature of the job also poses issues for the vehicles.
“We’re driving from lot to lot, stop and go, stop and go,” Hirt said. “They don’t get worn in like a normal vehicle would.”
Brian Wolfe, the fleet service manager with the MSU Transportation Department, said the trucks tend to wear out faster because of their frequent usage.
“Those trucks are just constantly on the road (and) constantly run lots of wear and tear on suspension systems,” Wolfe said. “They take a lot of abuse and they wear out pretty quick.”
Rice said the operation will receive six trucks — four two-door vehicles the office will rent at $820 per month, and two four-door vehicles the office will rent at $850 a month. The vehicles all have basic two-wheel drive with a standard model service package, Rice said. The entire fleet is replaced at one time as it is more cost-effective to replace the vehicles all at once. The rent includes insurance, gas and all maintenance on the vehicles, Rice said.
“One of the things you’re really worried about is cost per mile,” Rice said. “You would be amazed at what it costs you to drive your car. That’s the way we look at fleet arrangements.”
Because MSU’s parking system is completely self-supported, the cost of the trucks come from the parking system’s revenues, such as parking violations. However, the operation
does not have a quota of tickets to meet to ensure funding for the vehicles, Rice said.
“I’m mortified by the number of parking tickets that we do have to write,” Rice said. “You have to be reminded that, in spite of all the parking tickets issued, there are thousands of people who come to MSU every day who park using the system and do not get tickets.”
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