Speaker Name & Title

Larry Campbell, CPFPDirector of Fleet Management, Ft. Wayne, IN

Samuel P. Lamerato, CPFPSuperintendent of Fleet Maintenance,City of Troy, MI

Challenges with Fleet life cycles Revenue Down Budget cuts (more for Less)

Demands for Service Up

State and Federal Mandates Up

Aging Fleet

Reduction of fleet

Fleet Costs

• Two basic categories of Fleet expense: • Fixed and variable• Fixed expense: Depreciation,

– Lease or Purchase outright

• Variable expense: – Fuel, – Maintenance and repair– Tires – Oils

At what age do you “like” to replace vehicles?

• You may “like” to replace them at the end of lifecycle , but are not in the financial position to do so.

• Lifecycles for each class code of equipment may be dramatically different:– Criteria used in replacement schedules will be generally tailored to the

average use of the equipment – Ability of the government agency to fund a replacement budget.

• What if age is not the only discriminator used? – Point system – mileage, condition, maintenance history/costs.

• Question to ask? What is the average age of each vehicle type/class

• Is it a seasonal piece of equipment?

Equipment Replacement Policy• Equipment inventory• Replacement criteria• Equipment over $5,000 • Replacement funds for General & Non-General Fund Departments• Specification writing (do it right) uniformity with in your fleet • Bid Process (Best Bid not the cheapest bid)• Underutilized equipment (<4,000 miles or 100 hrs.) • Fleet additions (budget request to Administration & Council)• Annual equipment replacement proposal list (life, miles/hrs., repair

costs, condition, use)• Five, Seven and Ten year replacement projections (strategic

budget) Are these numbers growing in your fleet? • Equipment disposal list, Auction companies or trade ins. • Equipment purchase status list (as approved by Administration &

Council)• Equipment purchases carried forward from one year to the next

(budget amendments)

Equipment Replacement Policy 2• Geographical area you operate in• Annual usage miles, hrs, fuel consumption (also extended idling).• Image (What image do you want projected to your customer).• Severity of usage (hauling pipes, stone, asphalt, snow removal etc.,

does equipment get torn up)• Available funds (internally).• Interest rate, if funds are to be borrowed/leased • Effectiveness of your vehicle/equipment maintenance program• Vendor maintenance and parts support• Skill of maintenance personnel• Availability of vehicles/equipment (is new equipment available and

does your equipment spend more time in the shop than on the job)• Vehicle/equipment obsolescence• Resale value after life cycle • New equipment cost as compared to maintaining an older piece of

equipment.

Proper equipment usage for the job• On-going evaluation of the departments job

requirements.• Working together with the Purchasing, / Departments and

manufactures to meet the needs of individual departments.

• By purchasing the proper equipment the departments are more efficient and there is a overall lower cost.

• A by-product of efficiency is fuel savings, it takes less time to complete each task.

• V-8 to V-6 • V-6 to 4cyl • Will it work for the current job function or Vehicle

application

Maintenance procedures

• Properly maintaining equipment has proven not only financial savings but it can reduce emissions.

• By utilizing a regular Preventative Maintenance schedule the vehicles/equipment last longer and run more efficiently.

Remember: Vehicles always cost something

• Other considerations to reduce costs and impactorganizational Changes:

• Review “Take-Home” vehicle us• Consider outsourcing non-core tasks to experts who• specialize (– Use a Fuel Card management program

w/controls• Use nationwide purchasing consortiums like (NJPA)• Use automation and technology where possible (i.e.

GPS, etc)

Vehicle Replacement Derailed

• Tight Budgets• Furlough Days• Reduced Staff• Deferment of Vehicle Replacement• Dealing with City Management• Attending City Council Meetings

Budgets

• Zero Growth Budgets• Reduce or Deferment of Vehicle Replacement Budgets• Transfer Funds from Capital to Operating?• Reduced Staff Positions and Hours• Significant Increase in Maintenance Costs• Avoid Peaks and Valleys – Reserve Fund?• Meet with Management and Finance director• Reduced resale value of equipment – (replacement fund)

Furlough Days & Reduced Staff

• Same Equipment Fewer Repair Hours (96 per Tech)

• Same Equipment Fewer Techs • Same Equipment Same Repair Dollars

Deferment of Vehicle Replacement• Deferred vehicle replacement appears to be the key factor

behind the increase in maintenance expenses.• More expensive repairs due to aging inventory.• Older fleets were incrementally impacted by a spike in

unscheduled, higher cost maintenance.• Increased downtime Source: Automotive Fleet Magazine

Replacement Funding

• Even in good economic times, securing sufficient funds for timely vehicle replacement is a challenge for many organizations. This challenge stems in part from a lack of understanding of the trade-off between a vehicle capital and operating cost.

Source: Government Fleet Magazine

• “Pennies up-front dollars in the rear”

Dealing with City Management• Vehicle Replacement Plan• Life Cycle Cost Analysis – Best Practices• Project Long-Term Replacement (5 – Year Plan)

• Extended Warranties (5 years 100,000 Miles – Power Train)

• Advanced Design & Technologies• Lower Cost per Mile/Hour • Vehicle/Equipment Availability %• Reduced Downtime (track downtime)• Reduce Overtime• Proactive not Reactive

Vehicle Replacement Program• Best Practice Method Survey a number of Best in Class fleet organizations which

have comparable fleets. Take into account factors unique to each fleet organization such as annual usage levels, types of use, number of back-up units available, weather and operating terrain.

