Plant and Materials Coordinator at Tweed Shire Council in northern NSW, Thomas Brayley discusses the challenges and complexities of sustainable fleet procurement, managing fleet in the public spotlight (including the critical gaze of fleet operators), and the importance of effective people management.
How did you come to be working in fleet management?
I began my career as an apprentice automotive mechanic on Porsche, VW and Audi vehicles in the UK, and then changed direction slightly and went on to study and qualify in Amenity Horticulture, Golf course construction and Golf Course Management.
I found my way into the civil construction industry as a facilities, plant and fleet manager 17 years ago, working on term contracts around the UK for Communications, Gas, Rail and Renewable energy – fantastic job for a single man! I moved on to to qualify in an Oxford and Cambridge Certificate of Professional Competency in Fleet Management and Road Haulage Operations.
I arrived in Australia five years ago and was keen to take on something that would merge my passion, skills and knowledge in Man Management, Materials and Fleet Management – and fortunately this was realised in my current position as Fleet, Plant and Materials Coordinator for Tweed Shire Council.
What in your opinion are some of the biggest issues facing fleet managers at present?
Sustainable procurement would be up there. That is, sourcing fleet and plant from suppliers that take their environmental responsibilities seriously and can provide measurable results, on request, for their impact on carbon emissions reduction from the manufacturing process of the equipment right through to recyclability plan at end of useful life of equipment.
Another key issue is public confidence in procurement and management process – fleet management in the public sector is regularly in the spotlight. You are providing plant and equipment for use by operatives that are rate payers and who can also be the biggest critics of your work, your end product decisions on plant and equipment is always on public display around the shire (too much chrome, crane looks expensive, what made you choose that grader, etc. etc.). You also have to get those big decisions past council and sometimes it takes more than a written report! As long as you accept you can never please everyone all of the time, you will sleep at night!
Then there’s utilisation of equipment – the constant monitoring and juggling of poorly performing plant and equipment, and the management reporting process that goes hand in hand, can take up too much time, especially when you have a small fleet management team. Communicating the importance of utilisation to supervisors and operatives is only a small part of the solution; it can be extremely tricky managing the metal and the man in order to get good results!
How are you trying to overcome these issues at your council?
By forcing the suppliers’ hands on higher weighting areas in sustainability within the procurement process; by being more informative to supervisors and operatives on the process we go through in order to make an organisational decision; and through fleet procurement and management workshops to councillors and the Executive Management team.
Do you face any unique challenges working in fleet in your council, which might be of interest to other fleet managers?
I guess one of the big challenges of a fleet manager such as myself – who has other areas of management incorporated into their job description (i.e. material and depot management) – is that time management and prioritisation of important tasks weighs heavy!
Take for example three projects I am currently managing: depot expansion, depot traffic management improvements and underground fuel storage decommissioning and removal. These are all projects being run concurrently in different depots and locations, and all require large amounts of research and document preparation. Now add on fleet management and all that comes with it! How many hours were allocated in the working day?! This is where all your experience skills and knowledge learned throughout various careers in your life are put into practice!
Which IPWEA tools or workshops have you used, and which have you found most valuable?
I have just completed the IPWEA Fleet Management Certificate – I mainly completed it for self-satisfaction and for public confidence factors, I guess, but it was also a great refresher and good to compare with how Fleet and Plant management here compares with private industry in the UK.
I also regularly attend IPWEA Fleet and Plant Management workshops – again, it is a good networking opportunity with your peers, and the presenters structure it well.
Anything else you'd like to add?
We all share similar challenges in this industry. This is usually realised through the extensive fleet manager communication network that most of us are a part of, after meeting up at various management forums or workshops throughout Australia or the IPWEA forum. These really are invaluable networking and training opportunities that should not be passed up on lightly! It is also an opportunity to remove ourselves from the office and work environment that we spend a large percentage of our lives in.
Getting funding clearance for travel, accommodation, and attendance can be a significant upfront cost to the organisation, but it is an immeasurably valuable investment both personally and for the organisation that you work for.
Another thing I would like to add is in relation to staff or man management in this often highly stressful industry that is fleet management. Too many times I have witnessed periods of stress leave from employees that has come about through avoidable circumstances. The ability to recognise and deal with changes in behaviour and ‘cracks’ that can start appearing is vital for a manager to run a successful, productive and healthy team. More training and awareness in these areas should be readily available within organisations
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- The IPWEA is holding its inaugural Sustainability in Public Works Conference in Tweed Heads on 27–29 July.
Find out more.
- The Fleet Management Certificate is based on the IPWEA Plant & Vehicle Management Manual and now includes live online training to support your study.
Learn more.