I. Case Background: Sludge Transportation Requirements of a Municipal Sanitation Department in Yichang City By the end of 2025, a municipal sanitation department in Yichang City planned to procure a batch of compact sludge transport vehicles for cleaning septic tanks in old residential communities and maintaining sewer networks. Due to narrow streets in urban Yichang and road restrictions within older neighborhoods, conventional yellow-plate large vehicles lacked operational flexibility. Therefore, priority was given to blue-plate models (drivable with a Class C1 driver’s license), compact and maneuverable vehicles suitable for short-haul transportation. After multiple rounds of tendering and technical proposal evaluations, 10 units of blue-plate 3-cubic-meter sludge tipper trucks based on the Dongfeng D6 chassis were ultimately delivered, with superstructures and full-vehicle integration services provided by Chengli Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd. As the fleet management supervisor for this department, I participated throughout the entire procurement process—from initial needs assessment and tender document preparation to final vehicle acceptance. This article draws upon our procurement experience and analyzes, from three perspectives—operational flexibility, fuel consumption monitoring data, and comprehensive management costs—why the Dongfeng D6 blue-plate 3-cubic-meter sludge tipper truck was selected, and highlights the advantages of Chengli’s solution. II. Operational Flexibility: Compact Body for Complex Road Conditions The Dongfeng D6 chassis features an appropriately sized wheelbase (~3,308 mm), with overall vehicle dimensions kept within 5.9 meters in length and 2 meters in width, resulting in a small turning radius. This enables outstanding performance on narrow streets in Yichang’s historic urban districts and internal roads of residential communities. The blue-plate 3-cubic-meter sludge tipper truck offers a cargo box volume of approximately 3 m³ and employs a hydraulic tipping mechanism; its discharge outlet is ergonomically designed to enable rapid sludge unloading and minimize secondary contamination. In actual operations, we deployed these 10 units in two groups of five each, assigned to distinct geographic zones for septic tank cleaning and sludge transfer. Thanks to their compact size, drivers can access work sites without complex reversing maneuvers, reducing average operation time per job by ~30% compared to previously used yellow-plate vehicles. Additionally, blue-plate vehicles qualify for holiday expressway toll exemptions, further enhancing flexibility during inter-regional transport. According to publicly available tender information, the unit price for these vehicles—including both chassis and superstructure—was approximately RMB 98,000, keeping the total project budget within RMB 1,127,000, consistent with local procurement norms. Chengli provides original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) joint warranty coverage for the Dongfeng chassis, along with lifetime service support for the superstructure—ensuring convenient maintenance and after-sales support. III. Fuel Consumption Monitoring Data: Outstanding Economic Performance We conducted a three-month fuel consumption tracking study on the first five delivered units, with results summarized below: Vehicle ID | Avg. Monthly Mileage (km) | Avg. Monthly Fuel Consumption (L) | Fuel Consumption per 100 km (L) | Remarks ---|---|---|---|--- CLW-001 | 1,200 | 132 | 11.0 | Urban mixed driving conditions CLW-002 | 1,150 | 126.5 | 11.0 | Frequent start-stop cycles CLW-003 | 1,300 | 145.6 | 11.2 | Includes some suburban routes CLW-004 | 1,100 | 121 | 11.0 | Purely urban operations CLW-005 | 1,250 | 137.5 | 11.0 | Mixed driving conditions Average | 1,200 | 132.5 | 11.04 | — Data shows that the Dongfeng D6 chassis—paired with either Yuchai or Quanchai engines (as specified in the official announcement CLW5070GSSD6)—maintains stable fuel consumption at approximately