SPOKANE, WA –Spokane’s City Council approved the purchase of four single-armed, auto side-loading hybrid hydraulic refuse trucks, and 10 single-armed side-loading refuse trucks, via an interlocal procurement agreement with the City of Tacoma, according to City Council documents.

The City purchased all 14 vehicles from Solid Waste Systems Inc. The total cost for the 14 vehicles came to $4,622,677.42, $1,370,018.42 for the hydraulic hybrid refuse trucks and $3,252,659 for the regular refuse vehicles. Both vehicles are built on Peterbilt 320 chassis. The hybrid trucks use hydraulic launch assist technology to boost fuel economy.

According to a news article from the Spokesman.com, if the pilot program with the four hydraulic hybrid refuse trucks goes well, the City plans to replace 24 of its refuse trucks with hydraulic hybrid vehicles. The article adds that the City owns and operates 1,440 vehicles, across all departments.

A number of other Cities recently began using hydraulic hybrid refuse trucks in their fleets, including Columbus, New Haven, and Manteca.