Strategic Plan

FEATURE Budget & Cost Control Tips

34 Police Fleet Manager Jan-Feb 2018

BUDGET & COST

CONTROL TIPS

BY JOHN BELLAH

EFFICIENT FLEET MANAGEMENT

IS A BALANCING ACT.

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M any successful fl eet maintenance operations

are operated as a stand-alone business

such as with the City of Everett, Wash. In

addition to servicing their police vehicles,

Fleet Operations also services and repairs

other municipal vehicles, including transit busses. Bill DeR-

ousse, retired fl eet manager for Everett, advises to keep all of

the necessary pertinent information close at hand. If this per-

tinent information is not immediately available, it would be dif-

fi cult to justify purchasing a new piece of equipment or hiring a

new technician.

When a new city administrator would come on-board, DeRousse would arrange a two-hour sit-down session and explain the operation in detail, along with giving a handbook with the latest data. Th at would put to rest the question as to why an in-depth, in-house Preventative Maintenance session on a police vehicle is more expensive than a ‘quick lube,’ where it is $19.95 for an oil change and ‘multi-point’ inspection.

Th at is only part of the equation. It may be true the independent vendor could provide a cheaper oil and fi lter change. However, the cost of shuttling the vehicle back and forth, the cost of the vehicle and of- fi cer being put out of service, and the cost of inspecting the rest of the vehicle (brakes, tires, lights) by a certifi ed technician, would total up almost evenly.

DeRousse also stresses customer service. A person can be a great service manager; however, if he/she gives poor customer service, the end result is an unhappy customer. A successful fl eet manager needs be knowledgeable in not only basic business practices, but the area in which he/she serves.

Service and Repair How is vehicle maintenance performed and who performs it? Deal- ership, independent repair facility, or is it done in-house? With smaller fl eets, it may be more cost-eff ective to outsource mainte- nance or repairs; however, with a larger fl eet, in-house maintenance should be seriously considered.

If the fl eet size indicates it is best served by an outside contractor, one consideration would be dealing with another municipal/county/state maintenance facility, which may be happy to have the additional work to overcome lulls and avoid having to lay off personnel. Th ese outside facilities should also have completive labor rates compared to the rates charged by dealerships.

Th e fl eet manager should determine to what extent their in-house fl eet management functions. Some are limited to oil and fi lter changes, brake service, or tire replacement. Some of these functions may be dic- tated by local politics such as having the local dealership or independent shop service and repair the vehicles. If an agency cannot fi nd a satisfac- tory local vendor to handle maintenance and repair issues, consider sub-

or omitting the desired options suitable for his department. Th e local dealers may be more willing to ‘work’ with him and this practice has saved his budget a lot of money.

Compton found a cost-eff ective to way to replace some high-mile- age patrol vehicles in the police department’s fl eet. Being a relatively small department, and on a limited budget, luckily they came across a nearby dealer who had a backlog of unsold Ford CVPIs. While these cars were four years old, they were brand-new cars,

with the factory warranties, which would commence the day the vehicles entered service. La Habra submitted a bid for these vehicles, which was accepted by the dealer, who was happy to get rid of their unsold Fords.

Some fl eet managers often source low-mileage used vehicles for ad- ministrative and undercover use from dealer auctions, or rental fl eet re- turns. Th is practice is far cheaper than buying new vehicles, saving the cost of depreciation. Additionally, some returned rental vehicles often come with their own warranty from the rental company. Th ese type of vehicles would be ideal for undercover applications as they appear

36 Police Fleet Manager Jan-Feb 2018

FEATURE Budget & Cost Control Tips

contracting with a larger fl eet operation, such as with a city, county, or state organization. Th ey may want the extra work to off set slow periods.

A couple of years back, the Nevada Highway Patrol subcontracted with the California Highway Patrol Fleet Operations to upfi t the new NHP Ford PI Utilities. Th is was a win-win for both agencies, being all the new vehicles were standardized and the CHP, experiencing a lull, kept their personnel busy.

Th e California Highway Patrol recycles their in-house manufactured auxiliary wiring harnesses. Th ese are manufactured to CHP specifi ca- tions and truly one size fi ts all, from sedan to crossover/SUV to com- mercial enforcement pick-up. All of the equipment is ‘plug & play’ and equipment can be added or deleted as to the needs of the equipment and area serviced. When the vehicle is taken out of service, the auxiliary wiring harness is thoroughly tested, reconditioned, and placed in the new vehicle.

Large agencies with large vehicle maintenance operations may seek to become offi cial in-house warranty repair stations, generating addi- tional income and saving the time and expense of shuttling the vehicle to the dealership. Repairs that could be done faster and cheaper by an outside vendor should be strongly considered. Th is would include radia- tors, driveline components, paint and body repairs, frame straightening, starters, alternators, wheel alignments, and machine shop operations.

