IPWEA Blogs

NZ looks for a new funding fix for infrastructure

By Anirudh Sharma posted 27-02-2025
New Zealand has a well-recognised infrastructure deficit impacting transport, productivity, housing and the nation’s quality of life. The most often quoted figure for the deficit, from the Infrastructure Commission, is that New Zealand needs to spend NZ$210 billion over the next 30 years as many of the public assets built in the 1950s and 1960s near the end of their lifecycles. Funding to address that deficit is a challenge. It is a complex mix, and the current problems with New Zealand’s infrastructure funding and financing model are multi-faceted. While local authorities hold a key role in the delivery of infrastructure projects, historic underinvestment ...
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Infrastructure pipeline lower, but capacity and costs still an issue

By Anirudh Sharma posted 20-02-2025
Infrastructure pipeline lower, but capacity and costs still an issue January 21, 2025   Skills shortages and increasing material costs are impacting Australian infrastructure. Demand for infrastructure continues to outstrip supply in Australia even though the major public infrastructure pipeline for the next five years is down 8% on projections made 12 months ago. This is one of the findings in the   2024 Infrastructure Market Capacity Report   from Infrastructure Australia released in January. The report says the five-year pipeline out to the 2027-28 financial year is at $213 billion, which represents ...
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In case you missed it, here's a recent post in the Ask Your Mates Forum

By FLEET e-news posted 12-12-2023
In case you missed it, here's a recent post in the Ask Your Mates Forum Topic: Does anyone track costs per km for passenger vehicles and light commercials?  Marc: Hello everyone, I've been asked by a member of the IPWEA Fleet community if any other members can provide running costs per kilometre for popular passenger and light commercial vehicles? I know many people have WOLC for the procurement evaluation purposes, but does anyone have it calculating costs per kilometre in their FMIS? Marc Sibbald, Director Fleet, IPWEA Australasia Steve: While I have nothing to offer, I am very interested ...
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IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities

By FLEET e-news posted 12-12-2023
IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities IPWEA Australasian Fleet Conference .  The IPWEA Australasian Fleet Conference is IPWEA’s premier event for the Fleet industry with an impressive range of practicing fleet professionals and industry leaders presenting on issues relevant to you today. You will have the opportunity to catch up with industry colleagues and attend important and relevant presentations, a trade exhibition and networking opportunities. This must-attend event will be held at the Royal International Convention Centre and Showground in Brisbane QLD from the Monday 25th to Wednesday 27th March 2024. ...
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Fleet Management Maturity

By FLEET e-news posted 12-12-2023
Fleet Management Maturity by Ken Goldberg, Consultant, IPWEA Fleet A Fleet Management Maturity Model is a way to identify how effective your organisation is at actively managing the fleet to ensure value for money, meeting operational objectives and delivering on organisational goals whether that be public works, transport or other necessary uses. I recently presented the IPWEA Fleet Management Standards at a TechnologyOne Workshop that focused on Excellence in Asset Management. It was a terrific event that explored ways to achieve financial sustainability and service delivery. I covered a number of fleet-related areas in the talk including ...
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Fleet Director's Column

By FLEET e-news posted 12-12-2023
By Marc Sibbald – Director IPWEA FLEET Preparing your fleet for 2024 It’s funny how December can be one of the busiest months of the year when you realise there’s things on your ‘To Do’ list still to complete. For most Fleet Managers in 2023, there’s probably two that are pending. One would be considered critical; the other involves electric vehicles. The first critical task that could be outstanding relates to the 3G network shutdown which will make most older telematics systems obsolete. IPWEA Fleet and industry suppliers have been spreading the word for 18 months to encourage organisations to take action on this issue. However, as the deadline ...
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Take some responsibility, please!

