Employing Technology and Oversight to Maximize Fleet Operations in LA County, California

Pamela Manning oversees one of the largest public fleets in America, the approximately 2,000 vehicles in the Los Angeles County, California, municipal fleet. In this interview, which is a synopsis of Manning's APWA presentation, she discusses how her organization is meeting the mandate of cutting costs by 7% and yet retaining the same service level.

Rather than seeing where she can cut costs, this savvy manager of one of America's largest public fleets has employed a variety of expense reduction activities and technologies designed to put tracking of her fleet and operators at the forefront of what's possible to attain. Find out how they've implemented a new software system that "speaks" to the financial system and how they capitalize on grants to cover the costs of retrofitting and re-powering their equipment.

Driving the Risk Out of Public Fleet Management: Change Behavior, Improve Road Safety, Impact the Bottom Line

There is a new safety concept involving an incab-mounted, split-screen camera that testing shows will significantly increase safety and reduce accidents. The interview is with APWA presenter, Del Lisk, Vice President of Safety Services for DriveCam, Inc.

In this article and audio interview, which includes two brief video clips of near accidents captured by his company's DriveCam, Lisk makes a strong case for implementing a preventive camera system in commercial fleet cabs.

An Historical Perspective on Privatization

Bill Kappel, Public Works Director for Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, is one of APWA's Top Ten Public Works Officials for 2009. Our interview with Kappel, based on his 2009 APWA Congress and Exposition presentation, discusses the pluses and minuses of privatizing an operation like street sweeping.

The information includes contemporary experiences and long-term trends in private, governmental, and mixed arrangements for the provision of public services and infrastructure.

Roger Sutherland is considered by many to be the preeminent authority on street sweeper testing in the United States. Our interview with Sutherland, based on his 2009 APWA Congress and Exposition presentation of the same title, examines why it is important that street cleaners be able to pick up the entire range of accumulated particulate.

Today, with increasing demands on water cleanliness and accelerated EPA oversight, it is becoming more important than ever that sweeping be done as a Best Management Practice.

Keith Reester is Public Works Director for Loveland, Colorado. Our interview with Reester was held in September of 2009, although much of the information was based on his 2008 presentation at the APWA Congress and Exposition.

The baby boomers are leaving the workforce in droves. On the other hand, because of the unsettled economy and the fact that many boomers lived for their jobs, there are a number of opportunities to utilize their significant skills on a part-time and consulting basis.

Their places in management level positions are being taken over by Generation X workers. In contrast, X'ers may be characterized as 'working to live.' Add to that the next, Generation Y, crop of available workers. The article information will help owners and top managers learn how to take into account these basic differences in philosophy and lifestyle in order to keep their organizations at the top of their game.

When it comes to roadway vehicle safety, there's probably no one in America more qualified to speak on the topic than John Meola, Safety Manager for Transfield Services North America's Transportation Infrastructure Division. Hear what Meola has to say about work zone safety as it applies to highway- and construction site-based sweeping operations.

Our approximately 20-minute interview with John Meola is based on his 2009 APWA Congress and Exposition presentation entitled Regulatory Updates in Workzone Safety. In the audio interview with him, he explains why it is so essential to place an extraordinary emphasis on safety when highway and construction sweeping.