Illinois State Police Vehicle Fleet Outdated
SPRINGFIELD, IL - From gas tanks falling out of Illinois State Police cars because of rusted frames to transmission failures, state troopers throughout Illinois are experiencing the risks of driving high-mileage patrol cars.
SPRINGFIELD, IL - From gas tanks falling out of Illinois State Police cars because of rusted frames to transmission failures, state troopers throughout Illinois are experiencing the risks of driving high-mileage patrol cars, according to the Copley News Service. The agency's patrol cars have an average of 122,000 miles on them – about 40,000 more than is recommended for state police fleets. Eight percent of the Illinois State Police fleet have fewer than 50,000 miles, whereas 67 percent of the vehicles have more than 100,000 miles. In Iowa, 42 percent of state police vehicles have less than 50,000 miles, and only 24 percent have more than 100,000 miles, according to Jim Saunders, public information officer for the Iowa State Patrol. The Illinois State Police Fleet Operations spent almost $6 million on repairs in fiscal year 2005, which ended June 30. Parker has state police districts all over the state send him weekly fleet reports. Through the data he has collected, Parker estimates that the Illinois State Police would have saved $1.4 million in fiscal year 2005 if all the agency's vehicles had fewer than 80,000 miles. As an attempt to curb the lack of money for the fleet, Illinois State Representative Jim Sacia drafted a bill that will add a $10 fee for traffic-law violators who opt for court supervision. The former law enforcement officer expects the bill to generate almost $8 million for state police vehicles. From January to December 2005, the secretary of state's office reported 777,266 cases of court supervision in the state. Another piece of legislation, sponsored by Illinois State Representative Shane Cultra would tack an additional $5 onto fines paid by violators convicted of speeding. That money would then go to a State Police Vehicle Fund. Illinois State Representative Bill Black is a co-sponsor for Cultra's bill, HB4307, and in 1995 he passed public law 89-0054, which set up a procedure to replace Illinois State Police cars on a revolving three-year basis. State money has not been set aside to purchase new cars for the Illinois State Police since 2002, a spokesperson for Gov. Rod Blagojevich said. The state police were able to purchase 87 new vehicles with money from the Department of Homeland security, said Master Sgt. Rick Hector, a spokesman for the Illinois State Police. The governor is expected to announce that through his yet-to-be-released capital budget proposal, Illinois State Police would receive 500 new vehicles. Carroll would not confirm or deny that. The secretary of state's office recorded 409,981 speeding convictions in 2005.
More Operations

How St. Johns County Turned Fleet Data Into Better Replacement Decisions
St. Johns County, Florida, had fleet data, but turning it into reliable decision guidance was another matter. Instead of starting over with a new fleet management system, the county connected existing tools and built a scoring system that gives managers an objective look at fleet health.
Read More →
Fleet Forward Conference Introduces One-Day Passes for 2026
New one-day registration lets fleet professionals attend Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, with passes available for $249.
Read More →
ENC Unveils its ZAVIR Medium-Duty Shuttle
Two variants of the concept shuttles were revealed: a low-floor configuration and a high-floor configuration.
Read More →
Could Your Next Fleet Technician Start as an Intern?
What if your next technician hasn’t worked in a fleet shop yet? What fleets are doing to free up time.
Read More →
How Phoenix Is Building Its Next Generation of Fleet Technicians
With more than 8,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment to maintain, the City of Phoenix could not afford to wait for fully trained technicians to walk through the door. Instead, they revamped their entire workforce strategy and showed how public fleets can create their own talent pipeline while preparing existing employees for increasingly complex vehicles.
Read More →
What’s Slowing Your Fleet Down?
Could a change in how work gets done help your fleet return vehicles to service sooner?
Read More →
Can Public Fleets Trust the Data Driving Their Decisions?
Public fleets have more data than ever, but inconsistent records and missing information can still undermine maintenance, replacement, and cost decisions.
Read More →
John Deere Introduces 40 P-Tier Compact Excavator
John Deere is adding a compact excavator designed for crews that need to move equipment between jobsites and handle multiple types of work with one machine. The 40 P-Tier weighs less than 10,000 pounds and offers configurable hydraulics, attachment options, and connected fleet-management capabilities.
Read More →
How Leading Fleets Improve and Why Business Plans Matter
This week, we look at what past Leading Fleet winners can teach us about making progress, plus how to build a business plan your fleet will actually use.
Read More →
Nominate a Fleet Leader for the 2027 Public Fleet Hall of Fame
Do you know a fleet leader who has made a lasting impact on the industry? Nominate this fleet professional for the 2027 Public Fleet Hall of Fame.
Read More →

