The large majority of activity in most fleets, as it pertains to maintenance and repair, is routine preventive maintenance and predictable repairs (tire and brake replacement, for example). After all, isn't it best to use the expertise and resources a fleet supplier can provide, rather than getting directly involved? Yes, and no. The management of a preventive maintenance regimen and decision-making when repairs are needed can be outsourced. That said, it is sometimes forgotten that this data is accumulated by the acquisition and operation of a fleet of vehicles, and the more a fleet manager knows about the subject asset, the more effective performance can be.įor example, we often take today's maintenance management programs for granted. This is where yesteryear's fleet managers can help.Īs stated earlier, there is something to be said about fleet management today being different, that the accumulation and tracking of copious amounts of data is more important than ever. Today, a fleet manager is likely to have some background in finance, accounting, purchasing, or sourcing, and less likely than in the past to have true automotive experience. This led to a perception that has carried over even to today, that the fleet manager was a "car guy," a double-edged sword. Hands-on experience, either buying, selling, or maintaining and repairing vehicles was more common than it is today as many fleet management programs were in their relative infancy, it was more important as well.
They came out of dealerships or had motor pool experience in the military. Going back decades, fleet managers were more likely to come from an automotive background than they are today. Communications took place via telephone or hard copy memos and letters. Data was accumulated and reports generated via mainframe computers, and any changes required programming that sometimes took weeks.
#Do fleet managers need push to talk radio manual
The bottom line? Fleet management was primarily a manual process, and fleet managers were more involved in day-to-day activities than they are today. Confirmation went to the fleet manager via a post card, or a copy of a sight draft for the title and registration. Order status came by mail too, or a phone call to the supplier.ĭrivers got a phone call from the dealer when the vehicle was delivered the courtesy delivery fee might have been $25 or $30. Orders were written, or typed, onto a paper requisition (don't forget the carbon copies), stuck in an envelope, and mailed. Vehicles were ordered either from a fleet-minded dealer or via the fledgling fleet service known as a "buy-sell" or "purchase-disposal" program from a fleet lessor. The open-end lease was still being discovered, and many fleets leased via fixed-term, closed-end leases. What was fleet management like, say, 40 years ago, in 1971? How were the basic functions carried out? First, just about all of what is done today with the click of a mouse or the push of a cell phone button was done manually, written with pen on paper or typed into a desktop typewriter (and a manual typewriter at that).
0 kommentar(er)
