The name of the fleet management game is cost control . . . How to operate your fleet at the lowest possible cost is the difference between good fleet management and a deficit on the company's profit and loss statement.. . Because of this concern over cost control, AUTOMOTIVE FLEET will begin running a monthly column, Fleet Talk ... The column will be dedicated to providing fleet administrators with helpful hints on how to cut costs .. . The column will be written by three of the country's top fleet administrators, Lee Westberg, Bill Schneider and A. J. Cavalli ... We at AF hope that Fleet Talk will be a constant source of information as to how fleet managers can cut costs and save their company money.

The usage of air conditioning as an authorized accessory has steadily grown in popularity in recent years, according to a survey published by the National Association of Fleet Administrators for the 1969 model year. A total of 63% of the anticipated purchases during the year will include air conditioned vehicles. This represents a gain of 12 percentile over the previous model year and will undoubtedly continue to show comparable gains in the ensuing years.

One question that continually arises in conjunction with the use of air conditioners is that of tinted glass. All of the manufacturers recommend the use of tinted glass with "air" as it is purported to increase the cooling efficiency of the air conditioner, particularly in the Southern sections of the country.

While this statement is undoubtedly completely factual, from a fleet standpoint, a question is raised as to the economic feasibility of the use of tinted glass. Not only is it costly, but there has been a complete lack of resale value connected with this specific item. In our experience, we have yet to encounter a dealership that would increase his allowance one cent on an air-conditioned used car, merely because of tinted glass.

Consider for a moment the cost impact of this accessory item on your fleet operation. The initial charge for tinted glass throughout the car, will be in the neighborhood of $32.50. State sales tax, averaging about 4%, will add approximately $1.30 to this for a total of $33.80 per car. Assuming a minimum 2 year retention period for the vehicle, the cost of capital invested on tinted glass, will be about $2.40 per year (@ 7%) or $4.80. This, then, will amount to $38.60 for the period, or an average of $19.30 per car annually. Operating 500 air conditioned units in a fleet will amount to $9,650 additional expense each year just for this item alone! Proportionately, this cost would be directly affected according to the specific size of a fleet operation. With no improvement in resale value attributable to tinted glass, there is no recoupment of expenditures when these units are replaced.

If the use of tinted glass is restricted to the windshield only, your costs will still amount to a considerable sum. The windshield differential for tinted glass runs about $20 which, when extended in a similar manner, will result in an additional cost of $6,000 annually for this size air-conditioned fleet.

In the event of a windshield impairment or breakage, replacement cost for tinted glass will run approximately 17% higher than regular glass. This will result in higher costs for comprehensive coverage on glass, particularly if your fleet should be self-insured.

Another factor to consider is that of a safety nature through reduced visibility. According to studies made by the American Academy of Optometry, it was found that tinted windows reduce vision, particularly at night, to the point where it could be considered hazardous. There has been much controversy on this point, however. Manufacturers contend that tinted glass does not impair nighttime vision although, logically, it would seem that the tinting process would have some effect on vision. Anything that reduces day-time glare, would have to have an adverse effect on one's nighttime ability to see. After all, sunglasses are great on a sunny clay, but one doesn't logically wear them at night!

According to a recent observation by the Runzheimer Company, a much more practical approach to the cooling capacity of an air-conditioned car lies in the color selection rather than tinted glass. In their publication, they made reference to the fact that tinted glass will only lower the inside body temperature of a car by about 2°F. On the other hand, a light colored car (preferably white) will reduce inside temperature by as much as 15°F on a hot day as that compared to a dark colored car.

So, it appears from a fleet standpoint, a more effective course of action to follow on air-conditioned units is to refrain from the usage of tinted glass or windshields in its' entirely. Instead, utilize a light colored shade on those units and save your company a substantial sum of money in operating expense.