Government Fleet, May 2019

AS I SEE IT SOME OF THE conversations and comments I recall from the NAFA I E in April involved higher ups and elected officials not listening to the fleet manager Need new vehicles No funding Need fleet specific software You have to go with what the entire organization can use Want to start a new program Maybe later A fleet manager told me that he had been trying to start an apprenticeship program for years and Human Resources wouldnt give him the go ahead to do so Luckily an elected official got involved because the associated school was in her jurisdiction and within months the fleet manager had the apprenticeship program up and running Fleet consultants sometimes are hired just to tell leadership and elected officials exactly what a fleet manager has been telling them We hear about audits or consultant recommendations that say the fleet is too aged Im certain that in most cases the fleet manager had been saying the same thing for a while The municipality just paid a company thousands of dollars to say the same thing FIND A CHAMPION WIN AWARDS These cases illustrate the need for a champion who will fight for the fleet operations cause or at least reiterate what the fleet manager is trying to say This may mean you have to be adept at office politics to know who to bring ideas and concerns up to to understand where their interests and motivations lie For example if an elected leader campaigns on reducing government waste he or she might be especially interested in attempts to improve vehicle utilization If someone often talks about sustainability this person might be interested in growing alternative fuel use within the fleet Or maybe your champion can be a former fleet manager who has risen to a higher position someone who has been in your shoes and understands your requests and opinions Secondly you can apply for fleet awards having one or more can give you access to more resources It seems counterintuitive to provide more resources to an operation that is already doing an excellent job while overlooking the needs of an operation that is underfunded understaffed or just not doing so well But building credibility and becoming known as an expert in your field will often get you noticed and rewarded Use that to your benefit BALANCING NEEDS Executive level managers have a lot of interests to consider and the fleet operation is likely one of many divisions or departments he or she oversees These different groups may be clamoring for attention and funding of which there is a limited amount With so many factors to consider when deciding how to allocate resources its understandable leadership may want a second opinion sometimes especially when they learn the cost of replacing an aged fleet or an aged maintenance facilty I suppose its like going to the car dealership as a non technical person and not wanting to believe that you really do need to get an expensive repair done The driver may hope its not a real problem or Googles it for a second opinion or puts off the repair for later Fleet managers know they often arent at the top of the priority list when it comes to requests And while building expertise and obtaining champions can help you with your cause its also imporant to prioritize and know when to be persistent and when a new project or purchase can be put off for later Because with limited resources available sometimes you get what you request and other times its another departments turn What have you consistently fought for and what did it take for you to achieve it By Thi Dao EXECUTIVE EDITOR thi dao@ bobit com Why Not Listen to the Fleet Manager Leaders have to balance the needs of every group with the funding and resources available Fleets often arent on the priority list 40 GOVERNMENT FLEET COM MAY 2019