Ready for snow and slippery conditions!

FES winter service is ready for the 2025/26 season

In the coming days, snow and icy conditions are not yet expected, but the winter service of FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH officially started the winter season on November 1, 2025.

This means: 330 employees, 41 large spreader vehicles, 54 garbage collection trucks, and 58 small devices (including 5 brine spreaders for bike paths) ensure that Frankfurt streets remain safely passable in case of snow and ice. If winter delays, colleagues continue working in street cleaning.

In appropriate weather conditions, winter service operates on A- and B-routes (heavily frequented streets) in two shifts. During spreading operations, winter service vehicles leave depots at 4 a.m., for precautionary safety checks, for example on bridges where surfaces freeze easily, at 5 a.m. Until 10 p.m., wet salt or brine is spread on streets, bridges, and bike paths as needed. Nighttime includes inspection trips and emergency service. Within the city, temperatures can vary by up to four degrees. Six road weather stations provide data from different areas so that winter service can assess the situation and plan operations by district.

New superstructures for existing vehicles

Currently, seven existing winter service vehicles are being equipped with new superstructures. These allow either wet salt or brine to be loaded depending on the operation. Previously, there were vehicles with superstructures for brine and vehicles with superstructures for wet salt. The previously used superstructures are being mounted on vehicles of FES subsidiary FAS, so they can continue to be used effectively in winter service operations.

Training for snow and ice conditions

Although the weather has so far seemed little like winter, FES winter service drivers are ready. On October 1, they trained at the ADAC training site in Gründau to see how heavy winter service vehicles react to different loads and speeds on slippery surfaces. The effects on braking distance, avoiding obstacles, braking on curves on ice, and much more were practiced. Training with winter service vehicles takes place every autumn and is always well received by drivers.

The winter service season begins on November 1, 2025, and ends on March 31, 2026.