FleetPedia
The Public Fleet Reference
Browse A to Z
Key terms and concepts in public-sector fleet management, defined plainly and kept current.
A
- Advanced Driver Assistance SystemsSystems that assist or intervene in driving: automatic braking, lane keeping, blind spot warning, adaptive cruise. Increasingly standard,…
- Aerial ApparatusApparatus built around a hydraulically operated ladder or elevating platform, for reaching height, rooftop work and elevated water…
- AmbulanceThe patient transport and treatment vehicle. Conventionally described in three types by how the body and chassis are…
- American Public Works AssociationA membership association for public works professionals, of which fleet is one service area. Issues the Certified Public…
- ASE CertificationThe common technician certification in the United States, taken by area such as brakes, electrical or diesel engines.…
- Asset LifecycleThe full span of an asset from acquisition through operation and maintenance to disposal, and the practice of…
- Association of Equipment Management ProfessionalsA membership association for managers of heavy and off-road equipment fleets, including municipal and government ones. Issues the…
B
- Battery Electric VehicleA vehicle powered only by a battery and electric motor, with no engine. Charging infrastructure, not the vehicle,…
- BenchmarkingComparing your fleet against peers or against a published figure. Useful when the definitions match and misleading when…
- Bid ProtestA formal challenge by a vendor to how a solicitation was written, run or awarded. The mechanism that…
- Biodiesel BlendDiesel mixed with fuel made from vegetable oils or fats. The number is the percentage of biodiesel, so…
- Brush TruckA smaller, higher-clearance apparatus built to fight vegetation fire away from roads. Usually four-wheel drive with a modest…
- BusIn federal safety standards, a motor vehicle with motive power, other than a trailer, designed for carrying more…
C
- California Air Resources BoardCalifornia air quality regulator, whose vehicle rules are stricter than federal ones and are adopted by a number…
- Capital and Operating BudgetsThe two separate pots a public fleet draws from: capital buys the vehicle, operating runs it. They are…
- Certified Automotive Fleet ManagerThe NAFA credential covering fleet management across eight disciplines. Broader than public fleet, and earned discipline by discipline.
- Certified Automotive Fleet SpecialistA NAFA credential covering a subset of the CAFM disciplines. The usual route for someone earlier in a…
- Certified Equipment ManagerThe AEMP credential for managers of heavy off-road equipment fleets, including municipal and government ones. Requires documented experience…
- Certified Public Fleet ProfessionalThe APWA credential for public fleet managers. The certification written specifically for government fleet rather than fleet in…
- Chargeback RateWhat the fleet bills a department for a vehicle or a service. Usually a monthly asset charge plus…
- Charging LevelThe rate class of electric vehicle charging. Level 1 is a standard outlet, Level 2 is the normal…
- Chassis and BodyMost public fleet work vehicles are bought in two parts: a chassis from one manufacturer and a body…
- ComebackA vehicle returning for the same problem shortly after it was repaired. A direct measure of repair quality,…
- Commercial Driver LicenseThe license required to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Endorsements cover specific cases such as passengers, school buses,…
- Commercial Motor VehicleA vehicle meeting federal thresholds for weight, passenger capacity or hazardous materials, which brings it under federal motor…
- Compressed Natural GasNatural gas stored under high pressure as a vehicle fuel. Established in refuse and transit fleets, and it…
- Cooperative PurchasingBuying through a contract that another public entity has already competitively awarded, so the agency gets a compliant…
- Cost Per MileOperating cost divided by distance traveled, or by hours for equipment. The most quoted fleet number and one…
- Cost RecoveryWhether the fleet collects enough from the departments it serves to cover what it actually costs to run,…
- Cutaway BusA bus body built onto a van or truck chassis. The common vehicle for shuttles, circulators and paratransit,…
D
- Deferred MaintenanceWork a fleet knows is needed and has not done, usually because of budget, staffing or vehicle availability.…
- DepreciationThe accounting spread of an asset cost across its useful life. In a fleet fund it is also…
- Diagnostic Trouble CodeA code a vehicle stores when it detects a fault. Read at the shop, or increasingly reported automatically…
- Diesel Exhaust FluidA urea solution injected into the exhaust of modern diesel engines to reduce nitrogen oxides. Consumable, and a…
- DowntimeTime a vehicle is unavailable to the department that needs it. Usually counted in days out of service,…
- Driver Vehicle Inspection ReportThe record a driver makes of a vehicle condition check, typically at the start or end of a…
E
- Electronic Logging DeviceA device that automatically records driving time to enforce hours-of-service limits on regulated commercial drivers.
