DALLAS — The city department that manages some of the largest vehicles on residential Dallas streets – trash trucks – failed to uphold city policy on when truck drivers should be suspended, an audit released Tuesday found.
The city auditor found that “not all Department of Sanitation Service drivers that should have had their driving privileges suspended” per city policy at the time “received a suspension of their driving privileges.”
The city changed the policy that was in place in July 2023, after the audit was conducted. The previous policy required the suspension of city employees’ driving privileges in certain circumstances.
The audit also found there was “no standardized procedure or centralized repository for tracking and maintaining all driver-related training records.”
“The Department of Sanitation Services’ local districts did not maintain records of the training completed by drivers. Training records related to environmental and safety issues were available and documented, but other driving-related training records were not maintained,” according to the audit.
According to the audit, there is no process for drivers involved in accidents to receive additional training beyond the training all drivers in the department receive during their initial six-month probationary period.
The release of the audit comes after reports last month that the city had authorized more than $1 million in payouts for legal judgments and settlements following wrecks involving city workers driving city vehicles this year.
The amount authorized this year is more than the city authorized in all of 2023 and on track to top the $1.7 million paid out in 2022, a WFAA analysis of city council documents in June showed.
The 2024 payouts were for wrecks that occurred in previous years and included allegations that city employees were distracted, speeding, running red lights and rear-ending other vehicles while behind the wheel. The city has not admitted fault in all the incidents.
City documents reveal at least $934,000 in payouts approved by the city for wrecks involving sanitation workers in the past three years. Though, the wrecks themselves didn't all happen within the past three years.
In response to the findings of the audit released Tuesday, interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said the Department of Sanitation Services will work on its administrative and operational procedures.
“The Department of Sanitation Services recognizes the essential role stakeholders, including residents, employees, temporary staff, and vendors, play in helping to ensure the department realizes its mission and goals,” Tolbert wrote. “The Department of Sanitation Services has been actively working to strengthen its written administrative and operational procedures, including creating a Sanitation Operations Handbook to guide employees on expectations. The Department of Sanitation Services is committed to continuing to enhance its processes.”
According to the audit, the changes to department procedures are expected to be implemented by June 2025.
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