Rightsizing Could Help Oregon DOT Reduce Fleet

The State of Oregon plans to conduct an efficiency study to determine where fleet reductions can be made following a management assessment of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).

The audit, conducted by a private firm and released in late January, was submitted to the Department of Administrative Services, on behalf of the state, to assess ODOT's overall operations, including organizational structure, decision-making, communications methods, and external relations.

The report included an efficiency and optimization assessment of fleet and facilities based on recent department data, interviews with team leaders, and comparison to other public and private agencies. It noted the fleet's reliance on informal systems and workarounds, which kept the fleet from reaching maximum efficiency, reports The Oregonian.

Recommendations included clarifying the role of the Office of Procurement and user departments in the procurement office and standardizing fleet maintenance practices. The report also noted that 459 light-duty vehicles have below-average utilization, and 174 report utilization of less than half of the average. If rightsizing is implemented, the report identified 355 light- and medium-duty vehicles that could potentially be cut. It also suggested pooling underutilized vehicles.

Based on this report, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services has released its own set of recommendations for ODOT, reports the Portland Tribune. This includes contracting an outside efficiency consultant to review the fleet and facilities program to get specific recommendations on the best way to reduce vehicles by July 2018.