Public sector leaders’ unique outlooks on driving utilization and policy enaction

Utilization metrics offer a wealth of insights for fleet managers to draw from when strategizing for effective asset and fleet management plans. In this session, Craig Berndt, Geotab’s Business Segment Manager for People Transportation facilitated an engaging discussion about the importance of tracking equipment usage with our panelists. The speakers included: 

Dale Spiess - Fleet Manager, Wyoming State Motorpool 

Robert Riddle - Fleet Director, North Carolina Department of Administration 

Austin Lundy - Technology Specialist for Vehicle Fleet Services in the City of Raleigh

Each shared insights on how their teams are leveraging all types of utilization data to promote better public sector operations during this lively question-and-answer session.

Asset Utilization Dashboard: Knowing more about how your equipment is used

Prior to asking the speakers questions, Craig opened by announcing the debut of Geotab’s Asset Utilization Dashboard. This view will provide a truly overhead glimpse of usage rates across all your various tracked pieces of equipment and help you account for any patterns quickly.

By effectively measuring how your equipment is used, you can implement policies designed to even out its usage, improving cost savings and reducing excessive wear and tear. After showcasing the value of asset tracking and our new dashboard, Craig moved into the Q&A portion of the session with our guests.

Can you name an instance where you used data to find an underused asset and faced employee resistance to removing it from your operations?

Austin Lundy, City of Raleigh - When they find an underutilized vehicle in their fleet, they first approach the [department] to make sure they’re aware it’s not being used and know that it’s costing them money. The Department can then make a data-driven decision on what to do with that vehicle.

Robert Riddle, State of North Carolina - Regular reports on vehicle usage, and specifically under-usage, are used to request agency justification of why certain vehicles may be underused. From there, Robert’s team evaluates which reasons for underuse are legitimate and which are negotiable, helping agencies only retain the vehicles they truly need and let go of those they don’t.

Dale Spiess, State of Wyoming - Low vehicle usage rates during particular seasons need to be contextualized due to harsh winter weather. For much of the November to March time frame, it’s a challenge for Wyoming’s agencies’ vehicles to get into the field due to high snowfall, so that’s something they take into consideration. However, improper vehicle underutilization still occasionally happens. When a new vehicle is added to a fleet, it’s often common for the older vehicles’ usage rates to dwindle. By identifying decreased usage in older vehicles, a concerted effort can be made to use these more often so that they too can be replaced with newer models faster. 

Current practices to measure driving utilization and how to promote consistency

What other policies have you enacted to even out vehicle usage across your fleet?

Dale Spiess - Reducing unevenness is done by using exception, after-hours and weekend usage reports within MyGeotab. While some agencies are approved to have their vehicles used on the weekends, many are not. By limiting unnecessary overuse and implementing controls to prevent unauthorized vehicle use, Dale’s organization is saving taxpayer money and promoting employee accountability.

Robert Riddle - To gain a truly comprehensive picture of how vehicles are used, total driving days are tracked in addition to mileage. They run the finances on how feasible rental vehicles could be when looking at their current usage rates in an effort to consistently optimize costs.

Austin Lundy - Through a series of pilots, the City of Raleigh is starting to more meticulously track driving utilization with municipal vehicles. Using data to craft driver coaching strategies, they hope to continue scaling their vehicle utilization practices across a larger portion of their fleet.

Do you have different plans of action depending on if an underutilized vehicle is an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle or an electric vehicle (EV)? 

Robert Riddle - Regardless of if it’s an ICE vehicle or an EV, if the vehicle is newer, it needs to be driven. Tracking utilization and key performance indicators helps supervisors know that the asset is being put to effective use.

Austin Lundy - The City of Raleigh mostly treats EVs and ICE vehicle usage the same, but they prioritize knowing when warranties are set to expire and how to best categorize repair types. This enables them to make the best decisions possible for their fleet.

At what point of underutilization do you consider leasing or renting vehicles versus owning them?

Robert Riddle - Since North Carolina doesn’t have a motorpool, their agencies’ three options are to reimburse, rent or ask for a fleet vehicle. Helping these agencies study their vehicle usage and know what options make the most sense is a key part of what Robert's organization does.

Dale Spiess - Exchanging vehicles based on their usage rates across different departments helps the state of Wyoming flatten overall usage rates and optimize maintenance costs. 

Austin Lundy - The City of Raleigh does look at renting or leasing options in certain instances, with the decision often made based on specific needs or total vehicle counts.

Do you currently track anything else besides vehicles in your operations? 

Austin Lundy - the City tracks its trailers and several utility vehicles in pilot phases. Monitoring asset usage helps supervisors verify that equipment isn’t being used outside work purposes and that it is always available for the next day’s tasks.

What is your typical strategy for replacing a vehicle in your fleet?

Robert Riddle - North Carolina has usage targets of eight years and 100,000 miles for their vehicle replacement lifecycle. However, based on the level of investment made in a vehicle, they may extend that vehicle’s tenure in their fleet for longer.

Dale Spiess - Similarly to North Carolina, Wyoming is striving to replace vehicles at the 100,000-mile mark to help potentially avoid high repair costs and hassles later on. A previous target of 150,000 miles ended up costing more money and made the vehicles more challenging to replace, leading them to lower it to 100,000.

Austin Lundy - Raleigh uses a fleet scoring system that factors in multiple key points, including vehicle age, odometer readings, potential maintenance costs. The fleet managers take a close look at these metrics holistically to help determine when it’s time to replace a vehicle.

Can you share more about how you enhance vehicle usage and vehicle share?

Robert Riddle, State of North Carolina - The Geotab platform helps North Carolina check vehicle parking data and utilization metrics so they can make specific recommendations to their agencies about when to make vehicle changes.

Dale Spiess, State of Wyoming - Geography makes vehicle sharing difficult for the state of Wyoming, but they’re still adding new motorpools to try spreading out usage and boosting efficiency. However, a new rental location in the city of Casper is helping to enhance vehicle utilization for local agencies.

How are drivers educated on vehicle utilization policies?

Dale Spiess - Wyoming has a defined usage policy that details what constitutes permissible and impermissible use of a government vehicle. Employees are made aware that telematics software is used to track each vehicle in the fleet and that the disablement of these solutions is strictly prohibited.

Robert Riddle - The fleet policy draft for North Carolina is created by Robert’s organization. Smaller agencies in the state are allowed to write their own custom vehicle use policies but they must adhere to the larger state policy’s guidelines.

Austin Lundy - Raleigh's official vehicle use policies are still in the works, but their employees regularly receive scheduled emails about vehicle usage, locations and more. Employees are able to log into the Geotab platform to check their assigned vehicles’ usage rates and make smarter workflow choices as a result.

Using data to guide driving utilization strategies and drive optimal outcomes

Our panelists’ discussion demonstrated how vital it is to study driving utilization metrics when making an array of fleet management decisions. Knowing the right time to replace a vehicle, invest in a costly repair or reassign a vehicle to a new employee shouldn’t be a guessing game. By using vehicle data to determine these choices, public sector entities can limit waste and make responsible use of their funding, maximize employee bandwidth and increase their fleet’s efficiency. 

Learn more about how Geotab’s driving utilization software can help your public sector organization optimize its fleet today.

Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.