
The 2022 Fleet Visionary nominees represent a wide swath of all that's possible in fleet.
Photo: Getty Images
The Fleet Visionary will be presented at the 2022 Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) annual conference, which will be held in Tucson, Arizona, October 10-13 at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa.
This year’s theme is “Forward Together,” and the nominees below helped lead their teams through another year of global supply shortages, skyrocketing fuel costs, and more.
The award, exclusively sponsored by Merchants Fleet, recognizes and celebrates bold voices in fleet management.
Sabrina Masse
Buyer, Bath Fitter
Years in fleet: 5
Photo: Masse
Masse always participates in beta or pilot testing to stay abreast of new rollouts. Through telematics and real time/accurate odometers, Masse has a view into driver behavior and can ensure that drivers are staying current with preventative maintenance and operating the company vehicles safely. To keep the new vehicles operating as efficiently as possible, Masse knows that proactive preventative maintenance is very important and works to ensure the vehicles are operating at the highest levels possible.
Patrick Mitchell
Senior fleet manager, Enel North America
Years in fleet: 6
Photo: Mitchell
Finally, Mitchell has worked on a company project regarding key performance indicators to plan how Enel can expand hybrid and EV implementations to help fulfill its sustainability goals. Integrating hybrids has yielded reductions in emissions and gains in fuel economy. To date in 2022, 15% of all miles travelled in the Enel fleet utilized a hybrid vehicle and the proportion is increasing. Of those hybrids, 87% of those miles were travelled by pickup trucks that have averaged 12% better fuel economy than their non‐electrified counterparts, reducing CO2 output of nearly six tons.
Since 2018, hybrid vehicles in the fleet have averaged 61% better fuel economy saving an estimated 6,100 gallons of gasoline - a 60‐ton decrease in carbon emissions overall. Enel’s sustainability successes provided the building blocks for incremental growth and poised for tremendous expansion just as advancements in hybrid vehicles, PHEVs, and EVs hit the market. Hybrid vehicles offered sustainable, safe, reliable, and efficient transportation for all regions and weather conditions. For EVs, common stereotypes and hesitations broke down once employees drove them. Further, employees that drive hybrids and EVs have a tremendous sense of pride in their vehicles. Certainly, battery range is a consideration, but any concerns are easily overcome through use of technological resources and proper planning.
Mitchell has been instrumental in transforming the Enel fleet, reducing emissions, and changing driver mindsets regarding hybrids and EVs.
Gary Prasad, City of New York – DCAS Fleet
Field Services Specialist
Years in fleet: 10
Photo: Prasad
In 2014, DCAS launched a truck side-guards safety initiative. This effort is now subject to two different local laws and the largest truck side-guard program in North America, with 4,300 side-guard installations completed so far. Prasad works with agencies and the vendors that DCAS and Volpe have qualified to install side-guards. He coordinates the retrofits, works with mechanic inspectors to ensure quality installation, and does the citywide side-guard tracking.
Prasad will soon play a new and equally critical role as the initiative is expanded from city fleet trucks to those working under private city contractors. Prasad also coordinated the city’s Fleet Share program. In 2021, DCAS was given one year to find, vet, and contract for a new service in this unique area. Prasad led a time-sensitive installation and training process for nearly 500 units shared across and within agencies.
Prasad has received multiple honors and awards during his time at DCAS. In 2017 he represented DCAS at an IIHS roundtable discussion on sideguards, and in 2019 he was invited to the mayor’s State of the City address due to his exemplary customer service and his work on sustainability.
Prasad follows a simple and powerful idea, “dedication makes dreams come true.” The projects he has advanced have all been quite successful and telematics reveals a decrease in serious collisions. The fleet is on track to finish sideguard and camera installs under his leadership and is working toward new projects that can help manage speed, vehicle utilization, and resource allocation.
Darren Scott
Senior sourcing and merchandise category manager, Land O’Lakes
Years in fleet: 2
Photo: Scott
Scott began by surveying for all assets in place across business units and physical locations and conducting a comparison against third-party vendors to reconcile records with physical assets. From here he moved into reviewing fleet operations.
Within operations he identified opportunity in the purchasing processes and centralization of operation services. Scott saw the need for and implemented an expanded lease program, limiting the acquisition partnerships to two choices instead of the multiple and disparate options previously provided. Scott also established a new contract for medium- and heavy-duty acquisition with necessary upfitting.
To centralize operations, he consolidated all programs under one Sourcing role and primary FMC for full visibility of a centralized database, maintenance, fuel spend, registrations, and integrated reporting, all while negotiating a self-taught crash course in fleet.
The initiative was extremely successful and created a path to achieve improvement and efficiencies across multiple areas of the Land O’Lakes, Inc. fleet through a modern, streamlined fleet program. Beginning with the auditing and termination of over 900 antiquated or missing assets from multiple databases, he consolidated and continues to consolidate all vehicles into one FMC database, providing Land O’Lakes with full fleet visibility and control of all assets. The program now allows for over 30 medium- and heavy-duty acquisitions with upfitting annually.
Furthermore, Scott established a CMVC program to handle IFTA, IRP for look up, state taxes, road use, and DOT needs teamed with his EH&S plus Transportation partners. He implemented a fuel program consolidation plan for leased, pool, client-owned, and commercial vehicles, providing visibility for cost management and spend controls. The fleet program now has aggregated visibility for vehicle inventory, fuel, maintenance, commercial registrations, and plate renewals along with consolidated reporting. Scott’s organizational skills, passion, and vision has positioned the Land O’Lakes fleet for the future.
Click here to vote for the 2022 Fleet Visionary of the Year!
0 Comments
See all comments