May 2009, Automotive Fleet - Feature
9 Mistakes to Avoid When Playing 'Musical Cars'
Many of those millions laid off during this recession’s corporate downsizings drove company cars. The process of reassigning vehicles retrieved from terminated employees can lead to errors. Here’s how to avoid them.
By Mike Antich
7. Vehicle Reassignment
Work with your transportation company to help reassign the right vehicle to the right driver. "Utilizing the 'first in/first out' theory may save you substantial storage fees if accepted by the driver or reassigning the oldest model-year first. Your transportation company can provide valuable input to help with these reassignments," said Langness.
8. Single-Day Turn-InDepending on the number of vehicles involved in the downsizing, it can be a mistake to try to schedule the pickup of all vehicles on the same day. "Multiple-phase turn-ins can be much easier for the fleet manager to manage and increases the chance of success. This is primarily true with larger reverse expansions," said Betz.
9. In-Transit Issues Set up parameters with your transportation company so staff knows what they can and cannot do if you are unreachable. "Situations, such as dirty vehicles, breakdowns after hours, etc., need to be addressed immediately so you do not incur driver downtime charges," said Langness.