The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has purchased an additional Kenworth T370 hybrid bucket truck, which it plans to put into service to help maintain bridges over railroads. The vehicle is currently on order.

“We think it will be the first hybrid in the country to run on railroad tracks,” said Dan Malone, with the City's DOT Fleet Services Administrative Office. “The 60-foot boom will allow us to inspect bridges over railroads.”

The Department currently operates a total of nine Kenworth T270 hybrid bucket trucks (shown above), and Malone said the DOT expects to save 30% in fuel when compared with the DOT’s non-hybrid models. He said all but one of the hybrid models are configured as 35.ft. working height bucket trucks. The Department uses five of the vehicles to hang signs around the city and the rest for painting overpasses, inspecting small bridges, and electrical repairs.

This new Kenworth hybrid joins a total of 54 other non-hybrid T370s in the Department’s fleet.

“"The majority feature rack bodies and haul cones in our safety division,” said Malone. “They'll go out to different job sites and create safety zones to protect our employees.”

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation also uses a total of 17 T370 hybrid bucket trucks. The Department’s Jonathan Ells, chief of staff for citywide operations, said eight of them have rack bodies with lift gates and that the rest are equipped with 5-yard dump bodies.