City of Oakland, CA

Richard Battersby, CAFM, CPFP

“So You’re the New Fleet Manager………”

Session Objectives

• Interactive discussion

• Changing positions

• The first day

• 30, 60, 90 days

• 6 months

• 1 year

Why Change Positions?

• Promotion or limited internal opportunities

• Career growth/professional development

• Challenge/opportunity

• Job security/stability

• Commute

• Retirement

• Climate/geography

• And of course, salary

Before You Decide to Make a Move

• Have a plan

– Doesn’t have to be specific

• Network

– Develop contacts

• Research possible options

– Know where you want to work before applying

• Consider a specialty or specific skill set

– Alternative fuels, carsharing, telematics, grants, etc.

• Certifications are a plus (start now)

Your First Day• Helpful things to know in advance

– Dress code, logistics and location/s

– Internal candidates for position

– Organization chart

– Major challenges/opportunities

– Major initiatives/organizational objectives

– Timelines

– Financial structure

– Customers

Your First Day

• Follow the lead of your boss

• All staff meeting/introduction

• Be prepared for a brief speech

– Don’t focus too much on yourself

– Show you know about the organization

– Acknowledge supervisors

– Open door policy

• Bring doughnuts

First Week• Establish staff meeting schedules

• Establish weekly reporting criteria

• Gather data

– Hardcopy records

– Reports

– Institutional knowledge

• Meet with supervisors

• Meet with major customers (PD, FD, PW, Refuse, etc.)

• Be visible, establish a presence, explore

• Arrive early/leave late

Things to Watch Out For• Validate data

– Understand what is being reported

– Confirm report parameters

– Use your instincts

– Garbage in, garbage out

• Trust but verify verbal history

– Not everyone remembers things the same way

– There may be agendas

• Introducing institutional change is difficult

30 Days• Make no major changes except for safety/loss exposure

• Learn systems (Financial, FIS, GPS, fueling, etc.)

• Implement twice a year “data dump” report

• Learn processes– Equipment disposal, acquisition (vehicles and supplies), fuel

• Establish baselines for items such as:– Budget

– Fuel

– Fleet utilization

– Downtime/availability

– PM compliance

– Technician productivity

• Identify and evaluate “works in progress”

• Set internal and external goals, especially 12 month

The Twice a Year Data Dump• Designed to enable most data requests

– Unit basic data- year, make, model, VIN, license plate

– Odometer/hour meter reading

– Fuel type/s

– Vehicle class and other sort criteria

– GVW

– Special equipment- GPS, PM trap, etc.

– Acquisition cost

– Assigned department/user

• Should be done every six months to enable fiscal and calendar year cycles

• Creates historical snap shot

60 Days• One on One staff interviews, top to bottom

• Customer/user group meeting

• Distribute customer surveys

• Identify organizational priorities

• Commence a longer term project

• Don’t be afraid to assign/delegate in order to evaluate staff capabilities

• Keep an eye on slower moving issues– Fiscal year end (inventory, budget, AP, etc.)

– Equipment replacement cycle/funding

– Contract management

The One on One Interview• All staff members

• 15 – 20 minutes

• Two way discussion

• Keep a record– Contact info/family

– Hobbies/interests

– Goals

– Work history/skills

– Education/training/certifications

– What is good and not so good about organization?

– What is one thing you would change?

90 Days

• Conduct SWOT analysis

• Identify policy deficiencies

• Initiate staff morale/team building event

• Quarterly analyses feasible

• Compare to historical data and project out

• Separate lines of business if possible– Assigned Vehicles

– Rentals

– Fuel

– PM shop

• The goal is to be able to compare expenses to revenue

Leveraging Resources

• Your boss

• Your supervisors

• Your staff

• Your customers

• Previous fleet manager

• Peers and colleagues

• Professional organizations

• Internet forums/social media

6 Months• Develop business plan

• Compare quarterly analyses

• Implement process changes

• Implement policy updates and revisions

• Implement changes necessary to enable to accurate reporting on– Volume

– Expense

– Revenue

– Utilization

• Staff progress reports/development plans

Tips• Maintain a project folder (Outlook and/or

hardcopy)

• Create a follow-up folder and review weekly

• Record accomplishments as they occur

• Schedule recurring activities on calendar

• There is nothing wrong with daily meetings if required

• Praise staff when they do well

• Don’t be shy about sharing successes

One Year• Evaluate accomplishment of 12 month goals

• Perform another SWOT analysis

• Re-distribute customer surveys

• Benchmark against other similar fleets

• Create Fleet status report, analysis, or presentation

– Hardcopy or Powerpoint

– Proactive vs. reactive

• Participate in recognition programs such as Leading Fleets

Summary• Prepare well in advance before making a

career move

• Have a plan and know where you want to go

• Be visible, approachable, and humble when entering an organization

• Gather data, observe, and evaluate

• In first 6 months only make major changes where risk to health or property exists

• Engage customers and staff early on

Thank You

Questions?

Richard Battersby

Manager, Equipment Services

City of Oakland, CA

rbattersby@oaklandnet.com