(photo taken from chicagoclout.com) Here are just a few of the trucks the City of Chicago are leasing for millions of dollars under the Heavy Equipment Rental contracts. These trucks replaced the Hired Truck Program (September 2006). The City of Chicago stated that dismantling the Hired Truck Program, would save its taxpayers money; however that cannot be the case, when these leased trucks (according to the city) cost $8,000 a month per truck. Okay, factor in the city drivers (who are union and make prevailing wage); their benefits; fuel; insurance; worker's compensation and maintenance. It comes out to be way more than what the city of Chicago paid just on hired truck semi in a month; which was a little over $8,800; ONLY IF the truck worked M-F and received a eight hour work day, rare because some of the hired trucks would be sent home, claiming that there was no work for them to do and then replaced with city workers.
If you're a friend of Daley as Will Rent and others are, he will reward your friendship with multi-million dollar contracts. Chicago City Corporation Counsel Mara Georges once said the $40 million-a-year program "is a good program which does a good benefit to the taxpayers of Chicago. It saves taxpayers money. It allows the city to efficiently get jobs done. It is the appropriate use of private resources, as opposed to the city having to engage in its own use of resources. Ask the City of Chicago how much is it costing the hardworking taxpayers for the Heavy Equipment Rental contracts. I believe the taxpayers should have some input into how their tax dollars are being used, instead of Daley the Dictator.
DALEY DOESN'T KNOW BEST.
FYI: SOME OF THE TRUCKS WHICH THE CITY ARE LEASING, HAVE OUT OF STATE LICENSE PLATES, SUCH AS OKLAHOMA, AND INDIANA.