A recent report by the General Accounting Office, the watchdog of the federal government, clearly emphasizes the value of the fleet administrator and points up the strange ways of a bureaucratic government.

The GAO, which has uncovered all sorts of fraud, and waste in government, reported that the U. S. Air Force spent $2,000 to repair a 1959 station wagon that could have been replaced for $1,800. As a further bit of illogic, the Air Force then proceeded to spend another $2,000 on repair jobs on the same vehicle, over the next 12 months! The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the Air Force officer responsible for the vehicle apparently feels that the auto industry built a better car in 1959 than it does today.

The Chicago Sun-Times, commenting editorially on this waste, said: "The easiest way to look at this sort of governmental bungling is to imagine the reception you would get from a banker if you walked into his bank and tried to get a loan of $2,000 to repair a station wagon. The first question would be the value of the station wagon - the collateral. And when the banker learned, as he would instantly, that a new station wagon could be purchased for less money than it would require to repair the old one - that would be the end of the conversation. Except for sound advice about handling your money. Maybe the Air Force needs some banker or some sound advice about how to handle the taxpayer's money."

While the Sun-Times has a good point - bureaucrats can always use good advice - what the Air Force could really use is a good fleet-administrator. It goes without saying that a fleet administrator is necessary to the economical operation of a car fleet. Being close to the scene, a fleet manager knows if his vehicles are operating at an economical rate. And if they are not, he knows what to do. A wise fleet: manager knows when it is economical to trade, or when it is more economical to repair. He knows how to get the most out of his maintenance dollar.

The value of a competent fleet administrator is easily demonstrated by the fact that with a fleet of 400 cars traveling 8,000,000 miles annually, a fleet administrator who cuts cost only ½ cent per mile will save his company $40,000 per year in transportation costs. To this end, many companies give their fleet administrators almost complete control over company vehicles.

Unfortunately, it hasn't always been this way. In the early days, many fleet managers had total responsibility without any authority. They were merely garage foremen simply because the job of running a fleet required someone with mechanical knowledge. However, as fleets grew in size, it became necessary for fleet managers to become not only familiar with vehicles and maintenance but with other phases of fleet management as well. He had to know accounting practices as well as tire procedures; cost control as well as vehicle maintenance.

There is no doubt that the fleet administrator today has become a highly respected member of his company's management team. One organization that has done much to promote the stature of the fleet manager is the National Assn. of Fleet Administrators. Founded as a nonprofit organization in March, 1957. it was formed by a group of fleet administrators who recognized that the fleet management field had become highly specialized and needed a management association for the dissemination of fleet information and procedures.