A recent survey of public fleet professionals conducted by Government Fleet magazine showed that about 80% of fleet professionals expect a decrease in their budget in the next fiscal year, with 78% of respondents expecting a decreased operational budget and 81% expecting a decreased capital budget.

Government Fleet conducted a survey of its readership on April 16, with results tabulated on April 28. The survey received 97 responses from public sector fleet professionals.

Respondents said their most common steps taken to protect employee health are: encouraging social distancing (96%); providing cleaning solutions (89%); providing tools to reduce the chance of COVID-19 exposure, such as gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer (89%); and cleaning the facility more frequently (80%).

As for changes in business practices, respondents said they were conducting more meetings over the Internet or phone (74%), limiting or eliminating business travel (64%), delaying vehicle purchases (32%), cutting back training (29%), cutting back hiring (26%), and cutting back shifts (23%).

However, most report that the majority of their employees are still at work and are not out on leave or taking sick leave due to COVID-19 and related complications. About 45% of respondents said no employees were out, while 32% said between 1% to 10% of their workforce was out due to the virus. Of those with employees out on leave, 61% of respondents said all employees are getting paid (whether with vacation, sick, or administrative leave pay).

As for parts, most respondents (71%) said they had taken steps to ensure they have the parts they need during the pandemic. This mostly consists of stocking up on commonly used parts. When asked if they anticipate being unable to obtain needed parts in the next month, 51% said no.

To view full survey results, visit Government Fleet's new Data Center.