2008 100 BEST FLEETS ONLINE APPLICATION   APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED ON OR AFTER JANUARY 1ST FOR EACH AWARD YEAR DEADLINE FOR ENTRY IS SEPTEMBER 1ST   Please be aware that this award is separate from the National Government Green Fleet Award. You can apply for both awards, however, you must complete and submit both applications to be considered.   Please take your time to complete the application. Every detail you provide is important to the judging process, so please be specific with your answers. All fields must be filled in. If a question does not pertain to your organization please state so.   APPLICANT INFORMATION   NAME: ORGANIZATION: ADDRESS 1: ADDRESS 2: CITY: STATE: Select your State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming ZIP: TELEPHONE: FAX: EMAIL:   ****IMPORTANT INFORMATION PLEASE READ**** Please provide a detail description of your best practices for each category. Include the following information: Program Description, Implementation Strategy, and Resulting Benefits. Each block can hold up to a maximum of 63,000 characters, so there is plenty of available space. It is suggested that you first type your response in a word processing program and then cut-and-paste your response. This will allow you to save and update your application data for future submissions. Accountability Please describe the specific measures you use to determine unit, team and individual performance effectiveness in all areas of fleet service delivery including fuel, parts, work order process, employee productivity and customer service. Also describe how often you review performance and how the results are communicated and to whom. Technology Implementation Please describe the operation's use of technology in all areas, including but not limited to a fleet information system, diagnostics, fuel and fluids tracking, internet use, warranty tracking, communications (with customers and internally), and any use of radio technology. High Trust Culture The most effective environments involve open communication with the knowledge that all opinions and suggestions are listened to and honored. Describe the activities or practices that are existent in your fleet operation that encourage all staff members to openly share ideas and observations that are listened to openly by others, including middle and upper management. Acknowledgement Though it is not always possible to reward with money, there are many ways of acknowledging the skills and accomplishments of staff members. What do you have in place that rewards and/or acknowledges jobs well done? Collaboration How does collaboration occur in your organization? What practices do you have in place that encourage and promote suggestions from all areas of your operation, including technicians on the shop floor? Creativity Describe how creativity is encouraged within your operation. Is attendance at outside seminars encouraged? Does each employee set goals, either individually and/or as teams? Are problems or challenges brainstormed? If so, through what forums do these occur? Celebration Describe how you and your staff celebrate the good things that happen in your operation. Do you plan for times to have fun together for no reason other than fellowship? Doing It Right the First Time How are you tracking your work order process? Describe how you ensure that all comebacks are tracked and that trips to the shop are minimized. Are comebacks tracked regardless of why a vehicle is returned to your shop? Please describe the specific metrics used in detail. Quick/Efficient Turnaround Please describe the metrics used in your operation to measure how much time, on average, equipment remains in your shop. The industry standard is that 70% are "turned" in one day, 90% within two days and the last 10% in a longer period. How do you ensure that your repairs are measured by type, as well as in a timely manner, i.e., as soon as the equipment appears at your repair facility. What scheduling practices are in place to minimize customer wait time, both for preventative maintenance as well as corrective repairs? Staff Development A program for ensuring that all staff members have individualized plans for continued growth and development must be in place. This plan could include strategies such as regular goal-setting, career path, self evaluation, training hours required/taken, peer and supervisor evaluations, as well as other viable, documented practices for the ongoing development of skills and talents. Resource Stewardship A plan must be in place for maximizing the utilization of all resources, including human, capital and natural. Practices that demonstrate a concern for the environment and the organization’s resources must be documented. Competitive Pricing Describe how your labor rate, parts markup, fuel markup and other shop markups are calculated. List the average labor rates of shops (both private and public) in your service delivery area. List you fuel and parts markup rates and how your prices compare to those in your area.