THE DIVISION OF FLEET MANAGEMENT: 1997 BENCHMARK REPORT

The Division of Fleet Management is the administrative unit in the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) that manages the centralized fleet in accordance with Section 33.1-402 of the Code of Virginia. As of June 30, 1996, the centralized fleet consisted of 2,799 vehicles, of which 168 were assigned to the trip pool. Trip pool vehicles are used primarily by state employees in the greater Richmond area for short-term trips and travel, on average, between 65 and 70 miles (105 and 113 km) per day. The main goal of this benchmark study was to replicate the 1994 Minnesota benchmark study to determine how the practices of the Division of Fleet Management compared with more recent marketplace practices. The survey participants consisted of the Division of Fleet Management, the centralized fleets administered by five states (Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and Wisconsin), the U.S. General Services Administration, and the 3M and Xerox corporations. The results of this study indicated that the Division of Fleet Management has continued to meet or exceed the five marketplace practices from the Minnesota study that were relevant to Virginia. Further, VDOT is continually looking at the best practices in the fleet industry to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Division of Fleet Management.