Our Worst Mechanic Is Better Than Your Best

”Our worst mechanic is better than the best mechanic in private industry.”

That’s what Angelo Mancuso, fleet manager for the City of Brampton, Ontario, told me within minutes of my visit.

Now, I’ve heard a lot of fleet managers brag about their teams. (I may have done a little of that myself back in Norfolk.) But this was different. Angelo didn’t say it like a sales pitch. He said it like a fact. Like someone telling you the sky is blue, or that it’s going to snow in Canada this winter.

Which, by the way… it is.

But before we get to the snow, let me set the scene.

And yes, hockey helmets are considered to be PPE in Canada.

Not Your Average Government Building

Brampton’s fleet shop sits at 1975 Williams Parkway. When you walk in, you’d swear you were somewhere else. It doesn’t feel like a government building. At all.

In fact, it’s been used as a filming location for commercial productions. It even showed up in a Hallmark movie in February 2023.

Let that sink in. A municipal building with a fleet shop… starring in a Hallmark movie.

I half expected someone to walk out from behind a lift, fall in love with the parts clerk, and save the family business by Christmas.

As Angelo walked me around the shop, it hit me. He wasn’t your average fleet manager, and this wasn’t your average fleet operation. The pride was everywhere: in the floors, in the bays, in the way his people talked about their work.

That’s why he can say what he said about his mechanics. Their pride comes from the work they do and from knowing who they do it for: the community of Brampton.

Every Snow Event Is a First Impression

Then Angelo said something I haven’t stopped thinking about.

”Every snow event is a first time for a first impression. They always forget the last time.”

That’s brilliant.

Think about it. Your team might have crushed the last storm. Plows were ready, spreaders were calibrated, and every unit went out the gate on time. Nobody said a word.

But what if this storm goes sideways? What if three plows are down at 2 a.m. and a main road doesn’t get cleared?

That’s what they’ll remember. Not last time. THIS time.

And that’s not only true for snow. It’s true for every fleet I’ve ever worked with. Hurricane prep. Leaf season. Election day. The police cruiser that has to be back on the road by shift change. Our customers don’t grade us on a curve. They grade us on the last thing that went wrong.

Angelo doesn’t complain about that. He plans for it. He treats every event like the first, because to the people we serve, it is.

Retiring the Jersey

One last thing stood out to me, and it might be my favorite.

You know how pro sports teams raise a banner to the rafters when they retire a legend’s jersey? Brampton does that for its technicians.

They have a wall of banners celebrating the tenure of former City of Brampton technicians. Each one shows the year they started, the year they retired, and how long they served.

In hockey country, that’s about the highest honor you can give.

I stood there and read the names. Decades of service from people who kept the city moving, mostly when nobody was watching.

How many fleet shops have you walked into that do that? I can’t think of many.

So What Does This Mean for the Rest of Us?

Pride isn’t a feel-good extra. It’s a strategy. It shows up in the quality of the work, in how fast the team responds when the snow starts falling, and in whether your best people stay or leave for private industry.

Here’s what I took home from Brampton:

• Say it out loud. If your team is great, tell them, and tell your leadership. Angelo’s confidence wasn’t arrogance. It was a standard his team lives up to.
• Treat every event like the first. Your reputation is only as good as the last storm. Prepare like nobody remembers the last one, because they don’t.
• Celebrate tenure where everyone can see it. A banner costs very little. What it says to a 22-year-old technician walking past it every morning? Priceless.
• Remember that your building tells a story. Not every shop can be a Hallmark movie set. But a clean, organized, well-lit shop tells your team and your customers that this work matters.

The Challenge

So here’s my challenge to every fleet professional reading this.

Before the end of this month, do ONE thing that publicly honors the people in your shop. Hang a banner. Put a tenure plaque by the time clock. Name a bay after a retired tech. Recognize someone by name at a council or leadership meeting.

Then ask yourself one more question: is your operation ready for the next first impression?

Now I want to hear from you. How does your fleet celebrate its people? Drop it in the comments. I might steal your idea.

Until next time… build a shop your team is proud to put their name on.