The Government Fleet Management Alliance (GFMA) and the Coalition for Green Fleet Management recognized eight fleets at the Government Fleet Expo and Conference (GFX) for their completion of the Certified Fleet Management Operation (CFMO) program and the new Fleet Masters operation award.

The first fleets earning the Fleet Masters operation certification include the City of Portland, Ore., and the City of Mesa, Ariz. Both fleets were competing to be the first to earn this certification, and Wright said Portland came in first. To earn the Fleet Masters operation certification, fleets must have a CFMO and a CLEANFleet certification, which certifies fleet operations as energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

Fleets recognized for earning their CFMO certification were: Charleston County, S.C.; City of Boise, Idaho; City of Buckeye, Ariz.; City of Dublin, Ohio; and City of Tulsa, Okla. The City of Rochester, N.Y., renewed its certification.

Jim Wright, president and CEO of Fleet Counselor Services and associate director of the GFMA, presented the awards. The CFMO certification benchmarks fleet practices against private-sector companies with which the public-sector group competes most directly. The certification testing process addresses 20 categories and eight foundation categories to ensure fleet management success and aims to make a fleet operation cost-effective, efficient, competitive, and well-managed.