Government Fleets

With 2,500 vehicles to maintain in 54 bays, Tucson has the largest single municipal garage west of the Mississippi River.

Supported by the Rocky Mountain Fleet Management Association (RMFMA), the following government fleets participated in the Green Auto Shops pilot program:

• City of Tucson Fleet Services
• City of Yuma Fleet Services
• Tucson Electric Power Company
• Yavapai County Fleet Services

City of Tucson Fleet Services

Other green practices at this site:

• Ten spill-control stations are strategically placed throughout this 40-acre complex.
• Aqueous parts washers have eliminated cleaning solvents.
• High-BTU value of the absorbent corn-cob used to cleanup spills allows for off-site reuse as a fuel.
• Refillable compressed air sprayers have replaced aerosol cans.
• Aqueous brake washing techniques have replaced solvents.

City of Yuma Fleet Services

Yuma's fleet services about 470 vehicles. Refuse trucks are the biggest repair challenge; ten trucks serve eight routes with about 1,100 stops on each route. This shop works with the city's Risk Management Office to develop process improvement and pollution prevention ideas.

This wash rack cleans about 30 vehicles per day, five days a week. About 90% of the wash water is recycled, saving 5,400 gallons per working day -- 1.4 million gallons per year. Other green practices include a small solar panel, which powers a system to de-sulfate lead battery plates and provides a trickle charge to some standby equipment.

Tucson Electric Power Company

This 12-bay facility services about 700 motored vehicles and 150 trailers. Vehicles range from passenger cars to heavy duty-trucks, including cranes, 80 bucket trucks, and four 18-wheel tractor-trailer rigs.

Other green practices at this site:

• A 460-volt, three-phase power box reduces energy use by motors and other electrical equipment while extending the life of the equipment.
• Vendors are required to take back used tires and batteries.
• Batteries are stored in plastic secondary containers on racks, in a separate storage room with a nonconductive wood floor.
• Oil-absorbent "socks" remove oil from the wastewater sumps.
• Wastewater from an automatic floor-washer is transferred to the vehicle-wash rack for reuse.

Yavapai County Fleet Services

This fleet services 800 motored and other rolling stock. It includes 15 bays for 400 light vehicles plus two other bays for heavy equipment.

Green practices at this facility:

• Fleet-management software tracks almost every aspect of facility operations, including preventive maintenance, fueling and repair records, parts inventories, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), cost-per-mile records and other reports.
• Skylights and metal halide bulbs conserve energy.
• Tires are recycled as crumb rubber and used to pave roads.
• Oil pans drain with quick-coupling connectors to pump oil out of heavy equipment.
• Brakes are cleaned by spraying with water collected in catch pans.
• Anti-freeze is treated and recycled.

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