How did you get started in the Fleet Industry? My career spans 36 years in Local Government predominantly in the Finance, Procurement, Customer Service and Asset Management and Maintenance Disciplines. My career in Fleet really started when I was involved in Procurement where I managed procurement processes for the acquisition of Fleet, Hire of Plant and Disposal of Fleet. I was fortunate to be provided an opportunity by a Deputy CEO at Logan City Council to manage the Fleet Branch at Logan City Council for a short period of time. More recently I was appointed Manager Fleet at the City of Gold Coast. I have always had an interest in vehicles, bikes, boats and machinery and to now be responsible for a large diverse Fleet operation, this has resulted in my interests and management experience being combined which I am extremely enthusiastic about.
How long have you been working in fleet and what roles have you had? My total time in Fleet amounts to approximately 15 months as an Executive Manager. In previous roles I have held, I have been a significant customer of the Fleet function.
Tell us about your current fleet? The City of Gold Coast has 5015 in service fleet items. A partial snapshot of the fleet is as follows: 846 light commercial vehicles, 120 passenger vehicles (50 of these vehicles are hybrid, 16 are EV’s), 334 trucks ranging from 4 tonne to 12 tonnes and some prime movers, 30 boats, 24 work site caravans, 233 trailers, 7 backhoes, 16 excavators, 3 graders, 10 jet skis, 17 tractors, 16 rollers, 16 forklifts, 80 All-terrain vehicles, 5 wood chippers and 5 buses and an assortment of small plant items such as generators, grinders, spray units etc.
What are your top three priorities this year for your fleet?
1. A light passenger and commercial vehicle utilisation review with the view of reducing the fleet size, increasing vehicle utilisation and change in the mix of vehicles in the fleet.
2. Expansion of our existing EV Fleet.
3. Expansion of the City’s carpool and Implementation of software to support this.
These 3 priorities are closely linked. I have a 4th priority which surrounds operational efficiency including ensuring accurate data is being captured regarding our fleet maintenance operations so we can effectively report performance and identify improvement opportunities. An overall priority which blankets the priorities I have mentioned is improving workplace culture.
What do you think are the top 2 challenges currently facing the fleet industry?
1. Sourcing experienced and qualified staff. The Job market is so competitive at the moment and attracting staff is a challenge in an environment where very competitive salaries are being offered.
2. The supply chain and the lead times associated with delivery of Fleet. This is improving but some lead times are still long. Holding some of our fleet longer as a result of these lead times is resulting in increased maintenance costs.
What do you think fleet practitioners should do to address the top 2 challenges that you mentioned? From a staff attraction and retention perspective, we are lucky at the Gold Coast as we have a lifestyle that we can promote to assist in attracting staff. However, being a Local Government, we are also limited to what we can offer from a remuneration perspective. Organisations that build and are known for having a positive workplace culture is a factor that will assist is attracting and retaining staff as is professional and personal development opportunities through training, coaching and work experience. Graduate and apprentice programs can also be a good source of new staff. In relation to the supply chain challenges, better utilisation of your existing fleet to avoid the requirement to purchase additional fleet. Early planning for replacement of Fleet and ordering early in the process to take up the lead time delays we are experiencing with delivery of fleet. Where additional fleet is required, retaining and repurposing fleet that would originally have been flagged for disposal is an approach. Opening our minds up to vehicle brands that we haven’t previously considered as part of our Fleet make up such as the emerging Chinese manufactured brands that are in the market.
How do you think the fleet industry will change in the longer term? Technology advancements and emission targets will be the big determinants of how the fleet industry changes in the future. Car share schemes, technology tools that will allow for efficiency in intra and interstate transportation which facilitate backloading to avoid empty trucks travelling the roads will possibly change the make-up and size of Fleet in some organisations. Utilisation of Fleet and increasing utilisation to ensure Fleet assets are used as efficiently as possible is something that organisations need to be addressing now and into the future.
What do you think fleet practitioners should think about to be ready for the future? I think all Fleet practitioners should be thinking about how efficient their Fleet operation is and how well utilised the Fleet they manage is. The Fleet business can be a significant overhead for organisations and the ability to demonstrate efficiency from an operational and financial perspective at any time should be at the forefront of Fleet practitioners minds.
How should fleet practitioners better prepare themselves to be leaders? I am a big advocate of living the day in the life or our staff so we can better understand what their working life is like, the challenges they experience in a day and what we can do as leaders to improve their working life from a satisfaction and productivity perspective.
If you could change one thing about your career in fleet, what would that be? At present I have a significant change agenda in the way Fleet operates within the City. Unfortunately change takes time, so if I could wave a wand and effect the change now, I would be very satisfied.
What’s your favourite sport and team you follow? Motorsport is a passion of mine and I to have a leaning towards the 888 team. I also follow closely F1, Nascar, Dakar and MotoGP. I also enjoy watching rugby league but don’t support any particular team and prefer to admire the talent of players and the skills they bring to the game.
