Kern County in California had experienced eight consecutive years of significant cuts to its fleet management budget. The cuts forced the county to keep vehicles in its fleet well beyond 10 years, which led to increased maintenance fees, longer downtime for vehicles, lower gas mileage and higher emissions, as well as reliability and safety concerns.
“Without the capital to purchase new vehicles, we started looking at leasing options,” said Sandi Formhals, Kern County Senior Chief Administrative Officer Manager. “Enterprise Fleet Management’s program caught our attention and made us realize that there was an easier, safer way to meet the county’s transportation needs that took into account the total cost of vehicle ownership, including factors like maintenance, downtime, fuel efficiency and resale.”
As part of the initial pilot program, Enterprise Fleet Management helped Kern County acquire and manage a fleet of 111 vehicles. The county has more than 350 10-year-old vehicles in its fleet and anticipates even greater cost savings as the program is scaled in the future.
Enterprise Fleet Management partners with hundreds of state and local government agencies throughout North America to improve fleet performance while reducing costs. As a fleet management provider to public agencies, Enterprise Fleet Management also helps improve fuel efficiency, increase productivity and reduce overall fleet size by identifying and minimizing fleet surpluses.
Kern County is just one of more than 130 government agencies Enterprise Fleet Management serves across the state of California.
California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Executive Director Graham Knaus presented Kern County, Calif., with a 2018 Merit Award this week for the county’s partnership with Enterprise Fleet Management. Through the partnership, the county expects to save $2 million in vehicle maintenance and replacement costs over the next five years.
“It’s an honor to create award-winning transportation solutions for our customers,” said Robert Guglielmo, Director of Enterprise Fleet Management in Sacramento. “This recognition is a reflection of the hard work and dedication that both Kern County and our employees have invested in meeting the needs of the community. We look forward to expanding this program to maximize cost savings for the county in the future.”