By FLEET e-news posted 12-12-2023
Take some responsibility, please! By: Anonymous Fleet Manager How annoying it is when staff use the excuse “It’s not my fault” and make out like the fleet group had something to do with their careless actions? Fleet supplies the vehicle and, more often than not, operations provide the drivers and operators. The reality is that – although Fleet usually own the asset – the fleet group has limited input on the day-to-day usage/management of the asset and often only see the asset when maintenance is required. So why is it when an infringement for overloading or an unsecured load is enforced the driver says, “I had nothing to do with it. It’s not ...
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Toolbox Talks

By FLEET e-news posted 11-10-2023
Empower Drivers Heavy Vehicle Toolbox Talk By National Road Safety Partnership Program The National Road Safety Partnership Program ( NRSPP ) offers a collaborative network to support Australian businesses in developing a positive road safety culture. It’s about saving lives without the red tape. The NRSPP continues to develop their Toolbox Talks initiative, which is an evidence based resource enabling organisations to engage with their workers on key road safety risks. The Toolbox Talks are housed in packages to make it easy for organisations to download vital information from their Knowledge Centre. One of the new releases is on empowering ...
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All and sundry

By FLEET e-news posted 11-10-2023
All and sundry By: Anonymous Fleet Manager Why is it that some people believe that if they own a car, that automatically qualifies them to be a fleet practitioner and provide advice on how to run the fleet? Who do they think they are? If you were to have a look at their job descriptions, you’d probably find that their duties are things like mowing parks, repairing roads, and similar tasks. Nowhere in their job description will it describe providing fleet management advice. Why do they feel that they need to offer advice on how to run the fleet? Maybe they’re experiencing poor customer service from the fleet department Maybe ‘turnaround ...
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In case you missed it, here's a recent post in the Ask Your Mates Forum

By FLEET e-news posted 11-10-2023
In case you missed it, here's a recent post in the Ask Your Mates Forum Topic: City of Ryde trials Hyundai electric truck  right? Marc: City of Ryde took delivery of a brand-new Hyundai Mighty Electric truck last week for a three-day trial that furthers Council’s commitment towards becoming Net Zero Emissions by 2035. The light-duty 7.3-tonne truck, which delivers high performance and zero tailpipe emissions, was delivered to Council’s Meadowbank Operations Centre, and was put through its paces by a number of drivers, including City of Ryde Mayor Clr Sarkis Yedelian OAM. This impressive vehicle has an ...
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IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities

By FLEET e-news posted 11-10-2023
IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities Fleet Management Training Days . The IPWEA Fleet Management Training Days are an opportunity for fleet practitioners, coordinators, and managers to get together and learn from each other to solve the common issues or share tips on managing challenging projects. Fleet Management Training Days will run from June to November 2023. Workshops will be held across city and regional areas including Newcastle, Brisbane, Dubbo, Sydney, Victoria, Perth, and Adelaide. See dates and venues here . Fleet Management Certificate . The IPWEA Fleet Management Certificate is a recognised ...
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The Four Dimensions of Fleet Management

By FLEET e-news posted 11-10-2023
The Four Dimensions of Fleet Management The 2024 IPWEA Australasian Fleet Conference is going to bigger and better than ever focussing on the Four Dimensions of Fleet Management. These are the critical competencies a Fleet Manager must have, which includes Technical, People, Technology and Strategic proficiencies. The conference is going to also expand into other areas of expertise to build a deeper level of knowledge and understanding for specialist team members. IPWEA’s premier event for the Fleet industry will be taking place from Monday 25 March 2024 to Wednesday 27 March 2024 at the state-of-the-art Royal International Convention Centre in Brisbane, ...
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Learning how to prepare an EV transition plan

By FLEET e-news posted 11-10-2023
Learning how to prepare an EV transition plan Effective and efficient fleet management does not occur in isolation. There needs to be an understanding of the organisation's higher order objectives and the needs of various stakeholders in the fleet. Further, there must be robust and comprehensive planning to guide the management of the fleet over the medium and long term. In the IPWEA Plant and Vehicle Management Manual (PVMM), it recommends that Fleet Managers prepare two documents to define, guide and monitor the management of the fleet. The documents are: Fleet Asset Management Plan (FAMP) A long term plan (typically a minimum ...
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Fleet Director's Column

