FLEET MANAGEMENT: THE CHALLENGE OF THE NINETIES

Fleet managers will be facing vast challenges in the 1990s. Equipment will be more expensive, as well as more complicated to maintain and repair, and fleet maintenance expenditures will be competing with other programs for funding. To face these challenges, equipment managers must be technically proficient on the equipment they support, knowing its primary function along with any secondary capabilities, knowing its maintenance requirements, scheduling preventive maintenance, and utilizing more on-board computers. They must also manage time as well as people, with the goal of increasing productivity and reducing overhead costs. Environmental issues must be dealt with, including the replacement of underground fuel tanks and installation of tank monitoring equipment. Landfills are closing and waste energy and refuse recycling facilities are coming on-line. This has a major impact on collection equipment. Arlington, Virginia, has a leaf collection program which utilizes 16 specially equipped vacuum trucks. Last fall, over 58,000 cu yd of leaves were recycled into leaf mulch, which is sold for $35 for a 5-cu yd load. Fleet management operations can also be enhanced by joining professional organizations.