In Your Own Words: NAFA Members Are The Most Valuable Resource Available

For this month’s column, I am letting you, the Members and Affiliates who attended NAFA’s 2015 Institute & Expo in Orlando, Florida do the talking.

Recently, in a short post-I&E survey, we asked everyone who attended I&E to share their one biggest "take-away" idea from I&E. The idea behind this is to point out, or rather, have you point out, the extremely valuable ideas you get at NAFA’s I&E and to illustrate the value in attending I&E.

I’ve pared down the multitude of replies to the top fifteen, and I encourage you to read every entry on this list. While reading these, think about the dollar value of each of these ideas...I bet each one is worth tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars in real money. That’s pretty convincing evidence to use next time you need to justify your attendance at a NAFA meeting.

Here’s a sampling of what you had to say was your big take-away from I&E 2015:

From the "Deploying an Effective Fleet Policy" educational session I learned that using an electronic signature program like could be an effective tool for getting information to my drivers and obtaining their signature that they received/understand/will comply with the policy/procedure/training, etc. Since returning to the office I have met with our IT department to discuss the idea so they can see how it may be utilized company-wide, how much it would cost and what options are out there. I'm really anxious to get it approved and implemented...this could solve an on-going problem that I have been battling as long as I have been in this position. I am confident other departments would benefit from this easy solution as well. Why didn't I think of it before? Thank you NAFA!

I attended the "Effective Fleet Policy" session and I learned that the policy my organization put into place was woefully inadequate. We don't address any of the new "hot button" issues regarding new laws on marijuana use or concealed carry. I also learned that the policy is a living document and needs to be reviewed every year. When I returned, I immediately took steps to put these ideas into action. I'm learning that policy revision can be a steep uphill climb, but I'm not giving up.

I really like the keynote speaker that discussed "happiness." I have discussed that presentation multiple times to various departments in the County. Customer service is our number one goal, and how we interact with our customers is so important. A good attitude, a smile, and a simple greeting can go a long way.

"Distracted Driving & Cell Phone Use" - Trying to spread the word to family/friends/drivers that hands-free driving is no less distracting than actually talking on the phone and texting is not acceptable at all.

I really enjoyed the keynote speaker that talked about the "happiness factor." I have tried to start and end each day thinking of at least one positive thing since the conference, and I have noticed it has really helped! I don't get as stressed out over things every day, and I think it has even helped my approach to my customers (my drivers). They don't upset me as much as they used to, and I think that helps our communications because I don't want to just cut them off, which means they seem to ask (rather than demand) more questions of what I want and expect from them!

I wouldn't say one thing was the best in particular: there were many best take-away ideas. I always pick up great information going to the NAFA I&Es. From the vendors to the presentations to the networking sessions, it is a wonderful chance to learn new ideas and get important information while having fun at the same time.

My take-away is that NAFA members are the most valuable resource available to the Fleet Manager today. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience that members are more than happy to share with you. Not only can you learn from your peers, you can also establish awesome relationships!

My Agency sends many vehicles to auction each year and I discovered a way to remove the fuel from the tanks of vehicles prior to auction.

How to explain the difference in cost of preventive maintenance service compared to an oil change at vendors locations. I showed Bob Stanton's PowerPoint presentation on this topic to our Fleet Consolidation and Standardization Committee. This thorough visual explanation satisfied a member of the committee who had constantly been complaining about the cost of preventive maintenance in our garages and wanted to take his vehicles to [a local vendor] for service. The presentation has resulted in the committee members having a more positive attitude and understanding of the value of preventive maintenance performed by our technicians.

Best take-away idea was from distracted driving seminar (and) learning that my behavior in front of my kids and co-workers has a direct result on their behavior. Learning why our brains focus on the phone and the reward process. I now put my phone on silent mode and face the screen away from me while driving so that I do not hear it or see the screen. This has really stopped my distracted driving. I have already received comments from my kids at home, and I am telling all my co-workers and drivers as they call in to not text and drive. [The presentation] really struck a nerve with me, not just the real life stories, but sitting in that room and realizing my behavior as a leader and a fleet manager and a parent was not mimicking what I was saying.

The best take-away from NAFA for me was information that I received from a colleague regarding an effective telematics policy. We are in the process of deploying a new telematics solution to our drivers, and for the first time, our managers will have direct access to the data. It is important for me to have a good policy in place to set guidelines for acceptable use of the data, and for the drivers to feel comfortable that their privacy is not going to be compromised. My proposed policy is with our legal department now for review, and will hopefully be implemented very soon.

The best take-away idea I learned at NAFA's 2015 I&E involved outsourced vs in-house maintenance. Sometimes the outsourced maintenance will be the best solution, however cost alone should not be the only factor. A fleet manager should review quality, frequency of repairs, and other costs both internally and externally. What looks good on paper may not look good all around.

I attended a session titled "Turn Off the Engine". The speaker brought up another aspect of anti-idling policies and that was the environmental impact of idling. I have been trying to impress on staff the reduction in fuel, costs, and wear and tear on a vehicle when idling was reduced or stopped. The environmental side was something that I had never thought to really delve into. I looked at the list of chemicals in vehicle exhaust and put together the warning symbols that go along with them. I have given this information along with a study I found on the effects of breathing diesel exhaust to our Safety Coordinator to include in our safety meeting for our Operations Center.

Before attending this I&E in Orlando, I had struggled with the CAFM^® testing, not passing any exams in previous testing sessions. The CAFM^® Boot Camps and environment were ideal for positive study time, and I came away from this I&E passing four of the exams. I am going to continue my study habits along with helpful info I received in Orlando to achieve my goal of CAFM^® certification. Thank you!

Partners - that word has a whole different meaning to me now. When I thought about what a partner was, it was either my life partner or a business partner (sometimes a golf partner in a tournament). But the I&E showed me that each and every one of us, whether in our business or personal lives, are partners. Meaning that we should treat one another as if what we say or do has a direct impact on our own lives. With your life partner, you have patience, understanding, compromise, encouragement, etc. These are the same things we should practice when dealing with every single person in our daily lives.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Thank you, everyone, for making I&E such a tremendous success once again!

Sincerely,

Phillip E. Russo, CAE

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