Most city officials get it immediately: drones can see more than a person in a truck. But the follow-up question is always the same — "what would it actually cost to do this on the ground?"
So we ran the numbers. Using Oakland's real operational data — road miles, staffing levels, fleet composition, salary schedules — here's what achieving the same citywide road inspection coverage would cost using traditional F-250 pickup truck patrols with two-person crews.
Coverage Model
Aerbits divides a city into three coverage tiers, flying drone patrols along road-aligned corridors on different inspection cadences based on dumping risk:
| Tier | Portion of City | Flight Frequency | Inspections / Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (High-Risk) | 33% (~410 road miles) | Every 3 days | ~122 |
| Tier 2 (Medium) | 33% (~410 road miles) | Once per week | ~52 |
| Tier 3 (Low-Risk) | 34% (~411 road miles) | Every 2 weeks | ~26 |
- Ground vehicle: Ford F-250 Super Duty (13 mpg city, standard municipal fleet truck)
- Coverage speed: 15 mph average while inspecting (city streets, stop-and-go, visual inspection requires reduced speed)
- Effective patrol hours: 6 hours/day net driving after breaks, dispatch time, cleanup stops, documentation
- Fuel cost: $4.50/gallon (California diesel, May 2026)
- Worker cost: $48.50/hr fully loaded (Oakland PW Maintenance Worker: $30.71–$37.72/hr base + CalPERS pension and benefits)
- Worker per truck: 2-person crew (driver + inspector)
- Working days: 260 days/year (52 weeks × 5 days, less holidays)
What Ground Coverage Actually Requires
To match Aerbits' aerial coverage on the ground, a fleet of trucks must physically drive every road in each tier on the same inspection cadence. Here's what that breaks down to:
| Tier 1 (Every 3 Days) | Tier 2 (Weekly) | Tier 3 (Biweekly) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road miles to cover | 410 mi | 410 mi | 411 mi |
| Miles per inspection day | 137 mi | 82 mi | 41 mi |
| Driving hours needed (15 mph) | 9.1 hrs | 5.5 hrs | 2.7 hrs |
| Trucks required (6 hr effective) | 2 trucks | 1 truck | 1 truck |
| Workers required (2 per truck) | 4 workers | 2 workers | 2 workers |
| Days operated per week | 7 days/wk * | 5 days/wk | 5 days/wk |
* Tier 1 at every-3-day cadence requires weekend operations or rotating crews. Model assumes 7-day coverage with rotating crews.
Total Fleet Requirements (Combined)
| Resource | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Patrol trucks | 4 minimum (5 with rotation) | 2 for Tier 1, 1 each for Tiers 2 & 3 |
| Inspection workers | 8–10 (2 crews of 2) | Includes rotation for Tier 1 weekends |
| Daily miles driven (fleet-wide) | ~260 mi/day | Weighted average across all tiers |
| Annual miles driven | ~67,600 mi/year | 260 mi/day × 260 operating days |
Cost Breakdown — Annual Ground Patrol
1. Labor
| Position | Workers | Rate (Loaded) | Hours/Week | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver (PW Maintenance Worker) | 5 | $48.50/hr | 40 | $504,400 |
| Inspector / Observer | 5 | $48.50/hr | 40 | $504,400 |
| Labor Subtotal | $1,008,800 | |||
Rates based on City of Oakland Public Works Maintenance Worker classification, full-time with CalPERS pension, healthcare, and other benefits.
2. Fuel
| Item | Calculation | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fleet mileage | 260 mi/day × 260 days | 67,600 miles |
| Fuel consumption | 67,600 mi ÷ 13 mpg | 5,200 gallons |
| Fuel Cost @ $4.50/gal | $23,400 | |
3. Vehicle Maintenance
| Cost Category | Rate | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Routine maintenance (oil, tires, brakes) | $0.12/mile (AAA fleet rate) | $8,112 |
| Major repairs & unscheduled | $3,000/year per truck × 5 trucks | $15,000 |
| Maintenance Subtotal | $23,112 | |
4. Vehicle Depreciation
| Item | Calculation | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| F-250 purchase price | $55,000 per vehicle | — |
| Useful life | 7 years / 150,000 mile municipal duty cycle | — |
| Residual value | 20% ($11,000) | — |
| Annual depreciation (5 trucks) | $31,429 | |
5. Insurance & Registration
| Item | Per Vehicle | Annual Cost (5 trucks) |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial fleet insurance | $3,200/year | $16,000 |
| Registration & fees | $800/year | $4,000 |
| Insurance & Registration Subtotal | $20,000 | |
Aerbits Additional Costs
While the drones do the flying, pilots still need to reach launch sites. Here's what that looks like:
6. Pilot Vehicles (Tesla Model 3 Lease)
| Item | Calculation | Annual Cost (2 pilots) |
|---|---|---|
| Lease cost | $350/mo × 12 months × 2 vehicles | $8,400 |
| Electricity | ~50 mi/day × 250 days ÷ 4 mi/kWh × $0.30/kWh × 2 | $1,875 |
| Insurance | $1,500/year × 2 vehicles | $3,000 |
| Maintenance | $500/year × 2 vehicles | $1,000 |
| Pilot Vehicles Subtotal | $14,275 | |
Pilots drive to/from launch sites only — not patrolling. These are efficient EVs, not the heavy-duty trucks used for ground patrol. Estimated ~50 miles per pilot per operating day.
7. Company Margin
Aerbits is a business, not a city department. A 20% margin on operating costs covers growth, R&D, and the infrastructure that makes the service work.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Operating cost subtotal | $448,705 |
| 20% company margin | $89,741 |
Total Annual Cost Comparison
| Cost Category | Ground Patrol (5 Trucks) | Aerbits Drone Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | $1,008,800 | $277,630 * |
| Fuel / Energy | $23,400 | $3,675 (drone battery + pilot EVs) |
| Vehicle maintenance | $23,112 | $13,000 (drone replacement + EVs) |
| Vehicle depreciation / lease | $31,429 | $16,400 (drones + Tesla leases) |
| Insurance & registration | $20,000 | $5,500 |
| Overhead (management, admin, facilities) | $150,000 | $132,500 * |
| Company margin | — | $89,741 (20%) |
| Total Annual Cost | $1,256,741 | $538,446 |
* Based on Aerbits pricing model: 2 pilots at $110K each fully loaded, plus management overhead. Pilot vehicles are leased Tesla Model 3s — efficient EVs for site-to-site travel only, not all-day patrol.
- Covers 1,231+ road miles
- Automated AI detection
- Pilots use leased Tesla Model 3s
- GPS-tagged photo evidence
- 67,600 miles driven annually
- Manual visual inspection
- 5 F-250 trucks required
- Paper/verbal reporting
Sources & Methodology
This analysis models the cost of inspection coverage only — detecting, mapping, and prioritizing dumpsites. It does not model cleanup cost differences, though automated detection enables more efficient routing of existing cleanup crews.