Specs and Buying Options Mark Compton and Mike Hogan manage the fl eet for the City of La Habra, Calif. In addition to police vehicles, they oversee other city ve- hicles such as street sweepers, the water department, and other service vehicles. In addition to maintaining these vehicles, one of Compton’s duties is to write vehicle specifi cations.

Like many other small fl eets, who ‘piggyback’ vehicles from larger entities such as the county or state, Compton writes his own specs and actively solicits bids from smaller dealers, with the reasoning that ‘pig- gyback’ bidding with a large agency may include unwanted options,

as ‘stock’ vehicles without the ‘plain-wrapper’ appearance. Another advantage is these vehicles can easily be rotated—or resold, if a variety of vehicles is required.

Factory Upfi tting Many agencies now purchase vehicles with one of the various ‘factory-prep’ upfi t pack- ages. Th ese come in various stages up to a ‘turnkey’ package where what is required to place the unit into service is radio and insig- nia installation, fi ll the tank, and install the long guns. While this may add to the unit’s initial price, all of the components are stan- dardized, repair procedures are covered in the factory shop manual, and they are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Th is saves time in upfi tting and if a problem arises, saves time in troubleshooting and repair.

On the subject of ‘doing more with less,’ many agencies are reducing upfi tting time and costs by purchasing vehicles already manufactured with one of the available factory prep packages. Th e manufacturers currently off er various packages includ- ing completely upfi tted, ‘turnkey’ vehicles, where little is needed aside from installing communications gear, weaponry, and to affi x the agency’s graphics or insignia on the doors. An additional advantage to purchas- ing the prep packages is they are standard- ized, meaning the information is covered in the factory shop manuals and covered by the factory warranty.

Routine Maintenance Th e days of using the same 15W-40 motor oil for the entire fl eet are defi nitely over. Th e variable valve timing and cylinder deactiva- tion feature absolutely require the oil em- bossed on the fi ll cap. No substitutions. On the other hand, the 3,000-mile oil change interval is also history. Most cruisers utilize an oil monitoring system, which computes when the oil needs to be changed. Th is saves time and resources. Th e manufacturers war- ranty their products, so going with their guidelines makes sense.

La Habra, Calif. Police Department has had good luck in the use of full synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid in their cruisers, which seems to add an additional 30,000 miles to the life of the transmission. If a unit needs to be replaced, they will re- place the unit with a factory remanufactured

unit, which has all of the latest upgrades and is covered by the factory warranty.

Vinyl Wraps and Seats Instead of ordering custom paint combina- tions, some law enforcement fl eet operators are ordering solid-color vehicles and utiliz- ing a vinyl wrap on the doors, fenders, and/ or roof to make a two-color vehicle. Th is practice aids during resale as using a heat- gun will quickly remove the wrap, reverting the vehicle back to a solid color. Th is saves the cost of ordering custom paint and the cost and environmental concerns of repaint- ing the vehicle for resale. Most automakers off er vinyl wraps on their NextGen vehicles.

Th e Los Angeles Police Department has been experimenting by using a urethane plastic spray, manufactured by Scorpion, over the rear seat area of their cruisers. Th is coating, similar to that of bedliners sprayed inside the beds of pickup trucks, covers the rear seat and upholstery panels of their cruisers. Th is coating also has antibacterial properties, lest the rear seat occupants have an ‘accident.’ If such an incident occurs, the back seat area can be hosed out. Later, when the vehicle is to be prepped for resale, the coating is removed, leaving pristine uphol- stery in the rear seat area.

Salvage Parts Many agencies cannibalize parts and com- ponents from decommissioned or wrecked vehicles. Th e Los Angeles Police Depart- ment completely strips all of their colli- sion-damaged vehicles of useable parts and

stockpiles fenders, doors, seats, engines, transmissions, diff erentials, and other vi- able components. With the stockpile of parts, if a vehicle comes in needing minor collision repairs, a surplus door or fender can be quickly bolted on and the vehicle returned to service without waiting for new parts or repainting.

Many agencies are realizing a better bang-for-the-buck by replacing vehicles when they are still viable—selling them to other law enforcement entities, security, or taxi companies and factoring in the resale value toward the new replacement vehicles. Th is practice pays off in higher offi cer mo- rale and lower overall repair and main- tenance costs, due to vehicles still being under warranty.

Our newer police vehicles are more fuel- effi cient, and many are E85 compatible. Th e current generation of police vehicles also has advanced safety features, over and above ABS, such as side-curtain and knee airbags, enhanced rollover protection, and stability control. Th ese advanced features make for safer vehicles and reduced liability.

John Bellah is a Technical Editor for Police Fleet

Manager. Currently retired, he served as police

offi cer in Southern California serving in excess

of 30 years. Part of that time he served as fl eet

manager. He is a member of SAE International.

He can be reached at: [email protected].

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