Few fleet decision makers would say their role puts them in the line of danger. Their job is important, yes; fulfilling, certainly. But dangerous?

John Bradley, fleet manager at Hampshire Constabulary, is an exception. He’s slept under the stars with the SAS and he’s been in the shadows at numerous police raids.

Each time, Bradley has been there to coordinate the vehicle fleet at close quarters, ensuring the operation goes smoothly.

And while he admits that those scenarios are the exception rather than the rule, it’s clear that he relishes the unique opportunities that managing Hampshire Constabulary’s fleet of 1,027 vehicles offers.

His office, in a corner of a 37-year-old workshop just off the B3404 near Winchester, is a colourful illustration of his successful career at Hampshire Constabulary. The walls are adorned with awards from Fleet News, photos of various police events, a memo from the SAS stake out and Bradley’s most treasured work memory – the presentation by the Queen of his MBE two years ago for services to the police force.

Bradley has been Hampshire Constabulary’s fleet manager for 18 years; before that he was deputy fleet manager. In total, he has been in the fleet operation for 41 years during which time the size of the fleet has doubled and the focus has moved far beyond basic maintenance and repair.

The make up of the fleet is diverse, ranging from rapid response Volvos and BMWs to beat cars to armed response vehicles to the force’s crowning glory, the Land Rover-based lightweight tactical armoured vehicle.

But his fleet is more than just cars, motorcycles and light commercials. It includes marine craft which patrol the Solent and it includes maintenance of portable equipment such as lightbars, accident signage and paramedic kits.

The whole operation employs 50 staff, from admin to technicians, at four workshops. Its annual budget is £6.3 million, of which £3.7 million will be invested in new vehicles this year.

The 43 national constabularies work together to share best practice and cut costs. Through the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM), national contracts for vehicles, parts, lubricants and tyres have been agreed.

Bradley, who chairs the south-east region, estimates that the police service is saving more than £40 million a year nationally compared to 20 years ago thanks to the work of the NAPFM.

He is working with the south-west region to further standardise police vehicles in terms of blue lights and graphics. It will reduce costs and help when the forces join together on bigger events as drivers will be more familiar with the cars.

The NAPFM is currently working on its next tender framework, a five-year agreement that will come into force in January 2010.

Such is its influence, that fleet managers like John Bradley are invited to liaison meetings with manufacturers to talk about future products and how they can be adapted for the police market.

The talks are vital; it takes around 47 hours’ work to turn a production line car into a response vehicle.

“It’s important that the police are working closely with manufacturers because the speed of technology of immense in terms of electrics and airbag systems,” says Bradley. “Fleet managers have to ensure the safety and conformity with the manufacturers when we put in all our technology.”

Testing is carried out by the Automotive Electrical Section at the Home Office. It ensures that the vast array of police technology doesn’t affect the car’s engine management systems.

Bradley takes the needs of his drivers seriously. He has set up a vehicle equipment working group meeting with front line officers four times a year to discuss every aspect of the business, from the type of vehicles on the fleet and evaluations to seat covers and equipment such as torches and crowbars.

“We have to limit the weight in the vehicle and we have to make storage fit for purpose,” says Bradley.

The added weight of the kit is significant, equivalent to five adults. The fleet travels 15.5 million miles a year – any weight savings which translate into better fuel efficiency make a big difference.

Reliability is also essential; the core vehicle fleet is on the road 24 hours a day. Drivers play their part – they have to check the basics each week, completing a logbook on oil levels, tread depth and windscreen checks.

Hampshire Constabulary’s four workshops account for around 80% of the mechanical repairs; they are supported by franchised dealers which mostly do warranty work. Accident repair work is also outsourced.

Bradley regularly meets outside contractors to discuss productivity, staff training and health and safety.

“We can’t sit back and be laissez-faire,” he says. “We have to measure everything and we compare ourselves to the best practice in the private sector.”

The Tranman fleet management system plays a key role, providing details for every vehicle on mileage efficiency, pence per mile, fuel usage and CO2 footprint, including for hire cars. It also measures workshop performance.

Each quarter a report is sent to the transport management committee which benchmarks performance against KPIs such as the percentage of vehicles on the road (target: 94.7%, actual 96.58%) and average CO2 (target: 179g/km, actual 157g/km).

Environmental concerns are rising up many fleets’ agendas. They’ve been high on Bradley’s agenda for years. He was one of the early adopters of LPG, in 1996, and evaluated the eco star electric vehicle for Ford in 1994. He is already looking at fuel cell vehicles like the GM Volt.

Bradley is rolling out a new INCA vehicle location system this year which informs central control where the nearest unit is to an incident. Previously, controllers had to check lists to see who was on a job and then check on air whether they were available; now they just look at the computer screen.

“We used to have instances of cars travelling many miles when there was a unit nearby and that wastes fuel and tyres,” Bradley says. “It could possibly save us hundreds of thousands of pounds in fuel, tyres, maintenance and accidents through better management and deployment of the fleet.”

He is also working on a model due for pilot in two months’ time which will analyse the distribution of cars on the fleet by assessing demographics, population and calls into the police control room.

“It will give us a good feel for whether we have too few or too many vehicles and whether they are in the right place,” he says.

Bradley has been recognised as a fleet innovator throughout his career, culminating in his induction into the Fleet News Hall of Fame this year.

But through all the plaudits, the career highs and the sheer pleasure he takes from a job well done, Bradley is keen to share the spotlight.

“When you are writing up this piece,” he tells me, “I’d appreciate it if you point out that this is a team effort. No one person can achieve all this and I’d like to thank my team in the transport department, the ACPO and NAPFM for all their support.

“It is all about delivering for the front line. My job satisfaction comes from knowing that what my team is doing is leading to the arrest of a criminal,” he adds.

Minimising accidents among fleet drivers is an important part of any fleet decision maker’s role; for the people it is paramount.

Hampshire Constabulary faces 900 incidents a year – very low for a fleet covering 1.5. million miles. Of those, fewer than 300 are blameworthy, of which 80% are reversing carelessly or misjudging clearance space.

Each vehicle is fitted with a GPS system so the control unit knows where they are at any time – if someone is driving recklessly it is transparent; there’s nowhere to hide.

A black box captures data in the event of an incident. According to deputy fleet manager Roy Mariner: “That concentrates the mind.”

Low incident rates are down to training and driver professionalism. The constabulary also wields a stick: repeat offenders undergo further training and are suspended from driving until they are considered safe. A file is produced and disciplinary action is a possibility.
“Our thrust is safety – for our officers and for the public,” says Mariner.

The sharp fall in residual values last year hit most fleets and leasing companies hard as vehicles returned way below book value. For Hampshire Constabulary, this is a regular issue.

Its fleet profile is not desirable- very high mileage vehicles (replacement cycles of three years/150,000 miles for response vehicles; five years/100,000 for rest of fleet) with multiple users which show obvious signs of use, not least in the smattering of holes from where essential equipment was attached.

“We get nowhere near the book value,” says Bradley.

However, because the pricing expectation is set at a realistic level, finding owners for the cars is not difficult. “Remarketing police cars is relatively easy because they are regularly serviced so they public is keen to buy them,” Bradley adds.

“How they are auctioned is key. We benchmark our provider BCA against other independent auctions where there are more private buyers who will consider police cars. We discuss any differences with BCA.”

Maximising residuals is crucial for the public organisation. It feeds back more than £300,000 a year from residuals into its budget.