As heat wave continues, city fleet department works to improve AC maintenance for Austin Resource Recovery

Amid an ongoing spike in repair requests for Austin Resource Recovery vehicles, managers of the city’s fleet have made some changes to improve air conditioning maintenance.

A memo released last week showed that since June and July 2022, the Fleet Mobility Services Department has observed a 49 percent increase in repairs for heating and air conditioning units in the waste disposal trucks. The department oversees the use and operation of 4,862 on-road vehicles across all city departments. Currently, there are 125 vehicles with work orders related to AC issues, the memo notes.

Austin Resource Recovery vehicles represent 13 of those work orders, with needs ranging from basic diagnostics to comprehensive system repairs.

In response to the increase in AC maintenance needs, Fleet Mobility Services is treating those repair requests with “an emergency management footing” and has started performing mobile repairs in the field when possible. The department has also prioritized repairs by line of business and greatest operational need, while increasing its inventory of parts needed for AC systems. Additional roof-mounted cooling systems have been installed on some solid-waste trucks.

Some experienced repair staff have also shifted toward addressing the backlog of AC needs, with scheduling adjusted in line with a new plan for addressing the backlog.

Looking ahead, Fleet Mobility Services is reviewing its staffing levels for its repair techs, with those positions making up one hire for every 23 staffers within Austin Resource Recovery.

Some of the other steps the city is taking in response to the surge in repair requests: improved preventive maintenance checks, evaluating the engineering and specifications on existing cooling systems, and making it easier for drivers to promptly report AC issues.

The memo does not forecast need for additional funding for the repairs and changes to current processes, noting, “Budgeting for AC unit repairs and other fleet components is forecasted to include preventive and necessary maintenance. Funding for these essential aspects is fully allocated and accounted for.”

In December, the The Austin Chronicle reported that Austin Resource Recovery employees represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1624 union had spent years asking the city to improve its handling of repairs for vehicle cooling systems. Drivers pointed out that driving vehicles in excessive summer heat – often on residential streets – represented a safety issue, with some veteran drivers opting to change jobs as a result of the conditions.

Last week’s memo notes the need to prioritize driver comfort while calling on their participation in detecting HVAC issues early on: “To facilitate reporting, we have temporarily implemented gate checks designed to check the (air conditioning) operation before a driver leaves the yard on their way to their route. In instances where repairs require an extended duration, (Fleet Mobility Services) endeavors to provide spare vehicles to ensure minimal disruption to City operations.”

The city’s management of its vehicle fleet, and the need for working cooling systems specifically, received attention earlier this month from City Council.

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly in July wrote a memo to interim City Manager Jesús Garza, bringing to light the fact that 20 trucks in the Austin Fire Department fleet lacked functioning air conditioning systems. And at an early August meeting of Council, Fleet Mobility Services Assistant Director Rick Harland said the department was continuing to make repairs to the cooling systems in fire trucks after performing 39 such repairs in June.

Harland said the Fire Department had experienced a similar spike in HVAC repair needs, with Fleet Mobility Services typically making 18 repairs per month and June needs reflecting a 34 percent increase over previous summer months.

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