At A Glance

Some of Culver City’s accomplishments include:

  • Improving operations through a benchmarking program
  • Re-evaluating the vehicle replacement cycles
  • Continuing to be a leader in compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet use

Culver City fleet staff celebrate the No. 1 ranking. Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

Culver City fleet staff celebrate the No. 1 ranking.

Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

Success is sweet for the City of Culver City, Calif., fleet, named the No. 1 fleet in the 100 Best Fleets program in 2013. As Fleet Services Manager Paul Condran explains it, the fleet has been striving for the No. 1 spot since 2004 and has been in the top 20 since 2005. However, it wasn’t until this year, when the City’s name was announced at the 2013 Government Fleet Expo & Conference (GFX) on June 12 in San Antonio, that Condran realized the fleet had achieved one of its biggest goals. Well-­wishers and fleet friends congratulated Condran on his way to the podium to accept the award on behalf of the Culver City fleet.

Fleet Services Manager Paul Condran said fleet staff is “the best in the world.” Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

Fleet Services Manager Paul Condran said fleet staff is “the best in the world.”

Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

“I feel elated, very humbled, and very proud to have our entity achieve the No. 1 best fleet in the country. It’s a testament to my staff. They’re the best in the world,” Condran said after the ceremony.

The award, sponsored by INVERS and Property Room, recognizes 100 fleets doing innovative things and ranks the top 20 fleets. The No. 1 designation is a goal for many.

How did the fleet achieve this goal? For Culver City, the fleet’s focus on re-­evaluating the replacement cycle, quantifying goals, and aiming for continuous improvement certainly helped it get to No. 1.

Benchmarking for Success

More than two years ago, Condran set out to quantify fleet stats in order to identify and work toward improvement. The result is one of the fleet’s most ambitious projects — a benchmarking program that brings the staff together toward the common goal of continuous improvement. Four separate teams — Safety/Police, General Services, Sanitation, and Bus Maintenance — work on their own benchmarking numbers, each trying to achieve the shop goal. As one team member can have a significant impact on the team’s overall stats, members can encourage one another. Competition among the teams can further improve numbers.

“I explained to my staff why we do this [benchmarking]. We need to be accountable and become more responsible not just to the City but to ourselves here,” Condran said. [PAGEBREAK]

The fleet benchmarks based on nine key performance indicators (KPIs): comeback percentage, warranty repair percentage, average time to perform repairs, failed parts percentage by work order, work order turnaround date, downtime rates, direct bill by employees, preventive maintenance adherence, and repairs.

Transit and refuse vehicles are pictured inside  the fleet maintenance facility. Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

Transit and refuse vehicles are pictured inside  the fleet maintenance facility.

Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

One of the things the fleet benchmarks is its labor. While the industry standard is 68%, Condran said his fleet’s goal is 73% — a number derived by subtracting benefits and paid time off from a total of 2,080 annual available hours. This 73%, or 1,520 hours, has a direct impact on the hourly rate the shop charges since the fleet is an internal service fund, Condran said. In order to stay competitive, the fleet needs to keep its labor rate as low as possible. And with small teams, a few on-the-job injuries can significantly reduce the entire team’s productivity, a point Condran makes via a table he displays that shows this exact scenario. By tracking and comparing team percentages, the fleet can see improvement or identify which teams need to pick up their productivity rate.

In 2012, the fleet worked to refine its benchmarking program. Condran added monthly meetings to review benchmark results and address areas where adjustments could be made. He posts color-­coded reports in the shop so everyone can see their status. Technicians review the benchmarks monthly.

The teams have achieved some of their goals. At the beginning of 2013, Condran reported that PM performance rates across all the teams averaged 96%, and direct labor productivity was close to 74% over a one-year period, which positively impacts the labor rate.

This program has been so successful that other agencies are asking how he sets it up — Condran has already provided an overview of the program to two neighboring public fleets. He’s also working to refine the program by working to incorporate Utilimarc’s benchmarking program into the division’s day-to-day activities.

“It’s important to quantify what you do. Just to say I do this and that, that’s great, but why do you do it? How do you do it? I think that’s what separates good fleets from those that have still a lot of challenges,” Condran said.

New Replacement Program Defers Replacement Costs

Another accomplishment for the Culver City fleet is the re-evaluation and re-design of its equipment replacement program. In doing so, fleet staff updated its policies and instructions and created a new, quantifiable, point-based vehicle/asset replacement scorecard.

