HOW TO WRITE AN EFFECTIVE 100 BEST FLEETS APPLICATION
This guide is designed to assist you in formulating a proper application response and to help you better
understand the application/selection process and its associated limitations.
1. SELECTION CRITERIA
Here is a list (not all inclusive) of items that the judges look for in a good application:
1. Unique programs or processes that stand-out from the rest of the applicants. Those
program/processes should have greatly benefitted the organization through increased efficiency
or cost savings.
2. Solidly high benchmarks and performance outcomes.
3. The applicant displays the knowledge and fundamentals of fleet performance management.
4. The organization is structured and well developed. Pre-existing business plans and operating
procedures guide the organizations direction. Standardized processes are in-place that governs
daily administrative and maintenance activities.
5. There is a true sense of pride and teamwork in the organization.
Lastly, remember that the vast majority of the applicant’s fleet operations are unknown to the judges.
How you document and define your differences will determine your initial standing. Treat the
application like a resume. It is your calling card. It must speak for you and convey a complete picture.
Take the time to write a proper and comprehensive application. Do not assume that the judges know
what you are talking about.
2. APPLICATION CRITERIA
Listed below are the descriptions of each application criteria. Read them thoroughly to ensure your
response is appropriate to the criteria definition.
Implemented Since Last Year
Describe new initiatives or programs you have implemented since the closing of last year’s
application cycle.
Reason for Best Fleet
The main reason(s) you believe your fleet should be the number one fleet in the nation.
Accountability
The fleet operation must have a published list of the measures they use to document
performance and progress toward objectives. It must also have a review mechanism in place to
measure both individual and team productivity for each area of the fleet operation.
Technology Implementation (Use of Technology & Information)
The fleet must have a technology deployment plan that is reviewed and updated annually. The
technology may include, but is not limited to, fleet information, diagnostic tools, training aids,
communication effectiveness-both internal (within the fleet) and external (vendors, customers,
governing agencies)-and effective use of the resources available on the world-wide web.
Collaboration
Generally known as the bottom-up rather than the old top-down model; the fleet operation
must demonstrate how they encourage the sharing of ideas among all fleet personnel. The
operation must also document changes made and performance improvements achieved
through the use of collaboration among individuals, as well as different areas of the fleet service
delivery processes.
Creativity
The fleet operation must describe and document how creativity has been encouraged and how
new ideas and new technologies have been developed and deployed to address challenges
within the operation.
Celebration
A peak performing operation always finds ways to have fun and to celebrate their successes.
The fleet must be able to provide a listing of how often and in what ways they celebrate the
successes of their operation.
High Trust Culture
In such a culture, all employees feel confident to contribute and to even disagree. The operation
must demonstrate the existence of such a culture by having mechanisms in place that
encourage and reward open sharing of information and ideas.
Acknowledgement (Performance Recognition)
Programs must be in place to both acknowledge and reward (even if only with a certificate or
plaque) excellent performance and/or the attainment of preset goals, whether certification or
meeting some level of desired performance improvement. These programs must be in place for
periodic recognition of both individuals and teams where applicable.
Doing It Right the First Time
There must be a metric in place that is regularly measured and reviewed to determine how
often any piece of equipment is returned to the shop for rework or additional repair (i.e., missed
in initial repair visit). An aggressive program to minimize trips to the repair facility must be in
place.
Quick Efficient Turnaround
Programs must be in place to measure repair turnaround. This turnaround time must be
measured accurately, i.e., from initial drop-off until notice of repair completion. In addition,
since scheduling of repairs impacts this area significantly, the scheduling process for the fleet
operation must be described, as well as documented effectively.
Competitive Pricing
The fleet operation must document and compare their cost of regular repairs with surrounding
commercial and public agency fleets and have a program in place that keeps their customers
informed of this fact.
Staff Development
A program for ensuring that a/l staff members have individualized plans for continued growth
and development must be in place. This plan could include strategies such as regular goalsetting, career pathing, self-evaluation, training hours required/taken, peer and supervisor
evaluations, as well as' other viable, documented practices for the ongoing development of
skiffs and talents.
Resources 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.
3. APPLICATION LIMITATIONS
Do not attach files, pictures, or graphics. Do not copy & paste text with special formatting. In many cases
the formatting will distort the application layout and make it difficult for the judges to read. Hint: If you
draft your application in MS Word and save the document in “Plain Text” format, then copy & paste, you
should be fine.
4. APPLICATION GUIDELINES & SUGGESTIONS
The following guidelines will help you prepare your response:
 Keep your responses pertinent to the category. Do not include information that has been
repeated in other parts of the application unless it logically and substantially ties into that
particular application section.
 Do not bloviate; keep your responses straight and to the point. Heavily worded answers will
tend to bore the reader and dilute your accomplishments.
 List your most significant accomplishments first!
 Quantify your accomplishments. Explain how the program/initiative has saved money or
increased efficiency.
 Avoid the use of abbreviations and acronyms in your application.
