Work Truck Magazine, February 2018

FEBRUARY 2018 WORK TRUCK 9 Webfleet It offers a web based fleet management system and a suite of management services Editor Leave Business at the Office n I do agree with the argument in the January issue editorial of not allowing vocational trucks in homeowner association residential areas Some people move to communities like this to raise families and leave the business back at the office They want a community that includes kids and the basketball hoop Vocational trucks dont really fit that mold Roger Clow Fleet Manager Ventura County Fire Protection District Oxnard Calif Trucks with DOT Number n The January 2018 editorial on Discrimination Against Vocational Vehicles was a great article We had a driver who couldnt have DOT numbers on his company pickup and had to park it outside his HOA He wanted a magnetic strip with the DOT number so he could take it off at night which we denied We made him leave the pickup at the shop and drive back to the shop every day to get it Brenda Wilson Strategic Consulting Fleet Manager Merchants Fleet Management Evans Colo Suppliers Can Offer Insights n The editorial Are You Underutilizing Your Suppliers did an excellent job in discussing how many fleet managers in particular those operating vocational fleets dont reach out to seek their advice This is a mistake since suppliers can offer insights fleet managers might not know nor have the time to learn Lori Rasmussen President PARS Inc Gainesville Va Be More Open Minded n The December 2017 editorial on utilizing fleet supplier expertise was good that were in and out at all hours of the night and semi tractors in residential drives that were started for an early morning departure or in some cases left idling all night So not discrimination in this case but an overall lack of respect for others John Croop CAFM Fleet Services Superintendent Kent State University Kent Ohio Whats More Important n I agree with the January 2018 editorial entitled Discrimination Against Vocational Vehicles We have run into this before as we have branded vehicles for companies all over the country In some instances it has deterred entrepreneurs companies from having a branded vehicle at all which is a shame considering the effectiveness of branding or wrapping a vehicle I guess at some point one has to decide what is more important the community in which they live or the job they do to serve that community Jason Yost President Fetch Graphics Janesville Wis Solution Magnetic Branding n I read the blog about homeowner associations discriminating against vocational vehicles and would like to suggest that companies use magnetic branding as a solution it can be removed and reapplied and is very cheap Other advantages of magnetic branding are that it speeds up order to delivery it is easier to sell vehicles without branding and the magnetic branding is transferable to other vehicles There are disadvantages however such as employees may not put the magnetic branding on the vehicle it can be stolen unlikely and it does not look as good Duncan Ward General Manager Smartfleet Melbourne Victoria Australia Smartfleet was created in a merger of Australian Vehicle Consultants and written in straightforward language To make your point work it requires Customers to be more open minded on value creation Sellers account managers to share valuable insight centered on the customers business issues Fleet exists to enable the organization to achieve key aims its not there for any other reason I see this more collaborative approach fail for several key reasons Sellers cant offer quality perspective and insight They can only talk product features which has limited value to the customer and is certainly not hardwired to the big issues the customer is grappling with beyond the fleet department Customers feel that inviting suppliers in will result in them trying to sell when actually the customer is first looking for a better way Suppliers are engaged solely with the wrong people such as procurement Procurement is there to execute a business need and while sometimes it is open to more value based solutions often times it isnt True insight sales organizations engage earlier in the buying process and at exec level and not on product months before procurement get involved Your points in the editorial and the ones in this letter are true for all other B2B sectors Paul Roberts Managing Director New Oxford Advisory Consulting Oxfordshire U K Striving for Excellence n The Work Truck blog What Do You Love About the Fleet Industry was a great article Personally I have grown to love the fleet industry because its a rather robust niche where everyone is constantly learning and growing More than any other industry I think the fleet world impacts more people around the world because of the striving for excellence in safety sustainability efficiency and creativity Lori Olson Fleet Director Pulse Protects Indianapolis Ind