Hillsborough County Named No. 1 Public Sector Fleet

The Hillsborough County, Fla., fleet was named the No.1 public sector fleet for 2008, announced at a national fleet managers conference in Virginia Beach, Va., in October.

The Hillsborough Fleet Management Department is responsible for the acquisition, fueling, maintenance, repair, and disposal of 4,200-plus vehicles and pieces of equipment in the County administrator’s fleet. Fleet management has operated as an internal service fund since FY1996.

In FY1998, the County established a vehicle replacement program administered by the fleet management department. Currently, the fleet department has 70 budgeted positions to meet the needs and objectives of its growing county. Fleet serves all 36 departments under the county administrator in addition to other agencies.

According to Sharon Subadan, CAFM, CPFP, fleet management director, as a public entity, Hillsborough County fleet management strives to provide the highest quality service to customers and develop a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. "We Add Value" is the fleet team’s unofficial motto.

"We call our department TEAM FLEET," Subadan said. "My senior management team includes Debbie Benavidez, fiscal systems and QA manager; Ernie Hutman, operations & maintenance manager; and Matt Shrader, contracts & training manager. We wear a lot of hats."

Hillsborough’s fleet program is based on a well-rounded foundation with a strong infrastructure. TEAM FLEET believes in developing people, emphasizing technology, and effectively utilizing contracts to add value to Hillsborough County.

"We have a passion for what we do and understand our role in the organization and how we affect our customer departments," Subadan said. "We operate very much like a private entity, which helps us to rise to the top."

TEAM FLEET creates effective business partnerships and contract management with such vendors as NAPA; Asset Works (formerly Maximus M5); E-One, the County’s sole source fire apparatus vendor; and several other local vehicle services providers.

"We do not do work that is not our core competency and are fortunate in the Tampa area to have good vendors," Subadan said. "We employ competitive contracts and hold our contractors accountable for the work they are contracted to do for the County."

 [PAGEBREAK]

Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

TEAM FLEET continuously monitors and evaluates its performance through customer survey results. One objective is to attain a customer satisfaction rating of 90 percent on the delivery of services in a courteous and responsive manner, measured through point-of-service customer survey feedback.

For the past two fiscal years, fleet has attained this goal with an overall satisfaction rating of 97 percent.

Other fleet best practices include:

• Staffing efficiently. Effective use of contracts has kept staffing levels low, reducing overhead expenses.
• Obtaining optimum resale values. County vehicles recover approximately 22 percent of the original value at auction, a high mark in the industry.
• Conserving fuel. Take-home vehicles have been reduced by 90 percent and carpooling is strongly encouraged. Other fuel conservation efforts include minimizing unnecessary idling, avoiding unnecessary trips, maintaining tire pressure, and completing preventive maintenance on time.
• Utilizing technology. Fleet reduced paper files by 90 percent.

"We’re almost a paperless shop now," Subadan said. "Work orders are in M5 and techs wand in with bar coding all work orders. Everything is electronic." The Internet-based system is accessible from anywhere.

• Right-sizing. The County recently embarked on a right-sizing study to reduce the size of the fleet and achieve overall savings of $3.9 million. Study results are currently being implemented.

"We’re cutting back and moving to four-cylinder engines from six, and to six-cylinders from eight," Subadan said. "We’re ensuring vehicle needs, not wants, are met." The County is also incorporating other types of units, such as ATVs, into its fleets.

• Retaining qualified technicians. To improve both recruitment and retention, a three-tier mechanic series has been developed with a trainee classification at the entry level and two higher-level positions.

Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications are a criterion for promotion. "This helps in recruitment and retention efforts and acknowledges ASE-certified employees’ outstanding skills and accomplishments," Subadan noted.

In total, 25 fleet employees hold 170 individual ASE and Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) certifications. Two locations are ASE Blue Seal-certified.

[PAGEBREAK]

Fleet Increases Accountability

In the last 18 months, the Hillsborough County Fleet Management Department has started a process of reorganization, focusing much attention on increasing accountability. New policies and procedures have been developed, existing ones rewritten, and organizational process improvement meetings have been held.

Subadan, who led the reorganization, said all employees were informed of impending changes each step of the way.

"I meet with all employees at least on a monthly basis to inform, educate, and respond to questions," she said.

The meetings have continued. Employee suggestions are recorded, responded to, and implemented wherever possible. When they cannot be implemented, an explanation is provided.

"This has increased the level of trust and confidence employees have in management, resulting in a huge increase in employee morale," Subadan said. "Because of open, honest, and regular communication, even at a time when the County is experiencing great financial hardship, fleet employees have a continual ‘can do’ attitude, and morale remains high."

During the past year, a fleet business plan was developed and employees were asked for input. To encourage participation, typos were deliberately hidden in the distributed draft document and employees were challenged to find the errors as a contest. All typos were found, but more importantly, employees read the plan and provided feedback and input.

The following programs and processes are a few of Hillsborough’s recent initiatives:

• Develop a countywide fuel emergency plan.
• Improve data integrity (exception reporting).
• Improve fuel delivery and PM scheduling processes.
• Establish a quality assurance program.
• Improve and/or establish policies and procedures for maintenance repair.
• Improve acquisition and refine replacement evaluation process.
• Improve customer service.
• Minimize downtime.
• Right-size fleet based on a utilization study.
• Establish a fleet equipment rental pool.

 [PAGEBREAK]

County Reduces Oil Waste

An onboard PuraDYN oil purification system was recently installed on the County’s solid waste Mack tractors, ambulances, and fire rescue vehicles. The technology continuously refines engine oil, reducing the need for oil changes.

Oil sampling and testing is conducted at oil change intervals to ensure the oil is acceptable for further use with the change of a Puradyn filter, a simple process requiring no tools. The process can save $1.5 million over the lifecycle of the group of vehicles identified.

Acknowledgements Boost Morale

To show appreciation of County personnel, Subadan implemented a TEAM FLEET program to recognize outstanding efforts. A logo was developed by staff member Ron Johnson for use on certificates, letters, banners, caps, and T-shirts.

"Whenever anyone performs an exceptional act that uplifts the team or our customers, he or she is recognized with a TEAM FLEET award," Subadan said.

Presented at regular staff meetings, the recognition has grown into a competitive effort. A polo shirt, letter, and certificate are presented by Subadan before the recipient’s peers. This process has proven to be a staff motivator.

Mechanics have also been given coupons with a value that can be used for a specialized tool for their section. With enough coupons, a section can acquire the tool of choice, ultimately improving capabilities and enhancing operations.

Moving Into the Future

While Hillsborough has come a long way since reinventing its fleet during the past two years, TEAM FLEET doesn’t plan to relax anytime soon.

"We feel very honored to be recognized by 100 Best Fleets and Government Fleet magazine as No. 1. This is a huge accomplishment for us. Last year, we were No. 91," Subadan said. "I can hardly believe how far we’ve come, but also recognize we still have much growing to do. Personally, I love it here in Hillsborough County, I have fun at work, and feel privileged to lead this fine organization. We believe no day is complete without laughter."

In the future, TEAM FLEET will fully develop its fire maintenance program, which it took over managing earlier this year. With 200-plus units, this major initiative has required time and collaboration from all fleet and fire rescue staff, E-One, and many others.

The team also plans to further improve processes, benchmark to industry best practices, and put formal service-level agreements in place with its largest customers.

"We continue to ask, ‘How can we be more effective, save money, and add value for the County?’ " Subadan said.