Date:  Thursday, June 30, 2011

Contact: Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications 360-705-7080 (Olympia)

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) work to make its fleet of large equipment, trucks and other work vehicles more efficient and sustainable is paying it off. It’s one of North America’s top 100 public fleets, according to Government Fleet magazine.

Ranked on categories such as accountability, technology and environmental stewardship, WSDOT came in No. 83 from among 38,000 public fleets to make the magazine’s recent list of top 100 public fleets for 2011. Only four state fleets made the list.

“Many on the list were smaller fleets, managing fewer vehicles and less variety,” said Greg Hansen, WSDOT’s Transportation Equipment Fund Administrator. “We manage 4,800 vehicles – everything from dump trucks to snow plows to passenger vehicles – and another 10,000 pieces of supporting equipment (see TEF inventory). To be recognized for this, while also working with such a large and diverse vehicle and equipment group is a great honor for WSDOT.”

WSDOT also received the Government Green Fleet award for the second year in a row for advancements in environmental sustainability. WSDOT was recognized for managing a mixed fleet that includes conventional, hybrid, electric and alternative fuel vehicles, and was honored for using renewable and alternative fuels and planning for a sustainable future.

By focusing on technology and efficiency, WSDOT conserves and reduces fleet emissions, Hansen said. “We save more than 14,500 gallons of motor oil each year by streamlining effective maintenance and basing schedules on fuel usage, rather than time,” he said.

WSDOT also conserves petroleum by installing shift lights in heavy trucks to let drivers know the best time to shift gears for the most efficient fuel use and best vehicle performance.

For fiscal years 2008 to 2010 WSDOT:

• reduced fuel consumption by 10 percent.
• used 50 percent more biofuel.
• purchased 43 percent more hybrid vehicles.
• cut passenger-vehicle inventory by 9 percent.
• reduced employee-owned vehicle miles travelled for work by 27 percent.
• launched a sustainability plan to minimize emissions, cut fuel consumption and make the fleet even more efficient.

The 100 Best Fleets awards, judged by a panel of fleet experts with 100 years combined experience, were announced at a national Fleet Conference in San Diego. The 100 Best Fleets award program recognizes peak performing public-sector fleet operations.

Judging on 12 criteria, the “Drivers of Excellence” in the fleet management community includes several categories: accountability, use of technology and information, trust and collaboration, performance recognition and good resource stewardship of human, capital and natural resources. Details on the award are at www.government-fleet.com/100BestFleets.

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 511.

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