Original Scope: State DOT fleet managers are facing enormous challenges as government budgets decrease and decisions are made to extend the life of fleet assets. It is more important than ever to efficiently communicate the long-term effects of that decision. When vehicles age, more maintenance issues arise resulting in higher annual operating costs and lower operational availability. Vehicle and equipment downtime are a monetary and safety issue, especially if vehicles and equipment cannot respond to an emergency.
The objective of this scan is to examine organizations that have successfully developed and implemented practices and procedures to estimate the cost of delayed replacement of DOT fleet assets beyond the optimal replacement period. The scan team will gather data that might be used to develop decision making tools and models that can effectively communicate to decision makers the long-term effects of aging fleet assets.
Implementation and Impact
In February 2026, TRB hosted a webinar based on the outcomes of this scan titled, Addressing Long-Term Effects of Aging Government Fleet Assets. The webinar highlighted two successful DOT approaches for estimating the costs associated with delaying fleet asset replacement beyond the optimal replacement period. This webinar also focused on practices and procedures used to evaluate long-term effects of aging fleet assets, the tradeoffs involved in deferred replacement and how these approaches support the development of decision-making tools and models that effectively communicate long-term impacts to agency leadership and other decision makers.
Scan co-chair, Tim Cunningham, provided provided perspectives on the scan outcomes:
Scan Members
- Doug Burke, Ohio DOT, Scan Co-Chair
- Tim Cunningham, Kansas DOT, Scan Co-Chair
- Darin Weaver, Oregon DOT
- Howard Ray, Colorado DOT
- Stan Carlton, Alabama DOT
- Jeff Pifer, West Virginia DOT
- Greg Bright, Indiana DOT
- Colby Page, Michigan DOT
- James Chupas, Connecticut DOT (retired)
- Tim Lawler, Maryland DOT
- Lisa Kunzman, SME
Ready Results Brief
Workshop Participants
- Alabama DOT
- Alaska DOT&PF
- Caltrans
- Connecticut DOT
- Idaho Transportation Department
- Indiana DOT
- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
- Louisiana DOTD
- Texas DOT
- Washington State DOT
- West Virginia DOT
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