Riverside city officials said last week’s scorching heat wave resulted in more than a dozen garbage trucks being taken out of rotation due to mechanical issues and driver safety concerns.
With temperatures exceeding triple-digits for several consecutive days, 19 of the city’s trash truck fleet were sidelined due to overheating, dangerously hot conditions inside the vehicle cabins and issues with refueling those vehicles that use compressed natural gas.
The City says the dangerous heat wave exasperated existing issues it has faced with its aging fleet of garbage trucks and has caused citywide pick-up delays.
Municipal mechanics and local shops are currently working to repair those vehicles that were damaged by overheating and return them into service. Overheating can cause myriad vehicle issues ranging from engine and transmission damage to electrical system failures.
Additionally, many of the older garbage trucks currently on the road don’t have air conditioning, the City said, and when temperatures repeatedly hovered around 107 degrees, the temperatures inside those vehicles soared to 120 degrees or higher — too dangerous for drivers to safely operate.