Oncor is adding Toyota-branded vehicles to its fleet, expanding the range of manufacturers represented in its light-duty vehicle lineup. The first group of trucks is currently being prepared for service and will begin arriving in locations across Oncor's service territory in the coming weeks.

The addition follows nearly two years of evaluation by Oncor's fleet team and reflects the company's ongoing effort to maintain a diverse, reliable fleet capable of supporting employees and customers across Texas.

The decision process involved a broader review of available vehicle options, reliability considerations and future fleet needs. The evaluation ultimately identified Toyota as an additional manufacturer that could help diversify sourcing options while meeting Oncor's operational and safety requirements.

The move is part of the company's long-term approach to ensuring it has access to dependable vehicles and multiple supply channels as fleet needs continue to evolve.

Investing in Texas

Another factor in the decision was the opportunity to keep more of the work associated with Oncor vehicles in Texas.

The Toyota Tundras being added to the fleet are assembled in Texas, and the vehicles are being purchased through a North Texas dealership before being outfitted in the state as well.

"Our strategy has been to ensure we get competitively priced vehicles and keep as much of the outfitting for light- and medium-duty trucks as possible in Texas," said Tyler Knudson, Oncor Manager of Fleet Management. "This supports jobs in the state but also provides our team the ability to physically go out and see the trucks and have a close partnership with our outfitter."

The outfitting work for Oncor’s new Toyotas is being performed by a Texas-based company with operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Houston. Oncor representatives regularly collaborate with the company throughout the build process to ensure vehicles are configured to meet the needs of employees in the field.

"Helping support a local company is important to us," Knudson said.

Safety Remains the Top Priority

While the manufacturer may be new to the fleet, Oncor's expectations for safety remain unchanged.

Every vehicle added to the fleet, regardless of manufacturer, must meet the company's safety requirements. Fleet leaders say one benefit of the Toyota trucks is that many advanced safety features are included as standard equipment rather than requiring additional option packages.

"The safety features on that truck are a huge plus, because that's standard on Toyota trucks," said Fleet Engineer Senior Brady Grudza.

Features such as blind-spot monitoring, crash mitigation systems and other driver-assistance technologies come standard on the vehicles being added to the fleet.

As the first Toyota trucks begin arriving in the field, they represent more than a new addition to the fleet. They reflect Oncor's ongoing focus on safety, operational reliability, sourcing diversification and partnerships that support Texas communities and businesses.