- Emergency Vehicle Technician CertificationCertification for technicians who service fire apparatus, ambulances and other emergency vehicles. Administered by an independent nonprofit across…
- Emissions InventoryAn accounting of the emissions a fleet produces, usually derived from fuel consumed. Often required by a jurisdiction…
- Environmental Protection AgencyThe federal agency setting vehicle and engine emissions standards. Its rules bind manufacturers, so they reach every fleet…
F
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety AdministrationThe federal agency regulating commercial motor vehicle safety. Its rules govern driver qualification, inspection and maintenance for regulated…
- Fire ApparatusPurpose-built firefighting vehicles. The most expensive, longest-lived and most specification-heavy assets in most public fleets, and the least…
- Fire EngineThe pumping apparatus: carries a pump, a water tank and hose. The most common piece of fire apparatus…
- Fleet ElectrificationReplacing internal combustion vehicles with electric ones across a fleet. In the public sector it is a facilities…
- Fleet Management Information SystemThe system of record for a fleet: the inventory, the work orders, the parts, the costs and the…
- Fleet PolicyThe written rules governing who gets a vehicle, how it is used, who maintains it and how it…
- Fleet Safety ProgramThe structured set of driver, vehicle and process controls a fleet uses to reduce crashes. In the public…
- Fleet UtilizationHow much a vehicle is actually used, against how much it would need to be used to justify…
- Fuel ManagementHow a fleet buys, dispenses, controls and accounts for fuel. Usually the second largest operating cost and the…
G
- General FundA government main operating fund, holding unrestricted revenue such as taxes. It pays for most services, and a…
- Gross Vehicle Weight RatingThe maximum loaded weight of a single vehicle as specified by its manufacturer. It is a rating assigned…
H
Back to topI
- Idle TimeTime an engine runs while the vehicle is stationary. A standard target for fuel and emissions savings, and…
- Internal Combustion EngineAn engine that burns fuel internally to produce motion. The default fleet powertrain, and the thing everything else…
- Internal Service FundA fund that operates the fleet as an internal business, recovering its costs by billing the departments it…
- Invitation for BidThe sealed competitive process used when an agency knows exactly what it wants and is selecting on price.…
K
Back to topL
- Lead TimeThe time between placing an order and taking delivery. In public fleet it interacts badly with fiscal years,…
- Lifecycle Cost AnalysisThe method used to find the point in an asset life where total cost per year or per…
- Light Duty, Medium Duty and Heavy DutyThe everyday grouping of vehicle classes into three bands. The boundaries are not fixed: federal agencies draw the…
- Lowest Responsible BidderThe award standard in competitive bidding. Two separate tests hide inside it: whether the bid met the specification,…
M
- Motor PoolA shared set of vehicles reserved as needed rather than assigned to a department or individual. The usual…
- Motor VehicleA vehicle operated principally for highway transportation of people or property. The phrase matters because it is the…
- Multipurpose Passenger VehicleA vehicle designed to carry 10 people or fewer, built either on a truck chassis or with special…
N
- NAFA Fleet Management AssociationA membership association for fleet professionals across public, corporate and institutional fleets. Issues the CAFM and CAFS certifications.
- National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationThe federal agency setting vehicle safety standards and administering recalls. Its definitions are the ones behind most vehicle…
O
- Occupational Safety and Health AdministrationThe federal workplace safety regulator. For fleets its reach is mainly the shop rather than the road.
