Forest district fleet recognized as one of best in nation

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County was recognized for the fifth year in a row as having one of the "100 Best Fleets in the Americas" and for the third year in a row as one of Government Fleet magazine's top 50 fleets in the nation.

The district was the only conservation agency to make Government Fleet's top 50 list, which recognizes operations that perform at high levels, particularly in fleet leadership, competitiveness and efficiency, planning and problem solving.

Both programs honor top public-sector fleets among the more than 30,000 at the municipal, county, state and federal levels in the Americas. Detailed rankings of the winners will be revealed at the Government Fleet Expo and Conference June 20‒21 in Nashville, Tennessee.

"We're thrilled to be recognized as one of the best in the nation," said DuPage forest district President Joe Cantore. "The district is constantly looking for innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum-based fuel dependency in its fleet while serving as an example of alternative fuel use."

Michael Webster, manager of the district's Fleet Management division, said the fleet is distinct in the variety of vehicles it contains and its focus on alternative fuels. The district runs a fleet of 125 road vehicles and 172 pieces of equipment that use alternative fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas, ethanol, biodiesel and hybrid electric. The district also helps area municipalities reduce their greenhouse emissions by allowing them to use the district's alternative fuel station - the only one with four alternative fuels in Illinois.

"The district is committed to sustainability," said Forest Preserve District Commissioner Jeff Redick, District 2. "It has proved to be good for the environment, and the efficiencies are good for the bottom line."

In-house crews maintain standard passenger vehicles as well as specialized equipment such as mowers and tractors. Nearly all vehicles are hybrid technology or run on alternative fuels. The use of these alternatives has lowered fuel expenditures, reduced tailpipe emissions and lengthened vehicle life spans.

The district recently received a $23,387 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to convert five 2016 Ford light-duty trucks to alternative-fuel vehicles that run on compressed natural gas.