Dump truck refurbished as money saver

The crew of a local New Mexico Department of Transportation Maintenance yard refurbished a 10-yard dump truck in order to save the state some money and help maintain the safety of the state highways.

"Our goal is to maintain safe roadways for the public and this truck will help us do that," said James Evans, patrol supervisor for the Nara Visa yard.

Evans said his crew worked to restore a 1990 WHITEGMC Autocar dump truck, which was salvaged from District 4 and offered to them.

"The truck had some rusted metal and needed repairs done on the dump bed and other areas," Evans said. "It was in need of some TLC."

Evans said that work was done to the body, and its two-way radio system and electronic systems were inspected. He said that once the rusted metal was replaced the vehicle received a new paint job.

"This was something that we needed," Evans said. "We worked it over and made it road-worthy again."

Evans said the truck will be used for snow removal, salting the highways and general operation use.

There is still a budget crunch across the state that has affected the NMDOT yards, said Kenny Lujan, public information officer.

Lujan said that recently the state has lifted the no hire status and many NMDOT yards have been able to hire new employees. He said there is still a crunch on equipment funding.

If the state had purchased a new 10-yarder for the Nara Visa Yard it would have cost $110,000 to $115,000, Lujan said.

"They spent a total of $1,000 on man power and materials to get the salvaged truck up and running," Lujan said. "They can can use the truck for another three years."

Lujan said the NMDOT has been reusing vehicles. For instance, in Las Vegas, N.M., a military transport truck was converted into a tow truck for $45,000 instead of purchasing a new truck for $300,000.

"We are doing all that we can to make and keep the state's highways safe for the public that travels them," Evans said.