Elite Fleets

What is an Elite Fleet? Elite Fleet is an honorary title given to the top fleet in The 100 Best Fleets in the Americas program. Elite Fleets lead the way in innovative and efficient fleet management. This title brings recognition from neighboring fleets as well as national organizations. Once given this title, the fleets are ineligible to compete again for the next five years. The winners of The 100 Best Fleets are announced and awarded at the NAFA I&E. The following is the top 10 of the 2017 100 Best Fleet winners:

1.      City of Chesapeake, VA
2.      City of Bellevue, WA
3.      Alameda County, CA
4.     San Luis Obispo County, CA
5.     DeKalb County, GA
6.     City of Riverside, CA
7.     City of Durham, NC
8.     City of Tempe, AZ
9.     Hillsborough County, FL
10.    The University of Texas at Austin, TX

      Congratulations to our home town, the City of Tempe, for making the top ten!!

How does one become an Elite Fleet? Here are some tips from the experts, aka previous Best Fleet winners.

Maximize ROI

• Maximizing the vehicle return on investment can provide revenue for upfitting fleet vehicles or purchasing new, innovative fleet technologies.
• Having a large fleet means disposal of hundreds of vehicles annually. Creating a higher resale value can provide large savings.
• Vehicle ROI needs to be considered during initial truck acquisition.
• Small details such as adding a bed-liner to a pickup truck, tinting the windows in warmer climates, and picking a popular paint color such as white can increase resale value.
• Bolt-on truck bodies damage both the pickup truck and the service body itself. Fleetwest offer slip-on models that won’t damage the vehicle and are easily removed for a higher resale value and maximized ROI.

Rightsizing a Fleet

• Rightsizing a fleet can mean either increasing or decreasing the number of vehicles and drivers.
• Using vehicles utilization studies can help determine an accurate number of trucks with maximum utilization.
• Underused vehicles or equipment can be sold at auction to increase ROI.
• Integrating transferable truck bodies into a fleet provides more versatility and eliminates the need to purchase more pickup trucks. Load’N’Go truck bodies can be removed from one truck to another when needed if the pickup truck is in the shop or a technician is out.

Load'N'Go Open Bed by Fleetwest
(shown on optional jacks)

Vehicle Maintenance

• Many government fleets develop maintenance partnerships. This strategy works well for both the fleet and the partner because they can benefit from fleet services.
• Investing in durable and secure fleet vehicles and service bodies can reduce overall maintenance costs. Fleetwest service bodies are easily transferred from on pickup truck bed to another, fully loaded, when it comes time for vehicle maintenance. This reduces downtime which in turn saves money.

Durashell 175 by Fleetwest

Go Green

• Investing in a green fleet, when rightsizing or initially acquiring vehicles, initially saves money in fuel costs; and provides companies with an environmental stamp of approval.
• Some organizations have invested in hiring a green fleet coordinator to advise on the best way to incorporate environmental technology into a fleet.
• Goals can be set to reduce fleet petroleum fuel, carbon emissions, and overall environmental impact.
• Lightweight vehicles require less fuel and reduce carbon emissions. Durashell service bodies are made of a lightweight fiberglass composite and can reduce fuel costs to create a greener fleet.

Interested in creating an Elite Fleet of your own? Fleetwest can help with that! Call us for a quote today, toll-free in the U.S. (866) 497-7200 or visit www.fleetwest.net