Public Works Crews Count on Specialized Service Truck Fleet

The City of Red Wing Public Works Department keeps essential infrastructure and services running smoothly for over 16,000 residents in southeastern Minnesota. Their Streets and Utilities Division specifically manages public streets, alleys, roadsides, sidewalks, parking, traffic control and water and sewer systems. Public works crews take on a wide variety of tasks, some of which might include:

• Clearing brush, mowing or cleaning along roads or public spaces
• Repairing or replacing sidewalks, curbs, gutters or other concrete
• Patching potholes, sealing cracks or road resurfacing/grading
• Maintaining sewer lines, drains and other underground infrastructure
• Installing and maintaining street signs, road markings and lighting
• Plowing snow and spreading salt during the winter
• Maintaining water infrastructure like mains, pipes, valves and hydrants

To get the job done, City of Red Wing crews rely heavily on service trucks and for years, most of that municipal fleet has proudly carried the Knapheide badge on them.

Each service truck is built with a specific job in mind. Most start with a truck chassis cab paired with a Knapheide service body, but from there, they’re customized with all kinds of body options and add-on equipment and accessories. You’ll see a lot of the city’s street and utility trucks outfitted with things like liftgates, bedliner coated flip-top compartments, headache racks, beacon lights and beds painted to match the cab.

The City of Red Wing Public Works Streets and Utilities Division's fleet consist primarily of service trucks equipped with liftgates.

"They've worked well for the employees; they're well liked; and they have longevity. Knapheide has definitely been there for us when we needed them in the past. And going forward, when we need a replacement, they will be the first choice," said David Olson, Superintendent for the City of Red Wing Streets and Utilities Division.

One unique service truck in the city’s fleet is their custom-built sign truck, which they gave us a behind-the-scenes look at in the video tour below. It’s designed specifically for installing and fixing the over 5,500 street signs spread throughout the city. Here are some of the features that make it perfect for the job:

• Power inverter and outlets – Handy for running corded tools and charging batteries
• Oversized front compartment – Built to hold street signs of all shapes and sizes
• Compressor hose reel – Keeps the air hose tidy for powering the post pounder
• Drawer unit – Stores and organizes all the sign mounting bolts and nuts
• Dual tube carriers – Perfect for hauling sign posts of different lengths
• E-track system – Keeps tools and gear secured in place while driving

A City of Red Wing Public Works crew member uses a custom service truck for the installation of street signs.

The City of Red Wing has worked with independent upfitter Indianhead Truck Equipment for years to bring their service trucks to life. Whenever it’s time for a new build, they sit down to go over what’s working, what’s not and what upgrades could better help crews out in the field.

Indianhead offers and installs all kinds of vehicle equipment from a variety of brands, but when it comes to truck bodies, they see Knapheide as the premium choice and it’s the one they most often recommend to their customers.

"We like to stand behind what we build, the products we sell and that's why we continue to use Knapheide. We put our name right next to theirs when it leaves our shop," said Maggie Tiede, a sales representative for Indianhead Truck Equipment.