Larissa M. Clinard, CAFM^®: Five Tips For Right-Sizing Your Fleet

By Larissa M. Clinard, CAFM, Fleet Manager, J. F. Ahern Co.

Is your fleet “right-sized”? Does the thought of right-sizing your fleet conjure up unpleasant conversations with managers about vehicle utilization? It certainly doesn’t have to, if you consider these five suggestions:

1. Understand the Objective of Right-Sizing Many managers hear “right-sizing” and immediately think “downsizing.” Right-sizing should cover much more than a simple utilization equation. Before you begin a right-sizing exercise, know your end goal. Are you looking to rid your fleet of under-utilized vehicles and equipment? Evaluate whether your vehicles have the appropriate cargo or passenger capacity for how they are being used. Do you have too many of one type of equipment and not enough of another? Understanding what kind of right-sizing you are trying to achieve is paramount to success.

2. Know Your Fleet A right-sizing effort must begin with a good understanding of your fleet. It may sound obvious, but do you know what you have and how it is being used? Do you have any specialized vehicles or upfits that will need to be considered differently than other vehicles? Ensuring you understand your assets and how they are being used allows you to consider options most effectively.

3. Know When to Be Boldly Different Sometimes, the most fruitful right-sizing activity requires
creative or previously unutilized options. Though it can require extra effort and may be met with resistance initially, approaching right-sizing conversations and analysis with a goal to divert from “the way it’s always been” can produce meaningful results.

4. Get Stakeholders on Board As with any important initiative, buy-in from your key stakeholders can mean the difference between success and failure. Have a meaningful dialogue with those who will be impacted. Prepare for those discussions with a clear plan at the ready, supported by facts and targeted savings or efficiencies.

5. Revisit Right-Sizing Often Ideally, right-sizing should be an ongoing activity, a continuous mindset for improvement. This can help avoid the negative association that right-sizing connotes, being only for when it is time to reduce assets or find savings. Knowing that the fleet is continually identifying ways to maximize its resources helps to build trust and credibility with leadership.