- Off-Road EquipmentThe machines a fleet owns and maintains that are not principally for highway use: mowers, loaders, backhoes, skid…
- Online AuctionSelling surplus assets through an internet auction platform rather than a physical sale. Now the default route for…
- Out-of-ServiceA condition serious enough that an inspector prohibits the vehicle or driver from operating until it is corrected.…
- Over-the-Air UpdateVehicle software updated remotely rather than at the shop. Convenient, and it introduces a change a fleet did…
P
- Paratransit VehicleA vehicle providing accessible, demand-responsive transport for people who cannot use fixed-route transit. Usually a cutaway or van…
- Parts Fill RateThe share of parts requests filled immediately from stock, rather than ordered. The link between inventory policy and…
- Piggyback ContractUsing another public agency contract directly, rather than a purpose-built cooperative one. Depends entirely on the original contract…
- Plug-in Hybrid Electric VehicleA hybrid with a battery large enough to charge from the grid and run on electricity alone for…
- PM ComplianceThe share of scheduled preventive maintenance completed within its window. Commonly targeted at 90 percent, and often far…
- Power Take-OffA mechanism that takes power from the engine or transmission to drive mounted equipment. The reason so much…
- Preventive MaintenanceServicing performed on a set schedule to keep a vehicle from failing, rather than in response to a…
- Propane AutogasPropane used as a vehicle fuel. Common in school transportation, and cheaper to set up than natural gas…
- Public AuctionThe usual route by which a public agency sells retired vehicles: an open competitive sale, now most often…
- Public FleetThe vehicles and equipment a government owns or leases to deliver public services, from police, fire and EMS…
Q
Back to topR
- Regional Public Fleet AssociationsState and regional membership groups for government fleet managers, such as SGFMA, FLAGFA, MFMA, NASUF, PFMA and MEMA.
- RemarketingGetting the most back from an asset at the end of its service life: how it is prepared,…
- Renewable Natural GasMethane captured from landfills, wastewater treatment or digesters and cleaned to pipeline quality. Chemically interchangeable with fossil natural…
- Replacement CycleThe age, mileage or condition at which a class of asset is planned for replacement, and the schedule…
- Request for ProposalThe competitive method used when the agency knows the problem but not the exact solution, and can weigh…
- Rescue ApparatusApparatus carrying extrication, technical rescue and specialized equipment rather than water. Essentially a mobile tool room with power…
- Residual ValueWhat an asset is expected to be worth at the end of its service life, and what it…
- Right-SizingAdjusting the size and mix of a fleet to what the work actually requires. Usually means removing vehicles,…
- Road CallA failure that happens while the vehicle is in service, requiring assistance away from the shop. The most…
S
- School BusA bus built to the federal safety standards for transporting students. Conventionally grouped into types A through D…
- Sole SourceBuying without competition because only one vendor can genuinely meet the need. Allowed in most jurisdictions, and required…
- SpecificationThe written description of what the agency is buying. In competitive procurement it is the main lever a…
- SurplusThe formal status an asset is given when the agency no longer needs it, and the step that…
T
- Take-Home VehicleA vehicle an employee keeps overnight at home. Operationally justified in several public roles, politically exposed in all…
- Technician-to-Vehicle RatioHow many assets each technician is responsible for. The usual starting point for a staffing argument, and a…
- TelematicsIn-vehicle hardware reporting location, engine data and driver behavior. The main source of usage data a modern fleet…
- Tire Pressure Monitoring SystemSensors reporting tire pressure to the driver. Underinflation costs fuel and tire life and is one of the…
- Total Cost of OwnershipEvery cost an asset incurs across its whole life, not only its purchase price: acquisition, fuel, maintenance, downtime,…
- Transit BusA heavy-duty bus operated in scheduled public transit service. Built for very high mileage, constant stop-start duty and…
- TruckIn federal safety standards, a motor vehicle with motive power, other than a trailer, designed primarily to transport…
U
Back to topV
- Vehicle AvailabilityThe share of a fleet, or of a class within it, that is ready for service at a…
- Vehicle Equivalent UnitA weighting that expresses assets in terms of the maintenance effort they demand, so a fire apparatus and…
- Vehicle Identification NumberThe unique 17-character identifier assigned to a vehicle. The key that ties an asset to its title, its…
- Vehicle Lift InspectionPeriodic inspection of shop lifts. A routine facility obligation and one of the few maintenance shop items with…
- Vehicle Replacement FundA dedicated fund that accumulates money toward replacing vehicles and equipment, so replacement is a schedule that is…
- Vehicle Weight ClassThe eight-step scale that sorts vehicles by GVWR, from Class 1 under 6,000 pounds to Class 8 above…
- Vocational VehicleIn trade usage, a truck configured for a working task rather than hauling freight. In EPA regulation it…
W
- Water TenderApparatus built to haul large volumes of water to incidents where there are no hydrants. Often called a…
- Work OrderThe record of a single job on a single asset: what was wrong, what was done, which parts…
- Wrench TimeThe share of a technician's paid hours actually spent working on vehicles, as opposed to waiting, walking, sourcing…