s might be expected, fuel costs and management is a top concern. For ways in which fleet managers acquire fuel, 48% comes from on-site gas stations, 36% from gas station chains with which they have pre-negotiated rates and the remainder is purchased by credit card or cash.
In the survey of 200 private fleet managers, nationwide (with a 25% response rate), one-third said they were having difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified technicians. A large number of them have been engaged in the war in Iraq. Ways in which fleet managers handle truck maintenance service find 34% handling the work on–site with their own staffs, 23% completely outsourcing their maintenance, 2% having contracted with a third party to operate their maintenance operations and 42% balancing alternative solutions.
The survey indicates there is some frustration on the part of fleet managers on having to constantly justify their private fleets and company shops as opposed to outsourced alternative sources.
As with public carriers – whether truckload or less than truckload – respondents are having to try to control expenses, particularly as they apply to escalating fuel costs, reductions in fuel economy as engines change in response to new emissions standards and driver shortages that entail increased wages as part of the solution. www.firstfleet.com
