Lauderdale County saw better than expected results from the sale of 13 dump trucks at a September auction in Alabama. The sale comes as county officials work to develop a system to minimize costs to run equipment and reduce maintenance on its machines.
Road Manager Rush Mayatt said the county is set to receive $1,741,904 from the auction, which was run by J.M. Woods. The figure is an increase of more than $124,000 over the guaranteed amount of $1,610,500.
“We had a good bit above the guaranteed amount for our trucks,” he said.
Mayatt said the county’s 2022 Mack trucks performed well in the auction, while the International trucks, while newer, were not as popular. That tracks with what supervisors were told by J.M. Woods earlier this year when considering the auction as a potential avenue to sell used equipment. The auction company said Mack vehicles fetch a much higher price at auction than International branded equipment.
Supervisor Josh Todd said equipment cycles through popularity like everything else, and Mack trucks are the top sellers right now. In a decade, International could be back on top.
“Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t cool to own a Mack. If you owned a Mack you were poor, didn’t have a dollar to your name,” he said.
Supervisor Kyle Rutledge, who works with Lauderdale County School District as Assistant Transportation Director, said International is currently leading the pack in school buses.
Working with J.M. Woods, Mayatt and the Board of Supervisors plan to roll over the county’s fleet of dump trucks every two or three years. The used trucks will still fetch a high price at auction, while the county will keep fresh vehicles in its fleet.
Mayatt said it is a plan that has worked well for other organizations, with some cutting equipment operating costs to near zero or even making a profit in some instances. The hard part, he said, is consistency. For the plan to work, the county must stick to the schedule and buy the trucks that are in demand.
In other business, a milling and paving project is expected to get underway next week along Minnow Bucket Road. Mayatt told supervisors APAC-Mississippi, the contractor doing the work, will likely arrive on site Wednesday and begin the process of taking up the old asphalt and laying down new.
The paving work comes after Lauderdale County Road & Bridge crews spent several months replacing cross pipes, cutting overgrowth and addressing other issues along the stretch of road.
Residents are encouraged to use caution when traveling on Minnow Bucket and keep an eye out for signage and workers.