Fleet Managers work on policy and guidance in an effort to optimize motor vehicle operational support the organization's mission while providing accountability and financial responsibility.

Asset Management

Fleet Managers have life cycle management (cradle to grave) responsibilities for the motor vehicle assets of their organizations. Utilizing a common asset management technique, motor vehicle assets are typically segregated into classes of vehicles. Asset class management facilitates the use of performance measures and key ratios to manage those assets.

The primary classes of motor vehicle assets are sedans, station wagons, ambulances, buses and 4x2 trucks, 4x4 trucks, medium trucks and heavy trucks. Additionally, some fleets are responsible for the management of truck tractor/trailers, earth moving equipment, construction/maintenance equipment, fire fighting equipment, weight handling and railway equipment. This equipment is normally referred to as special purpose equipment or transportation equipment.

With a thorough understanding of mission requirements and vehicle justifications, fleet Managers may apply life cycle costing techniques to evaluate purchase, lease and rental options to these vehicle classes, individual vehicles and methods of procuring the use of these assets to determine best value for the organization.

Fleet Services Delivery

Fleet Managers work with their customers to define their transportation needs, set expected service levels and performance measures and finalize agreements. Services may include vehicle assignment through purchase, lease or rental as well as motor pool, fueling and maintenance/repair services. Customer service surveys are used to verify that fleet operations meet expectations, identify new customer requirements and opportunities to streamline processes and overall fleet operations.

Fleet Managers must identify all costs and develop equitable chargeback rates for and reporting techniques on the assets they provide. They must also utilize information technology to collect and monitor the operational data. Fleet Managers use this data in the application of performance measures and key ratios to size up the efficiency of their fleets.

Source: Adapted from the Federal Fleet Management Desk Reference

Certisafety Section Home Page