As former No. 1 fleet operations, the Elite Fleets have a lot to live up to. Years after their win, they continue to make improvements to their operations and share their expertise with the fleet industry.
This year’s Elite Fleets are working on various projects, including leading industry associations, executing electrification plans, working on technician internship and apprenticeship programs, and implementing new software solutions.
City of Columbus, Ohio
No. 1 in 2016
Led by Kelly Reagan, fleet administrator
Fleet size: 6,400 Fleet staff: 144 ASE Blue Seal: 13th consecutive year CNG pumped from city fueling site: 1.3M GGE Hybrid & electric vehicles: 413 Carbon reduction: 26% in last four years Recent initiatives: The fleet team will implement a new Mayor’s Climate Action Plan beginning in 2022 that focuses on further reducing the city’s carbon footprint by having all light-duty vehicles as zero-emission vehicles by 2030. Leading the industry: Fleet leadership continues to grow the Ohio chapter of the Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association (MEMA); the group has begun to open training for 2022 and 2023 for state members, pending COVID-19 restrictions.
The fleet operation is introducing its first all-electric refuse truck in 2022, with support from a Department of Energy grant.
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San Bernardino County, California
No. 1 in 2017
Led by Ron Lindsey, CAFS, fleet management director
Fleet size: 4,000 Fleet staff: 100 Maintenance facilities: 6 Fuel sites: 60 Insourcing revenue: $1M annually Motor pool vehicles: 150 Recent initiatives: The team is working on infrastructure for fleet electrification, including identifying locations and evaluating potential solutions such as solar chargers. It is also evaluating options for replacing aging facilities. Leading the industry: Fleet management works with local schools to develop and implement apprenticeship programs for students looking to join the fleet industry as a career choice.
Within its own county, fleet management provides everything from maintenance and repair to vehicle registrations, upfitting, rental vehicles, and vehicle sanitizing for the 40+ county departments and more than a dozen outside agencies it supports. The fleet team shares the vision of providing exceptional customer service and servant leadership.
City of Tulsa, Oklahoma
No. 1 in 2018
Led by Brian Franklin, CAFM, CPFP, administrative manager,
and Mike Wallace, CAFM, CPFP, maintenance manager
Fleet size: 2,700 vehicles Fleet staff: 83 employees Maintenance facilities: 4 Vehicle miles driven: 20M per year Fuel use: 2.2M gallons per year Recent initiatives: To emphasize worker safety, safety captains award red safety chips on the spot when they observe exceptional safety actions. The employee-designed ceramic chip is magnetized for display on toolboxes. Recipient safety actions are lauded and publicized throughout the organization.
As a result of a ransomware attack that crippled the city’s on-site server, the fleet team is moving to a vendor-hosted fleet software solution. If a city server goes down again, the FMIS will remain operable.
Leading the industry: The fleet operation is a founding member of the Oklahoma Public Fleet Management Association (OPFMA)and helps facilitate an annual conference for government fleet professionals and vendors.
Its Learning with a Wrench program allows high school students to intern at the fleet facility five days per week to learn automotive skills and gain the experience of working in a vehicle maintenance facility. Three graduates have been hired as full-time employees in the past seven years.
City and County of Denver, Colorado
No. 1 in 2019
Led by Brad Salazar, director of fleet management
Fleet size: 2,400 units Fleet staff: 75 Telematics implementation: Installed in 600 vehicles in 2021 Recent initiatives: The fleet team worked with the community college to host an employer spotlight event with 84 students from a local tech college. The event increased awareness of fleet and will help bring skilled employees into the organization. The operation has promoted three interns to full-time technicians and is working on promoting two more.
The fleet team implemented a new fleet software system that went live in 2021; it will provide more transparency for departments, allowing them to use a customer portal to view work orders, dashboards, and reports. Leading the industry: The City and County of Denver has created a Denver Electric Vehicle (EV) Action Plan that will bolster charging infrastructure availability, drive community awareness, facilitate EV adoption, and support EV services and innovation while keeping equity in the forefront.
City of Fort Collins, Colorado
No. 1 in 2020
Led by Tracy Ochsner, assistant director of operation services
Fleet size: 2,021 Fleet staff: 41 Fuel use: 52% CNG, 20% Biodiesel EV miles traveled: 600,000 since 2016, saving 30,000 gallons of fuel Recent initiatives: The fleet operation ordered three electric transit buses and installed electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the garage; it also put into service a fully electric street sweeper. Leading the industry: The fleet operation is an ASE Blue Seal shop and promotes employee training by strongly encouraging at least 40 hours of training per year for technicians.
The environmental management team meets every two weeks to develop and review standard operating procedures and corrective action reports.
Over 70% of the fleet’s total fuel used is an alternative fuel, and the fleet includes 45 electric vehicles, with 28 charging sites.
Fleet leadership has moved beyond the shop floor into a role shaped by higher expectations and constant change, and women have helped drive that evolution. But how has that shift happened, and what does effective leadership look like in operations today?
Submissions for most awards close Monday, March 9; review award categories, confirm eligibility and requirements, and wrap up your entry before the deadline.
Managing a state or local fleet comes with levels of accountability private companies don’t have. Read how modern fleet technology helps elevate visibility and safety to strengthen community trust.
Still managing your motor pool with spreadsheets and manual approvals? Loyola University replaced outdated processes with automated fleet management, eliminating overtime and saving up to $50,000 annually. See how they did it.
Revisit a handful of February pieces that still feel relevant, from what top fleet leaders kept consistent over time, to what electrification progress looks like when it’s built on coordination and buy-in, to why associations continue to be a real advantage for public sector fleets.
Fleet managers are done with the debate—and focused on execution. Learn how to build a practical electrification strategy that aligns infrastructure, operations, and financing while keeping costs controlled and deployment scalable with support from Blink Charging. Discover how smart planning today positions fleets for long-term performance and ROI.
Ohio is moving forward with a first-of-its-kind statewide Drone First Responder pilot, giving nine public safety agencies new tools to improve emergency response times and situational awareness.
By combining media authority with marketplace enablement, BBM aims to create a more connected environment where fleets can confidently evaluate solutions and technology companies can accelerate responsible growth.