The scorecard lists eight qualifiers to determine replacement: age, mileage, repair history, current condition, forecasted repair costs, depreciation, amortization, and market value. Fleet staff conducts the vehicle evaluations, then meets with the user department to review the list and further discuss whether the units will be replaced.

“This takes the discretion out of the process,” Condran said. “And we’re saving the City more money.”

According to Condran, in fiscal-year 2012, the fleet determined there were 58 units eligible for replacement. After talking to user departments, the City decided to replace just six units, pushing back the other vehicles on the list for consideration in fiscal-year 2013. This resulted in a cost avoidance of $1.35 million, according to Condran. [PAGEBREAK]

A Leader in Fleet & Technology

Culver City adopted compressed natural gas (CNG) for its transit fleet and refuse fleet years ago. Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

Culver City adopted compressed natural gas (CNG) for its transit fleet and refuse fleet years ago.

Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

The Culver City fleet has various other accomplishments that show it truly is a leader in the industry. Being an early adopter of compressed natural gas (CNG) for its City fleet, the fleet is leading the way in this area. In fact, fleet staff from the City of Columbus, Ohio, came by for a one-week training session when the City was considering transitioning to CNG. Culver City fleet staff also helped a nearby transit agency on bid specs and technical evaluations for the procurement of 300 buses. Condran prepared a technical white paper for the Federal Transit Administration to change the federal 20% spare ratio rule, which he concluded was outdated.

In addition to being an early adopter of CNG for its transit, refuse, and other City vehicles, the whole fleet is also an early adopter of technology for the shop floor. Condran is proud to have completed Wi-Fi installation at the fleet facility and budgeted to purchase six Windows-based tablets for technicians. The lightweight tablets will be able to handle Windows 8, word processing, and most importantly, it will be able to access the internet and AssetWorks, the fleet’s maintenance software. This will also allow technicians to access the All-Data auto repair software and Cummins Insite. By accessing the City’s virtual private network (VPN), technicians can more easily get into the fleet management system.

Culver City operates its own CNG fueling facility. Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

Culver City operates its own CNG fueling facility.

Photo courtesy of City of Culver City.

“The guys can be anywhere in the building, anywhere in the yard, even at the fueling sites, and they can take the tablet, log into AssetWorks… they can charge labor, they can order parts, and they can look at vehicle diagnostics,” he said. “They take a picture with the camera, and they can send it to the printer or to the manufacturer instantly.”

Not surprisingly, he added, “I want to measure how this correlates to productivity times.”

Working as a Team

The 100 Best Fleets awards are team awards, recognizing the efforts of an entire staff. For Condran, the team is a top priority. He makes sure good news is communicated and staff members get the recognition they deserve. When he received the e-mail confirmation of the 100 Best Fleets application, which includes a copy of the completed form, he sent it out to every single person in the division to show them the accomplishments they had achieved. The day he learned the fleet had achieved No. 1 ranking, Condran said he and the staff would go to City Council. “We’re going to make three big banners and hold them, and I will recognize my staff and let the City Council and public know how we achieved this. The significance of this award is unbelievably huge for the City.”

Aside from the 100 Best accomplishments, management encourages employees to share ideas. Condran also encourages staff cohesion by having barbecues, recognizing employees through an Employee of the Quarter program, and recognizing top performers at Civil Service and City Council meetings. He also keeps a gift box for staff that includes giveaways from conferences and other events as well as coffee mugs, T-shirts, and hats that he buys.

Condran also started a “Toss with the Boss” program three years ago, where employees come to the lunchroom for an open forum and can ask him just about anything. “A lot of the guys are concerned about the budgets, about how our internal environment is changing,” Condran said. “It’s been so cool because they’ve never had the opportunity to just query me.”

The monthly meetings are popular because it’s a time when they can get together on the same level and be perfectly honest. Condran’s tie is off. He asks attendees to leave their baggage at the door. “We’re all one team,” he explained.

Fleet Stats
Total vehicles: 548
Fleet Staff: 44
Maintenance Facilities: 1
Operating budget: $7.5 million
Capital budget: $8.5 million


Source:

  • Paul Condran, fleet services manager, City of Culver City, Calif.
About the author
Thi Dao

Thi Dao

Former Executive Editor

Thi is the former executive editor of Government Fleet magazine.

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