FASTER 15 Point Report 3109 - This report shows vehicles due for replacement on or before the ending replacement date you enter. Points are accrued as follows: current life compared to the life expectancy, life-to-date meter compared to the life expectancy of the meter, repair dollars spent compared to original cost.

Vehicle Replacement Program (cont.)

• Developing a set of vehicle replacement criteria establishes the foundation for a planned approach to fleet replacement. Fleet organizations can use one of two primary methods for establishing vehicle replacement cycles.

• Empirical Method: Involves using a formal life-cycle cost analysis technique (such as equivalent annual costs) to calculate the least costly life-cycle per class of vehicle.

Vehicle Replacement Program (cont.)

• Best Practice Method: Involves surveying peer organizations with similar fleet and operating conditions.

• Regardless of which method is used, life-cycles must be developed with the goal to: – Minimize overall fleet cost;– Maximize vehicle availability;– Provide fleet users with safe and reliable tools to perform their jobs.

Source: APWA Vehicle Replacement Guide

Vehicle Replacement Funding• Ideally, a vehicle should be replaced around the same

time that the total cost of ownership is at a minimum – before the total cost curve begins to turn upward.

• Decision makers who assume cutting replacement purchases is a good way to help balance the budget must understand such cuts usually transfer a portion of the fleet costs from capital to operating.

Source: Government Fleet Magazine

Life-Cycle• Calculates ownership and operating expenses

throughout the working life of the equipment.• The process includes the valuation of equipment

availability, service, resale value and downtime or rental expense for replacement equipment.

• When the cost for these factors are determined, the most economical vehicle method provides the lowest net cost.

Source: APWA Managing Public Equipment

Life-Cycle• Life-cycle cost analysis enables management to

evaluate new equipment purchases and determine if it is more economical to retain equipment.

• Economic replacement follows these premises: As the unit ages average maintenance and

operating cost increase. As a unit grows older, investment cost decrease. There is a point in the equipment’s life at which

the total average cost is minimum. This is the optimum economic life point Source: APWA Managing Public Equipment

ECONOMIC REALITY OF VEHICLE REPLACEMENT

CAPITALOPERATING

TOTAL

TIME/USAGE

COST

* *

Quality of Service• The quality of services declines when the fleet wears out,

becomes technologically deficient or requires repetitive or ongoing maintenance. Fleet assets have at least three lives:

• Service Life – Amount of time (years, miles or hours) it is capable of providing service.

• Technological Life – Productivity decline of current fleet asset compared to newer assets.

• Economic Life – Total allocation of cost associated with the vehicle over a period of time.

Source: APWA Calculating Public Fleet Rates

Vehicle Score Card (Sedans & Lt. Truck)• Age – One point for each year – based on in service date.

• Miles/Hours – One point for each 10,000 miles or 250 hrs. of usage.

• Type of Service – Points assigned as 1 - 5 depending on the type of service the vehicle performs.

• Reliability – 1 – 5 points based on frequency that a vehicle is in the shop for repairs per month (P.M. work is not included).

• M&R Cost – 1 to 5 points based on the total life M&R cost (not including accident repairs).

• Condition - 1 – 5 points for body condition, rust, interior condition, anticipated repairs, etc.

• Point Range – Under 18 Excellent, 18 – 22 Good, 23 – 27 Qualifies for replacement and 28 and above Immediate Replacement

Attending City Council Meetings• “When it is time to perform, the time to prepare has

passed”• Be prepared to answer tough questions.• Know Your Fleet - Run it like a business.• Have your facts straight and in-hand.

Convert Engine Hours into Miles (30 - 40 miles per hour) Utilization of Vehicle/Equipment Life-cycle Cost – 15 point FASTER report, etc.

• Inform Mayor and Council of the importance of timely vehicle replacement.

• Cost Savings Information – Reduced Downtime, Operating Cost & Overtime.

Keys To Success• Keep Management and Councils in the loop with quarterly

Fleet updates.• Invite Management and Council for a site visit of your Fleet

Operation.• Don’t replace underutilized vehicles.• Buy the correct vehicle for the job (Right Size).• Avoid Fleet Creep. • Maximize resale & trade-in values. (benchmark)

• “In a successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.” Vince Lombardi

 

Quotes ABILITY is what you are capable of

MOTIVATION determines what you do ATTITUDE determines how well you do it.

Lou HoltzExcellence is not a skill.It is an attitude.

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Vince Lombardi

Michael Eisner, while he was CEO of the Walt Disney said

“Partnerships promote common sense, a common purpose

and strong ethics… among other benefits…

They lead to amazing levels of success because”, as he put

it, “the people in a true partnership leverage the concept of

‘one plus one is a lot more than two’ to build up their

companies in an unprecedented manner.”

Quote

Questions

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THANK YOU

Larry Campbell, CPFP, Ft. Wayne, IN larry.campbell@cityoffortwayne.org

&Samuel P. Lamerato, CPFP, City of Troy, MI

lameratosp@troymi.gov