By FLEET e-news posted 10-10-2023
By Marc Sibbald – Director IPWEA FLEET Reflecting on goals We’ve entered the last quarter of 2023 which is a good time to reflect on the goals you set earlier this year when attending the IPWEA Fleet Conference. It’s also the first half of the financial year, so if you’re working on targets to achieve by 30th June 2024, it’s also a good time to make sure you’ve had a fast start. During the 2023 Fleet Management Training days, we’ve looked at KPIs and discussed the importance of preparing regular reports that can be shared with the fleet team and, more importantly, with senior management. Everyone attending the training day acknowledged the need to ...
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Fleet Director's Column

By FLEET e-news posted 10-08-2023
By Marc Sibbald – Director IPWEA FLEET What can we learn about teamwork from the Matilda's? Many organisations use successful sporting teams as analogies when talking about culture and performance. Watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup during July and August has caused me to reflect on the dynamics of a team and what makes a team rise to highest level against the odds. There have been many examples during the World Cup of nations with little, or no financial support punching above their weight. For me, a great example of leadership and team resilience is the Matilda’s. On the eve of the tournament they lost Sam Kerr, considered one of the greatest ...
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IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities

By FLEET e-news posted 09-08-2023
IPWEA FLEET Plant and Vehicle Management Professional Development Opportunities   Upcoming Webinars . Join IPWEA for our webinars on Fleet Management KPIs - Part 2 . This is a topic that every organisation with fleet assets needs to understand and adopt to stay aligned with their organisational objectives and to maintain a focus on strategic issues. Presented online in two parts by a speaker panel consisting of a consultant, fleet manager and technology company. Fleet Webinars are a core feature of IPWEA Fleet so you will not want to miss these sessions.   Click here for more information or to register. Fleet Management Training Days ...
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In case you missed it, here's a recent post in the Ask Your Mates Forum

By FLEET e-news posted 09-08-2023
In case you missed it, here's a recent post in the Ask Your Mates Forum Topic: Building a new depot - any tips to get it  right? Marc: Hello everyone, Several of the IPWEA Fleet Subscribers are in the initial planning stages of building new council depots. Do you have any advice for them on what to include, or what not to do? What should they consider for the workshop? e.g. Are service pits still popular and safe? Do they need to plan for electric vehicle charging? What about managing CoR? Should they have a weighbridge? How should staff parking be allocated and where should it be located? Should ...
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Safety rating synchronicity

By FLEET e-news posted 09-08-2023
Safety rating synchronicity By: Anonymous Fleet Manager So let’s see. We’ve got our fleet safety policy in place. Check! We order our Prado’s with 5-star ratings per stakeholder requirements. Check! We’ve got our 10-year replacement plans in place. Check! We’ve got a stack more of the top selling four-wheel-drive wagons on order due to lead times. Check! All Good...WRONG! Umm, these new Prados (and the ones on our fleet register) have been stripped of their 5-star rating. But they’re still in demand, still on sale, and still on order. What the…? They’re not the only ones too. Navara’s, Pajeros, Passats, Tritons, etc. Why? Because of the introduced ...
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There's More To Fleet Management Than Electricity

By FLEET e-news posted 20-06-2023
By Marc Sibbald – Director IPWEA FLEET There's More To Fleet Management Than Electricity The cool weather has arrived in Australia and New Zealand, so it’s a good time to think about batteries. I know this isn’t high on the list of priorities for a Fleet Manager, however breakdowns and unscheduled maintenance increase at this time of the year and the most common cause is battery failure which can be avoided with a good preventative maintenance program. Preventative maintenance compliance, Whole of Life Costs (WOLC) calculations and fleet management KPIs aren’t the most exciting topics to pick for this column when electric vehicles and fleet EV transitions ...
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The Balancing Act

By FLEET e-news posted 19-06-2023
The Balancing Act By: Anonymous Fleet Manager I don’t get it! Why does the organisation want to transition the entire fleet to EVs right now? I mean, I get why EVs are so important to the environment and all. But have any of the Execs driven on a long journey beyond the initial charge? “Let’s see…mapped my journey in PlugShare. Yep. All good! Now I know all the ChargeFox stations for the next 1,200 kilometres. Let’s go! Hmmm, battery low so first stop. Oops…charging station down. Whaaat!! Oh no! Better drive to the next one another 120 km down the road (sweat rolling down face). Got there. Thank God! Um, 10 cars in front of me. Better see ...
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