Several factors key to municipal fleet management: Experts

San Antonio — Training and technology are important parts of a successful municipal fleet management program, according to experts who spoke Monday at the Public Risk Management Association’s annual meeting.

Management leadership and buy-in, however, are also a critical component, they said.

”The most successful programs I’ve seen are where the top person is fully behind it and lives and preaches it. It really works,” said Tiffany Allen, territory manager for public sector services in Monroe, North Carolina, for Travelers Cos. Inc.

Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of workplace fatalities and are also the most costly work-related claims, Ms. Allen said, citing data from the National Safety Council.

Exposures can span the gamut from flooding to cyber exposures, said Sarah Sylvis, risk/benefits manager for the city of Franklin, Tennessee, about 20 miles south of Nashville.

She said risk managers must think about what types of vehicles are on the road. Franklin, for example, has officers on both bicycles and motorcycles.

Other types of vehicles could include 12- and 15-passenger vans and even golf carts, which pose a potentially greater exposure threat because they often do not have the safety systems and equipment of other, larger vehicles, Ms. Allen said.

Training, including clear definition and goals, is fundamental to successfully managing risks.

“Are you conducting driver safety training either annually or as part of corrective behavior,” Ms. Silvis, perhaps in the wake of an accident or other incident. “How are you managing and investigating accidents.?”

Telematics, sensors and other equipment that can record driver behavior and variables such as speed and braking can also be a valuable part of a fleet risk management program, Ms. Allen said.  “We love that people have them,” she said, adding that such onboard systems have become much more prevalent in fleets.

A fleet management program should have a safety manual that is detailed and specific and includes items proscribed by law, such as wearing a seat belt, Ms. Sylvis said.

”Even if it’s against the law, you still have to put it in your safety manual,” she said.