Md. County Fleet Management Plan Trims, Consolidates Vehicles

Harford County, Md. has unveiled a new fleet management plan in which it will no longer hang on to a 10-year-old car with high mileage and higher maintenance bills. It will consolidate usage of its more than 1,000 vehicles among departments and trim as many vehicles from its fleet as practical, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The new fleet management plan budgets $11 million for the purchase of 202 new vehicles and to help county agencies make the transition from owners of vehicles and equipment to lessors.

Fleet management will bring all vehicles—everything from cars and trucks to bulldozers and trailers—under the purview of the Department of Procurement. This offers a centralized management and better utilization of the entire fleet, said Deborah Henderson, county director of procurement.

Each county agency will then lease what it needs from the fleet through the procurement office. There will be a motor pool rather than permanently assigned vehicles.

Much of the county’s 1,047 vehicles are old and cost more than they are worth to maintain, she said. The management plan will allow for replacement of vehicles and various pieces of equipment this year with a five-year window for repayment of those purchases. The considerable savings on maintenance costs will free up funds for future acquisitions, officials said.

According to The Baltimore Sun, officials say the new policy should mean at least $1 million in additional revenues in the first year of sales of newer models.