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SEARCHMENUSEARCHA significant category of unnecessary fleet cost is equipment damage caused by user abuse or neglect. Abuse is by far the most expensive form of equipment failure. Fleet managers tell me there is no limit to the ways equipment can be abused. Abuse can range from damage caused from fluid levels being low, missing PM intervals, driving on underinflated tires to extreme situations of jumping curbs or scraping the sides of buildings. These represent significant costs.
Read More →Most in public sector fleet management find it to be a very rewarding career, but the job is increasingly filled with new challenges, many of them unprecedented. I asked fleet managers, on a confidential basis, whether they still find their jobs to be fun in wake of the turmoil the industry has experienced in the past 12 months (and still unfolds into the present day). Here are their responses.
Read More →The past few months have given me the opportunity to talk "fleet" with a large number of public sector fleet managers at the GFX and NAFA conferences. These conversations have allowed me to take the pulse of public sector fleet management. Based on my conversations, here what's on the minds of government fleet managers.
Read More →Poor spec'ing decisions can result in expensive workers' compensation litigation. The average workers' comp cost for a pushing/pulling injury is $10,175, while the average cost for a lifting/bending incident is $8,989. Under OSHA regs, an employer must provide a workplace (which includes work vehicles and equipment) free from recognized hazards.
Read More →All indications are that new-vehicle orders from government fleets will be down or flat for the 2010 model-year. Many fleet budgets have been decimated by dramatic decreases in tax revenues.
Read More →Do you service customers or users? If you think this is semantics, then you have the wrong mindset. Promising good customer service is not the same as delivering it. To be successful in today's environment, it is critical to create a shop culture of providing high-quality service that provides an unwavering focus on the internal customer. Raising the bar for customer service starts not with the technicians, but with the fleet manager.
Read More →Exemplary fleet managers rise above the level of simply managing day-to-day work and are goal-oriented in all aspects of fleet management. They practice strategic fleet management, which stresses the importance of achieving objectives and the use of metrics to benchmark progress. Metrics analyses will identify inefficiencies and allow you to focus on these specific areas. Whether or not your initiatives are successful in rectifying these inefficiencies will be borne out in subsequent metrics.
Read More →When people think of fleet management, they typically associate it with asset management. The reality is the majority of a fleet manager's time is often spent dealing with personnel and interdepartmental issues. How you deal with these issues influences shop morale, user department relationships, and management's opinion of your effectiveness as fleet manager. In the final analysis, successful people management equates to successful fleet management.
Read More →As a public sector fleet manager, your primary job is managing assets and services provided to user departments. However, as some fleet managers can attest, as much as 60 percent of their time is consumed by personnel issues. In many respects, this is the hardest part of being a fleet manager. Here are real-world suggestions on how to deal with these personnel issues.
Read More →The current economic situation is forcing public sector fleet managers to take a hard look at how they operate their fleets and make adjustments to cope with budgetary shortfalls. Savvy fleet managers know their local and state tax revenue forecasts for the immediate and long-term future. These fleet managers have contingency budget strategies planned before upper management directs them to cut costs or reduce capital purchases.
Read More →On Feb. 17, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The $789 billion economic stimulus legislation is comprised of $507 billion in spending programs and $282 billion in tax relief. The legislation includes significant new funding for fleets, such as $300 million for diesel emission retrofit grants; $300 million to establish a grant program through the DOE's Clean Cities Program; and $300 million for acquisition of energy-efficient vehicles by the federal fleet
Read More →How do you prove you are doing a good job? You may think you manage a well-run fleet, but do you have the metrics to substantiate this assertion? If your fleet organization can’t quantify its performance to management and politicians, they, most likely, will not appreciate the value of the services provided. Fleet managers must hold themselves accountable. In fact, fleet managers should embrace increased accountability because it will make you a better fleet manager.
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