Be Specific!

In the “old” days, prior to electronic vehicle ordering, the hardcopy vehicle order form included spaces for the driver’s name, address, and other pertinent information. One fleet manager recalls a driver who submitted the order form after filling in the phone number spaces (“H” for home and “W” for work) with 6-foot 1-inch (height) in the H space and 230 lbs. (weight) in the W space. In the Social Security spot, the driver entered, “Not yet!”

Subsequently, the company was very specific in requesting information; drivers come in all types.

Know Your Fluids

 A few years back, when a law enforcement fleet’s Police Interceptor experienced an oil consumption problem, the fleet manager asked techs to notify him when a Police Interceptor came in for service measuring low on oil. The manager planned to track down the officer who last fueled it and remind him or her to check the oil whenever filling with fuel.

A precinct fleet sergeant’s squad member brought her vehicle in for servicing, and the police unit was two quarts low on oil. The manager called the officer to explain the importance of checking the oil. She became upset and loudly claimed, “I checked the oil this morning before bringing it in for service and that little white box on the front of the engine was full!”

The fleet manager replied, “Yes, your power steering fluid is full, but the engine oil level was low.”