Government Procurement Case and Field Operation Analysis of Sinotruk Sludge Self-Dumping Trucks (24 m³) in Yueyang — In autumn 2025, a municipal sanitation department in Yueyang City, Hunan Province, publicly procured a batch of 24 m³ sludge self-dumping trucks for transporting dewatered sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants and pipeline desilting operations. The project budget was approximately RMB 1.813–2.04 million (per publicly available tender information), with six units planned for procurement. After multiple rounds of evaluation, six Sinotruk-chassis, 24 m³ sludge self-dumping trucks—fully integrated by Chengli Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd.—were delivered. This article analyzes fleet performance from the perspective of the fleet management supervisor, focusing on dispatch flexibility, fuel consumption monitoring, and overall management costs, offering practical insights for similar procurement projects. I. Project Background and Manager’s Evaluation Yueyang is located in the Dongting Lake region, where urban drainage system maintenance is frequent—especially during the rainy season. Dewatered sludge from wastewater treatment plants and mixed sludge excavated from pipelines must be transported quickly and environmentally soundly to designated disposal sites. The municipal sanitation department previously operated an aging fleet of sludge transport vehicles, which no longer met environmental compliance or capacity requirements due to outdated emission standards and severe body corrosion. “We prioritized three criteria in our selection: first, chassis reliability—given the mixed urban and suburban road conditions; second, body sealing integrity—no leakage is permissible during sludge transport; and third, controllable fuel consumption, as this represents a long-term operational cost,” said Captain Li, Fleet Management Supervisor, reflecting on the procurement process. He noted that the selected Sinotruk chassis + Chengli superstructure solution performed as expected during the trial operation phase. According to MIIT announcement parameters (model CLW5250ZWXZ6), this vehicle features a Sinotruk HOWO chassis equipped with a China VI-compliant engine, a rated payload of approximately 12.5 tons, a hydraulic lifting system, a welded high-strength steel cargo body, and additional sealing strips at the rear door—effectively preventing wastewater leakage during transit. II. Dispatch Flexibility: Multi-Point Operations and Adaptability to Complex Road Conditions Sludge transportation differs significantly from standard spoil hauling: operation points are widely dispersed, and vehicles often need to access narrow factory premises or pipeline manholes. Captain Li explained that these 24 m³ units demonstrated several key advantages in daily dispatch: • Small turning radius: The Sinotruk chassis features an optimized wheelbase, enabling single-turn maneuvering within 10-meter-wide channels inside wastewater treatment plants—eliminating the need for repeated reversing. • High unloading efficiency: The hydraulic lifting system completes unloading within 40 seconds; combined with an automatic rear-door locking mechanism, each operation saves approximately three minutes compared to older models. • Reliable sealing performance: A dual-seal strip design ensures zero leakage—even after fully loaded 20-km transport runs—as verified by inspections of the body bottom and seam areas, fully meeting environmental regulatory requirements. “We operate across 6–8 job sites daily—some in the city center, others in suburban areas. Although this is a high-capacity 24 m³ model, it handles nimbly—not cumbersome at all. Drivers even report it’s easier to drive than our previous 18 m³ units,” added Captain Li. Currently, these vehicles serve five sludge transport routes across Yueyang’s urban area, handling approximately 70 tons of sludge per day—covering roughly 30% of the city’s total sludge processing volume. III. Fuel Consumption Moni