By: Anonymous Fleet Manager

I want a bigger engine, I want a touch screen, I want a laser system for the grader, etc, etc.

Does your organisation focus on what staff want, or on what staff require to do their jobs safely, effectively and at a competitive price?

Time and time again the fleet manager is forced into fleet purchasing decisions by user departments, WH&S or some other political motivation.

This scenario is fine – as long as the fleet manager has this advice in writing and remains in a defensible position when it comes to fleet purchasing decisions.

When a fleet asset is first delivered, staff are generally overwhelmed by the shiny new toy. However, as time passes, verbal discussions about the reasons an asset was purchased are a distant memory and the fleet manager is left carrying the can! 

For this reason, it is essential that any advice received in regards to fleet purchasing is in writing and kept on the asset’s file. If the fleet purchase is questioned in the future, management will want the facts about why an asset was purchased; they will not be interested in a verbal conversation that may or may not have happened.

Management wants hard facts and the fleet manager can deliver these facts by having all advice in writing and kept on the asset file.

To stop our Anonymous Fleet Manager (AFM) blowing a gasket, we created Internal Combustion, a monthly column for fleet-related rants that lets him blow off some steam. Got a fleet gripe you'd like to get his opinion on? Email emily.ditchburn@ipwea.org and she'll pass it on to AFM – when he's in a good enough mood, that is.