Element Fleet Management

A global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products noticed their maintenance costs were increasing for their fleet of delivery tractors. The customer was currently cycling their tractors after seven to eight years with 700,000 to 800,000 miles. They asked Element Fleet Management’s Strategic Consulting team to analyze their replacement parameters and recommend an optimal time to cycle the tractors.

Custom Fleet, a part of Element Fleet Management Corporation, has been operating in Australia and New Zealand for about 40 years, managing over 100,000 vehicles for more than 1000 of the largest corporates, including New Zealand Government fleets. The company has been actively involved in supporting clients in their transition to electric vehicles (EVs). The challenge lies in the fact that many organizations are keen on transitioning to EVs but are unsure about where to start or how to approach the transition. The transition process involves not just the selection of suitable EVs but also the installation of charging infrastructure, energy audits, and the management of charging transactions and costs. Furthermore, the company also needs to stay updated with the latest in emerging innovations and regulatory changes in the EV ecosystem.

The customer, a company serving the energy industry, was facing a challenge of not having visibility into the location of all its vehicles at all times. This was particularly problematic when an emergency response was needed. The company did not have a handle on its inventory and did not know where all its vehicles were located. In addition, the customer’s DOT-related compliance was ineffective, and it wanted to increase compliance in case of an audit.

The customer, a construction company, operated a fleet of tractor trailers to haul product in regional areas across the United States. They were struggling with a lack of standardization across their fleet and complying with legal standards. A specific challenge they faced was the “spring thaw” in northern Midwest states which requires trucks to reduce axle weight during spring months to protect roadways. To ensure compliance, the company either had to find a way to reduce axle weight or had to avoid the specified state highways during that time period. This was impacting their customer service, productivity and costs.

A U.S.-based multinational energy company needed a comprehensive solution to align 150+ decentralized company-run van pools, offered as an employee transportation benefit. With no direct business owner assigned to the overall operation, the customer turned to Element as a trusted resource for vehicle sourcing, management assistance, consolidated billing and delivery of a consistent employee experience. The customer needed 150+ passenger vans equipped with specific amenities. The customer wanted Element directly involved as a business partner, to work with them to source and manage the units.

The customer’s sales reps transport sensitive medical equipment to surgery centers/hospitals to oversee eye surgeries. The equipment needs to be securely transported in the vehicle but also between the vehicle and the operating room. Instances of damage to the equipment from moving around in the truck and damage occurring after the equipment was unloaded were noted as well as safety concerns for the drivers.

The customer's stand-alone generator sets were experiencing high failure rates and were prone to theft. The trucks were diesel powered and the generator sets used gas to power their tools, resulting in frequent fueling mix-ups and higher maintenance costs. In addition, the current generators experienced a high rate of burnouts from being used so much and as gas was their source of power, drivers had to bring gas cans with them. Some field customers would not permit this and the trucks were not allowed on site – impacting our customer’s ability to service their customers.

A regionally-based paint store chain was looking to reduce costs and improve efficiencies in its fleet operations. They were using ½ ton and ¾ ton cargo and passenger vans for both their sales and delivery vehicles. The company wanted to become more streamlined in this area and decided to hand over the management of their fleet to the experts at Element and its Fleet Manager Program. One of the first tasks they assigned to Element was determining the best vehicle for their sales fleet.

In 2021, an Element client, like many other fleets, planned to place factory vehicle orders for their fall order cycle. However, they soon discovered that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) had cut off ordering due to the client's vehicle needs exceeding the OEM allocation. The fall order exceeded the allocation by 50 units. The client had an additional 50-unit order planned for 2022, which meant they needed to find a solution for the 100 units that needed replacement. The challenge was to navigate the OEM controlled ordering allocations and find a way to fulfill the client's vehicle needs.

Zachry Construction, a mid-sized construction company, was facing significant operational challenges in managing its fleet of vehicles. The company was struggling with the maintenance, acquisition, and operation of its vehicles, which was becoming an increasingly complex and time-consuming task. The financial burden of purchasing new trucks every four or five years was also proving to be unsustainable. The company was in need of a solution that could streamline its fleet operations, reduce costs, and ensure the efficient use of its vehicles.

The customer was looking for a way to reduce the total cost of its material handling equipment used in its warehouses across the country. The customer’s corporate office had no visibility into its forklift inventory or related costs within each of its 80 branch locations. Several branches have low asset usage needs and believed rentals were a better option than leasing new equipment.

The customer, a company in the consumer goods industry, was experiencing declining service levels with their current fleet management company. Their drivers were not receiving the level of customer service and support they required to keep them and their vehicles on the road and in compliance. The customer initiated an RFP process to review products and services provided by major fleet management companies to improve their service levels.

