The Iowa State Department of Public Safety’s parking division has gone for a new look with five new dark-blue Dodge Dakota trucks.

The new vehicles will replace the entire fleet of the older, white-and-blue Chevy S-10s.

Director of DPS Loras Jaeger said the overhaul of the parking division’s vehicles is a standard change.

On average, a parking division truck will put on between 11,000 to 13,000 miles per year, which requires the fleet to be changed every two to three years.

The automatic, extended-cab Dodge trucks primarily will be used by the students who write parking tickets on campus.

Jaeger said the vehicles also will be used for other special events.

Along with monitoring parking, the new trucks will be used to haul equipment, barricades and traffic cones for concerts, ball games and other activities.

Jaeger cited versatility as one of the major reasons DPS uses trucks for parking purposes.

“The pickup trucks are much better than cars because they’re multi-purpose,” he said.

Including fuel, maintenance, tires and insurance, it will cost $306 per month to lease the trucks from University Transportation Services, which is the same price as leasing the older vehicles.

A free replacement is offered if any of the vehicles break down.

All DPS vehicles are leased from Transportation Services, Jaeger said.

David Strom, director of Transportation Services, said he looks for reliability in the vehicles he leases.

“As a fleet manager, I look at my customers’ needs for a reliable vehicle,” he said.

Transportation Services leases nearly 400 vehicles for official university faculty-and-staff business.

Other vehicles include compact and mid-size cars, 1/2 and 3/4-ton cargo vans, 3/4-ton pickups and one-ton crew cabs.

Strom said Transportation Services chose to purchase the new Dodge Dakotas because of their low cost analysis determined during a five-year cycle. Factors include purchasing price, mileage and projected retail price.

Another major consideration for Strom is the ability to re-sell the vehicles. The old parking division trucks already have proven their worth in re-leasing.

After reconditioning the old S-10s, including the seats, door hinges and brakes, Transportation Services has leased one of the old vehicles to a yearly customer, another to a seasonal customer and three are to a daily rental pool.

“They are being used. There is a need for them,” Strom said.