 Avoid constantly repeating benchmarks.
 Do not copy and paste entire segments of your Standard Operating Procedures or Policies into
the form fields.
 Keep your information updated and current; do not repeat last year’s application.
 Do not list accomplishments from the past, unless the program/initiative is ongoing or multiyear and the savings/efficiencies pertain to the current application cycle.
 Avoid empty or incomplete blocks in the application. If a block is empty the judges will naturally
assume you did not submit your application properly, or you did not have any noteworthy
achievements to list. Remember, the judge’s application review period is very limited and they
don’t have the time to verify the content of incomplete submissions.
 Do not allege significant increases in efficiency or productivity without providing the baseline.
Remember, not all fleet agencies measure the same way.
 List all accomplishments no matter how insignificant you may think they are. They may make
the difference between you getting into the Top 100 or not. Remember, minor distinctions in
your application will make you more competitive when judges get to the very end of the list.





If you cite unusually high performance metrics, specifically describe how you achieved them.
Remember, the judges that are reviewing your application have significant fleet experience and
can usually tell when someone is inflating their numbers.
Accuracy and honesty counts. Obvious and blatant over exaggerations will impact your chances
of becoming one of The 100 Best.
Do not copy applications. If you manage multiple locations keep each service location
application unique to its location and achievements. Even though you have standardized
processes, each site should concentrate on its unique contribution to the government agency
they serve.
Run the spellchecker and have a second or third person read your application before you submit
it. Poorly worded or grossly misspelled applications may be discarded by the judges.
You may be asked to defend your responses. Application data that seems too good to be true
may be questioned.
5. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
If you have supporting documentation for a specific criterion, list the title of the document(s) at the end
of each application field. Make sure your supporting documents are up-to-date. Verify that the
requirements/procedures outlined in your supporting documents match those stated in your
application. If the documentation is available on your web site, let us know.
If you’re application is good enough to make it onto the top of the judges’ list, you may be asked to
provide some additional documents. The documents should be in electronic format (MS Word, Adobe
PDF, Excel) and immediately available upon request. Judges will need to have the documents within a
very short period of time after they are requested. Long delays in the submission of the documents to
the judges may be considered an indicator of their nonexistence at the time your application was
submitted. Be proactive and prepared to submit any requested documents.
Lastly, ensure that your application contact information is correct.
6. ACTUAL APPLICATION STATEMENTS
Listed below (in bold print) is a small sampling of actual statements from last year’s applicants. It is
compiled for the purpose of providing you additional insight into what is considered poorly worded
answers. Statements not in bold print are judges’ comments.
1.
2.
3.
4.
“Increased productivity by 40%”. No baseline given
“Technician productivity at 110%” Did they calculate their productivity hours correctly?
“To achieve a productivity goal of 67%”. If 67% is the goal, what are they actually operating at?
“Through vehicle sharing, we have seen a 300% reduction in sedan use, 200% reduction in
passenger van use”. If it’s a 100% reduction in use then one would assume that you are not
using them at all.
5. Fleet department stated that they “have pioneered and utilized innovative fleet management
and maintenance practices for almost 20 years”. Yet they claim to have just implemented a
Fleet Management Information System in 2009. No mention of upgrading from a previous
system. We don’t know all the facts.
6. “Labor rate is less than half of local dealerships with the savings passed onto the city”. What
are the savings? How can you “pass savings onto the city” when you never would have spent
more in the first place?
7. “The fleet management team successfully closed a 2.1 million dollar overstated error to our
reimbursables to $394,573 dollars within the final 74 days before the fiscal year closed.” The
error should have been caught before it was billed.
8. “Employees are sometimes given credit and recognition for their accomplishments in staff
meetings”. Creativity – “employees are expected to be resourceful”.
9. “Downtime is something we don’t track here at the city”.
10. “Our Fleet Information System is manual…we request the operator schedule routine
maintenance”.
11. “Developed a management process that reduced the number of callbacks by 50%.” What was
100%? Did they simply redefine what constitutes a callback? Statement does not indicate that
the workload or number of occurrences has actually decreased.
12. “The city of ____ is not on a chargeback program thus we do not markup labor or fuel”. “Our
average fully burdened labor rate is about $59 per hour”. If they don’t charge-back why have a
labor rate at all? How was the labor rate computed when they do not charge for their services?
13. “Our parts purchases are passed to the city with no additional markup, saving up to 40% in
parts alone”. When compared to what? Simply because you don’t markup a price does not
mean that you are actually saving anything.
14. “Changed from conventional oil to synthetic and extended drain intervals reducing oil
consumption by 43% or 665 gallons and saving $135,000”. No reduction in staffing. 665 /
$135,000 = $203.00 per gallon of synthetic oil.
15. “Forget the fancy formulas for efficient turnaround times and productivity, Fleet Services
Division concentrates instead on organization, skills, and attitude”. You cannot manage what
you do not measure.