Government Fleet, July/August 2020

way there is always room for improvement And dont be afraid to make changes Sometimes it is hard but necessary Even though Stevens is indeed in the limelight following his Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year win he credits his team for the success I dont view this award as a personal one but rather a testament to the fleet operation as a whole My staff is second to none and without their dedication and professionalism the City of Sacramento Fleet Division would not be one of the top tier fleet operations in the country today he said I would like to thank my tremendous staff and customers at the city for the opportunity they have provided I am truly blessed to be in this position here in the City of Sacramento Making Sustainable Advances While Stevens has implemented a number of successful fleet policies and procedures he said he is proudest of the fleets sustainability policy and the goals associated with it In just three years the fleet went from operating six electric vehicles EVs to nearly 100 full time EVs that will be in service by the end of 2020 Stevens has also worked with the Police Department to replace the standard patrol vehicle with a fully functional hybrid patrol vehicle I believe the ability to change the culture to EVs and reduce emissions is a commitment from our customers and a direct reflection of our Fleet Divisions dedication and trust he said The fleet continues to innovate with EVs A pilot project is currently underway that aims to reduce or eliminate the need for large scale electrical infrastructure when deploying an EV fleet The pilot includes retrofitting EVs with batteries that can be charged and replaced automatically When a battery needs to be replaced customers simply drive up to a pod that holds and charges batteries A robot senses the vehicle moves underneath it removes the battery places it in the pod to be charged then pulls a charged battery and places it back into the vehicle Pods are portable and require just a 220 volt hookup I see this technology being a viable form of battery replacement in the future while minimizing the need for expensive infrastructure Stevens said The fleet vehicle is a perfect candidate as the vehicles typically all return to the same base of operation at the end of the day and would be able to take advantage of the pod technology This is just one of many new ideas that may spawn new thoughts and ways to advance technology as EVs continue to advance The Secrets Behind Stevens Success When asked what advice he would offer other fleet managers Stevens said communication is critical You wont be successful if you dont communicate with your staff and customers Listen to complaints and try to understand where and why the complaint originated he said Dont be afraid to ask questions as to why something is being done a certain PHOTO CITY OF SACRAMENTO SOURCE Mark Stevens fleet manager City of Sacramento Calif E mail MStevens@ cityofsacramento org City of Sacramento fleet employees know how they are performing through an employee scorecard that tracks labor hours and indirect hours This also allows fleet management to track the productivity and efficiency of shop operations EV expansion Transitioning from liquefied natural gas to compressed natural gas New vehicle replacement model that assigns a point value and includes maintenance costs 1 2 3 RECENT PROJECTS Fleet size 2500 units Fleet facilities 5 Staff members 75 Fuel consumption decrease since 2010 18 SACRAMENTOS FLEET STATS FLEET MANAGER OF THE YEAR 12 GOVERNMENT FLEET COM JULY AUGUST 2020 SPONSORED BY