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A City Fleets Modern Approach - Yonkers' 1,400 municipal vehicles maintained in a single shop with the latest tech

By Ellen Sowerby
07 December 2021

City of Yonkers Vehicle Maintenance, a division of the city’s Department of Public Works, employs a team of more than 30 people for heavy-vehicle maintenance in a single shop.

For the past 5 years the entire operation has been managed using our FleetWave software. With scheduling and work orders, fleet personnel use the platform to access information from their Gilbarco Veeder-Root fuel-dispensing and tank monitoring systems. The fleet also integrates FleetWave with the point-of-sale system from IEH Auto Parts in the shop’s parts room.

‘FleetWave reduces data entry and provides valuable information,’ Tiedemann explained. ‘In addition to integrating with supplier platforms, by interfacing with the financial and billing systems we use to charge back user departments for maintenance services, it improves accuracy. And it lets us create detailed analyses.’

The capability includes vehicle replacement modeling projections, which have come in handy as the DPW supports the city’s green fleet standards. With the Yonkers sustainability office, DPW is working to transition to alternative fuel vehicles.

‘Part of our green fleet focus is to help user departments give first consideration to alternative vehicles, especially plug-in hybrid and electric models,’ Meier said. ‘We recently added Toyota RAV4 hybrids for administrative use. We’re also looking forward to operating medium and heavy duty electric trucks and we will go in that direction as production units become more available.’

Also, in concert with the sustainability office, Yonkers DPW is facilitating the installation of EV charging infrastructure, including public stations and facilities where electric fleet vehicles are based, such as police precincts and the maintenance facility. The city is taking advantage of grants from New York state and its electric utility, Con Edison to offset the costs.

‘A modern growing city like Yonkers needs equally advanced fleet and maintenance programs,’ Meier said. ‘That’s why we’re continually striving to efficiently apply the best possible technologies and management practices at the lowest possible cost.’  

Read the full article here

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