Government Fleet, July/August 2020

Ive often heard resilience is the marker of success The ability to recover from difficulties to get up after being knocked down allows people to move forward and overcome their biggest professional and personal obstacles Thats why reading the Leading Fleets biggest challenges and how they overcame them is always something I look forward to see page 20 Not only does it provide a very educational snapshot of what fleet professionals have been dealing with for the past year but it also shows the resilience of fleet operations and the creativity and hard work of fleet teams to make necessary changes Like last year this years applications often listed technician recruiting as a major challenge What do you do if technicians just dont think the pay at public sector fleets is high enough Apprenticeship programs expanding recruiting to new avenues and raising technician pay are a few ways to address this These methods arent easy but most are successful in some way Another challenge fleet organizations face is implementing alternative fuel or zero emission vehicles ZEVs Public agencies often tout their new initiatives about a cleaner fleet we have this goal and well have this many ZEVs within 10 years Its important to remember that a lot of work goes into accomplishing these goals Sometimes there isnt enough money and fleet operations have to rely on grants Maybe the building where you want to install charging stations is too old to handle them Perhaps you have to work with multiple departments during implementation and they arent very knowledgeable or supportive of the goal Yet fleet operations persist finding ways to resolve their problems which is probably why they were named the Leading Fleets PREPARING FOR POST PANDEMIC CHANGES Resilience is definitely needed right now Many fleet managers are preparing for a recession Between 69 and 81 of government fleet professionals expect a reduction in budgets operating and procurement due to the COVID 19 pandemic according to two surveys Government Fleet sent out this spring Ive heard agencies are laying people off Perhaps these arent fleet employees or not yet but even if fleet employees are spared as essential workers theres no doubt this will affect their operations Public agencies have faced hiring freezes some of them self imposed After all why hire if youll only have to lay off staff members later Fewer procurement funds may mean an aging fleet which means more maintenance needs Yet fleet operations have fewer dollars for training and an inability to hire new employees this is quite a problem the industry will have to overcome But unlike other industries faring much worse public fleet management and maintenance is essential Its essential in keeping police cars refuse trucks utility vehicles fire trucks ambulances public works and other vehicles on the road Its essential in helping society run Im certain while the next few years are likely to be painful ones the industry will get through it like it always does And well continue the cycle again at some point We have to rely on preparation creativity resilience and the knowledge this wont last forever Let me know what you think By Thi Dao EXECUTIVE EDITOR thi dao@ bobit com Resilience in the Fleet Industry The Leading Fleets biggest challenges reveal what fleet professionals have been through in the past year and show the resilience of fleet operations A S I S E E I T 40 GOVERNMENT FLEET COM JULY AUGUST 2020