Public and private-sector organizations of many types and sizes operate fleets of vehicles and motorized equipment to fulfill their missions. Whether to meet the mobility needs of employees or customers; facilitate the delivery of goods and materials; underpin law enforcement or national defense missions; or support manufacturing, construction, utility, public works, or other services, fleet management is a vital but often underappreciated and oversimplified area of endeavor for many enterprises. Nonetheless, much of what passes for management training in the fleet industry consists of thinly disguised sales pitches for goods or services offered by industry suppliers.

In recognition of the need for independent, unbiased information and technical guidance on global trends and best practices in fleet management, Fleet Software & Services Pty Ltd has arranged for Washington, DC-based Mercury Associates, Inc. to join with it this October in conducting two-day seminars on fleet management best practices in Melbourne and Sydney. Mercury Associates, Inc. (www.mercury-assoc.com) is the world’s largest independent fleet management consulting and training firm. Members of its professional staff have conducted numerous training programs for fleet management professionals in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia over the last 20 years.

This presentation is in support of these best practices master seminars in Australia covering a broad array of fleet management practices, strategies, and techniques of interest to both newcomers to, and seasoned veterans of, the fleet industry.

Converting information into savings requires that an organization capture the total cost of ownership (TCO) for its fleet operation using fully burden rates for internal labor, parts management, commercial services, and fuel services. These rates are then loaded into a fleet information system that calculates the cost of products and services on a per unit basis, which can then be analyzed for opportunities to control costs without impacting service levels. This presentation illustrates the steps required to begin implementing information measures and benchmarks that can be utilized to covert information into dollars.

The timely replacement of vehicles is a challenge that most organizations face. By implementing fleet replacement best practices, such as projecting vehicle and equipment replacement requires over multiple years, one can plan funding requirements several years ahead of time and increase the likelihood of receiving sufficient funds. This presentation illustrates several best practices that can assist managers with fleet replacement activities.

Acquiring and Using a Fleet Management Information System to Manage Your Fleet

Selecting and acquiring a fleet management information system is a process that requires a lengthy process of evaluation, due diligence of the software company and its products, development of a functional matrix and RFP, and hosting scripted demonstrations. It is also a process that can confuse and overwhelm most fleet managers. However, when these steps are followed properly an organization can procure a state-of-the-art fleet system that best fits their operation; but selecting and purchasing a system is only beginning. Once a fleet information system is installed, a new set of challenges related to its use become the focus. This presentation discusses these issues and the benefits of selecting and using a modern fleet solution.

Fleet Vehicles and Equipment - Rent Lease Buy Decision Making

fleet replacement

The decision to rent, lease, or purchase vehicles and equipment with cash is a complex matter that can often overwhelm many a managers; but understanding the details of these purchasing mechanisms can mean the difference between a young and old fleet. This presentation takes an in-depth look at the key differences between procuring assets with rental agreements, lease contracts, and cash.

3/2007

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Replacing specialty vehicles and equipment, like fire apparatus, in a timely manner can be a fiscal challenge for any fleet manager. Many operations refurbish such assets, because they perceive this to be more cost effective. This article explores the argument about refurbishing versus replacing expensive fire equipment.

Fleet managers have struggled for years to get the information they need and to determine how to use the information effectively. Odometer readings, for example, are important for preventive maintenance management and vehicle utilization monitoring. But getting accurate and timely updates can be frustrating, because drivers often input incorrect numbers when they refuel. Vehicle tracking technologies, such as GPS and perimeter tag logging, have the ability to capture the information (e.g. current odometer reading) needed by fleet managers to quantitatively make decisions, but the cost is typically prohibitive. However, as fleet manager can leverage the political support of his / her customer base in order to make the investment possible. This article discusses how a fleet manager can justify the cost of tracking technology by creating the right partnerships.

Low bid is the mantra of most public procurement managers — and rightly so. However, “low bid” may not mean what you think it means. The question is: are you skilled enough to structure a bid specification and analyze the responses so that they consider lifecycle costs rather than just net acquisition cost? When consider hybrids and other specialized type of equipment the use of lifecycle cost analysis (LCA) is imperative when deciding to if it is worth the investment. This article explains the use of LCA for selecting vehicles during the procurement process.

There are several topics that fleet management professional are being confronted with in 2006, such as vehicle replacement planning, cost reduction and control, managing take-home vehicles and assignment, and purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles. This presentation discusses these major trends and techniques for managing them effectively.

Implementing fuel management techniques, policies and procedures in an effort to mitigate the financial impact of rising fuel costs is critical. This article discusses some of the proven methods for achieving lower costs through greater fuel efficiency.

The implementation of any enterprise management information system is a complex task that requires planning, experience and sufficient resources in order to successfully avoid project issues. This presentation address some of the key points on avoiding pitfalls that can hamper an effective implementation.

Which emerging fleet and vehicle technologies should fleet managers be tracking on their radar screen? As GPS and AVL technologies begin to mature (and come down in cost) and new vehicle solutions begin to emerge, which ones add enough value to implement.

There is little point on implementing and operating a state-of-the-art fleet information system atop a finely tuned servers and network hardware if the information it generates and the decisions based on that information are flawed. This article discusses the proven techniques for gathering reliable data to mine for management information.

Funding for vehicle replacement purchases is a frequent target of budget cutters when a company is under pressure to reduce costs or increase profits. These short term decisions can have a significant long term financial impact.

cost control; technology

The marketplace abounds with GPS-based remote vehicle tracking and monitoring systems. Do the benefits to your fleet operation of such a system justify the cost?

Getting the most decision making power out of an information system is predicated on establishing a coding system that works. This article provides an in-depth discovery of why data codification provides referential integrity and is an essential part of creating reliable management reports.

One of the easiest ways to cope with soaring fuel costs is to simply drive less. This can be done without negatively affecting customer contacts or service levels, although options do vary depending on the type of business you're in and the ways in which you use vehicles to support your business. The key is to plan vehicle use to the fullest extent possible so as to avoid making multiple trips when a single one will do, and to avoid traveling during periods of peak traffic congestion when off-peak trips will suffice.

Beyond the supervising operational details, successful fleet managers play a variety of roles to energize, motivate, guide, and work within their organization. This article presents ten methods for vehicle and equipment managers to become influential leaders within their own environment.

Supporting a successful snow and ice removal operation requires well managed and maintained specialized equipment. By implementing standardization, aggressive maintenance and asset cleaning policies an operation can achieve optimal vehicle availability during seasonal demand and lower operating costs.

Measures to protect the data in your fleet information system against viruses and other malicious attacks, equipment failure, and natural and un-natural disasters are some of the most important activities for ensuring data integrity. This article discusses several methods that can be implemented in a multi-layered strategy to mitigate your risk for down time or even worse, permanent data loss.

Understanding the resources required by a fleet management information system, such as database platform, hard disk storage, and network architecture are critical details that are core elements for having a reliable and responsive platform. This article discusses the technical differences between the platform options and architecture available in modern fleet systems.

Are you considering new or remodeled facilities? Decisions regarding facilities are crucial, some of the most important ones you will be making. They can maximize productivity, service delivery, cost effectiveness, and when applicable, profit margins. Professional Facilities Programmers know these major facilities decisions are directly related to your ability to deliver products and/or services.