This section examines median fleet sizes and changes in fleet size, and explores why these changes were made. Broken down by population size, the data show a direct relationship between population size served and number of fleet units.

More respondents said their fleet size increased than those who said it decreased (33% increase, 22% decrease). The main reasons listed for increased fleet size were expanded responsibilities and increased populations. Some agencies are expanding their services to more municipalities or areas, creating new programs within the agency, or hiring additional staff (such as police officers) who need vehicles. A few respondents said their agencies brought public services back in-house after contracting them out, resulting in increased fleet sizes.

Some of the reasons cited for reduced fleet size were reduced budgets and the removal of under-utilized vehicles. Some fleet reduction efforts were internal and conducted by fleet management, resulting in right-sizing, while others were directed by public policy. 

In July, Government Fleet solicited responses to an annual survey from its readership, receiving 218 qualified responses. The data from this section and most other sections in this issue, unless stated otherwise, come from this opt-in survey. These statistics comprise one of the largest pools of industry data collected.

View the data here.