Automobile fleet management can be boiled down to three main ingredients: the buying, the operating, and the disposal of the vehicle. If a fleet administrator is versed in these phases he is considered a professional manager. If he knows how to operate successfully in these three areas he can be one of the most valuable weapons in management's arsenal.

Problems occur in a fleet manager's program when special problems arise in any of these three areas in which the fleet administrator is unsure of his ground ... when the manager is engaged in activities in which he is not versed. Of the three, perhaps the most difficult phase of fleet operation for the administrator to master is cost control . . . the operation of the fleet on a day-to-day basis in the most economical manner.

For this reason, two articles in this month's issue should be of special interest to our readers. In cooperation with the Dartnell Corp., AUTOMOTIVE FLEET is presenting on Page 16 the first of a six-part series dealing with Business Car Allowances, Controls and Fleet Management Practices. For our first article, we selected the topic of the management of Business Car Operations. Succeeding articles will deal with Operating Costs of Business Cars, Maintenance and Repair Practices, Depreciation Methods and Trade-in Policies, Cost Control Programs and Driver Training and Safety Programs.

Also of special interest to our readers should be a new standing AF feature . . . "Fleet Talk." This 'column will be written by three of the most professional fleet administrators in the country: William Schneider of Employers Insurance of Wausau, Lee Westberg of Gerber Products Co., and A. J. Cavalli of C.I.T. Financial Corp.

Cavalli and Westberg are former AF Achievement Award winners, Cavalli is the newly elected president of the National Association of Fleet Administrators. Schneider is constantly in demand to speak before numerous organizations on how to set up a fleet administration program.

The column that these experts will author will deal with cost control . . . tips on how fleet administrators can save money through various programs and procedures. Fleet Talk will not get involved in philosophical discussions on control but will get down to the nitty-gritty details of how administrators can save money. Westberg's first column on air conditioning-tinted glass is, I believe, very enlightening.

For his first column, Schneider will discuss the economy of the eight-cylinder versus the six-cylinder engine. Does it save money on operation? Is the added cost of the eight worth it to the company and the driver in terms of added comfort? What about trade-in money?

Cavalli's first column will deal with how fleet managers can maintain fleet operating statistics thereby providing improved control of expenses.

We at AF are very pleased to have three such knowledgeable men as authors of Fleet Talk. We feel that the column will offer the administrator helpful hints for everyday business problems. We look forward to your comments on Fleet Talk.