Are You One of the 100 Best?

February 19, 2009

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You need to apply to be one of the best. View the criteria below to see how you measure up and then apply today!

100 BEST FLEET CRITERIA

The 100 Best Fleets were selected using a comprehensive set of criteria, including implementing best business practices.

Out of a possible 38,000 public fleets in North America, 1,350 applications were sent to fleets identified as excellent by their peers, site visits, other national awards, recognitions, vendor recommendations, and continuous improvements.

Each application was scored on a point basis by the judges, which included Laird Consulting of Houston, Texas, as well as fleet managers from former 100 Best fleets.

The following 12 criteria were used to rank the 2007 100 Best Public Sector Fleets.

ACCOUNTABILITY

The fleet operation must have a published list of measures used to document performance and progress toward objectives. It must also have a review mechanism in place to measure both individual and team productivity for each area of the fleet operation.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY & INFORMATION

The fleet must have a technology deployment plan, reviewed and updated annually. The technology may include, but is not limited to, fleet information, diagnostic tools, training aids, effective use of Internet resources, and communication effectiveness — both internal (within the fleet) and external (vendors, customers, governing agencies).

EVIDENCE OF A HIGH TRUST CULTURE

In such a culture, all employees feel confident to contribute and even disagree. The operation must demonstrate the existence of such a culture by having mechanisms in place that encourage and reward open sharing of information and ideas.

PERFORMANCE RECOGNITION

Fleet operation programs must acknowledge and reward excellent performance and/or the attainment of preset goals, whether certification or meeting some level of desired performance improvement. These programs must be in place for periodic recognition of both individuals and teams, where applicable.

COLLABORATION

Generally known as a bottom-up, rather than top-down organizational model, the fleet operation must demonstrate how idea sharing is encouraged among all fleet personnel. The operation must also document changes made and performance improvements achieved through collaboration among individuals, as well as different areas of the fleet service delivery processes.

CREATIVITY

The fleet operation must describe and document how creativity has been encouraged and how new ideas and new technologies have been developed and deployed to address challenges within the operation.

CELEBRATION

A peak-performing operation always finds ways to have fun and to celebrate successes. The fleet must provide a listing of how often and in what ways it celebrates the operational successes.

DOING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

A metric is regularly reviewed to determine how often any piece of equipment is returned to the shop for rework or additional repair (i.e., missed in initial repair visit). An aggressive program to minimize trips to the repair facility must be implemented.

QUICK/EFFICIENT TURNAROUND

Repair turnaround must be measured accurately, i.e., from initial drop off until notice of repair completion. In addition, since repair scheduling significantly impacts turnaround, the fleet operation scheduling process must be described and documented.

COMPETITIVE PRICING

The fleet operation must document and compare its cost of regular repairs with other local commercial and public agency fleets and have instituted a program to communicate this competitive pricing to customers.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

A program to ensure all staff members have individualized plans for continued growth and development must be implemented. This plan could include strategies such as regular goal-setting, career pathing, self evaluation, training hours required/taken, peer and supervisor evaluations, as well as other viable, documented practices for the ongoing development of skills and talents.

RESOURCES STEWARDSHIP

A plan must be in place for maximizing the utilization of all human, capital, and natural resources. Practices that demonstrate a concern for the environment and the organization’s resources must be documented.