A national automotive supplier was looking to reduce the costs of its service fleet, which consisted of light, medium, and heavy trucks. The company also prioritized improving driver safety and sought recommendations on how to achieve these goals. The challenge was to find a solution that could help the company monitor its fleet, reduce costs, and enhance driver safety.

A director at a leading oil and gas pipeline company set an initiative to cut costs by 1 cent per mile within his department. The cost-saving measures had to be reasonable to implement and not hinder current business processes. The company needed to find a way to analyze their enormous amount of fleet data to uncover potential savings opportunities and recommend a course of action to achieve the desired results.

The construction tool manufacturer was looking to optimize its fleet of 1,400 vehicles to maximize productivity, improve safety, and decrease maintenance costs. The company also had specific fuel efficiency sustainability guidelines based on its European parent company’s fleet. The company faced issues with ergonomics, limited visibility due to upfitting design, loading weight distribution, exceeding allowed weight of loads and excessive idling, all of which impacted safety, maintenance, depreciation and fuel economy.

An energy utility company was looking to reduce costs and improve driver safety. The company managed its fleet in-house, only outsourcing upfitting specifications/design and maintenance to separate third parties. The company decided to move to an outsourced model, where Element Fleet Management would spec and facilitate vehicle engineering, ordering and delivery, as well as manage fuel cards, safety and maintenance.

An electric utility company was tasked internally to drive down operating costs. The focus was specifically placed on reducing accidents/liability and fuel spend. The company was looking for a solution that could help them enforce speeding policies, decrease idling, increase seat belt use and reduce erratic driving behaviors.

A large beverage company was looking to add CNG trucks to their fleet of vehicles as part of a broader, corporate “green” initiative. However, the addition of these trucks also needed to make good business sense. The customer enlisted the help of an outside provider to lead the initial CNG pilot program. Unfortunately, the program did not go well. The trucks were spec’d incorrectly, fuel tank systems were recalled causing additional delays, and onsite fueling services were not available. The initial pilot took 18 months to get all 67 trucks in service. The customer was not satisfied with the pricing or service with their current vendor and turned to the experts at Element Fleet Management to oversee the second pilot.

The customer, a business services company, was under intense pressure to reduce costs associated with its material handling equipment used in its facilities. The customer operated approximately 70 units, mostly forklifts, in 11 sites around the United States. Each facility handled its own maintenance needs using a variety of manufacturers/providers. There was no centralized oversight or visibility into costs and effectiveness. The lack of centralized oversight led to a lack of visibility into the actual number of units and the costs associated with their maintenance.

The customer, a company serving the energy industry, was facing a challenge of not having visibility into the location of all its vehicles at all times. This was particularly problematic when an emergency response was needed. The company did not have a handle on its inventory and did not know where all its vehicles were located. In addition, the customer’s DOT-related compliance was ineffective, and it wanted to increase compliance in case of an audit.

The customer was seeking third-party expertise to enhance their in-house garage operations. Element’s truck consulting team conducted a field study at several of the customer’s in-house garage shops and identified several issues. These included an excess of inventory parts, the absence of a tire policy, inconsistent use of the maintenance software system, varied training provided to mechanics, lack of centralized purchasing programs, absence of a preventive maintenance checklist leading to numerous errors, and discrepancies in safety practices.

The customer, an oil and gas company with a fleet size of 3,000, was facing issues with their current truck insert. The insert was not user-friendly and had limited payload capacity, which resulted in lower productivity and difficulty in complying with weight restrictions for road use. The truck inserts were too heavy, potentially illegal for road standards, and ergonomics were ignored for driver safety and comfort. The customer was looking for a solution that would follow company policies, be deemed as valuable to drivers, and comply with strict legal standards.

A large customer in the oil and gas industry had more than 100 truck specs across all businesses and functions, making it nearly impossible to efficiently reassign vehicles when needed. Reassigned vehicles required additional upfits upon arrival, or to be sent elsewhere. Too many specs also extended and complicated the ordering process. The customer was looking to reduce the number of specs available but would need to get buy-in from both the current drivers as well as key decision makers within the company.

A Canadian-based service provider was seeking a comprehensive solution to improve its fuel efficiency and drive down costs in their 183-service van fleet. The customer was utilizing multiple alternative fuel options such as propane conversion along with gas service vans. Despite maximizing fuel discounts, the customer needed to identify more cost-saving opportunities. The challenge was to find a solution that would not only reduce fuel consumption but also provide a substantial savings opportunity for the customer.