Editor’s Note: Shortages require breaking with the norm

Shortages require breaking with the norm

Sarah Wright | Editor

Acommon thread that tethers 2022 to 2021 is the continuation of supply and staff shortages. This fact has been hammered home for me when browsing for a decent used car, only to find that the makes and models I was interested in weren’t so far removed in pricing from brand-new counterparts. Then there came the tire delay, then the switch to different tires when the ordered ones wouldn’t ship. Most recently, there was the hunt for propane, where the third store was my lucky charm; of course, that search wasn’t helped by Indiana’s then-impending February snowmageddon.

Cities, not unlike varying industries, have faced shortages and delays in almost every department. Perhaps the biggest is staffing, which has seen many changes in operations across departments — whether reducing garbage collections, reworking shifts, changing recruitment tactics, etc.

Hand in hand with staffing shortages, a semi-conducter chips shortage has affected fleets, slowing vehicle orders and the outfitting of said vehicles. Writer Denise Fedorow highlights this challenge in her article, “Shortages cause some fleet managers to rethink purchasing policies.” She spoke with industry pros and municipal officials about shortages and how they are adapting. The reoccurring theme? Get your orders in as early as possible.

As Tom Morgan, chief deputy sheriff of Union County, Ohio, told Fedorow: “We got a jump on it early, and it turned out surprisingly well.”

In our other fleet articles this month, additional fleet managers note shortages and delays, further highlighting the universal nature of them. But even with these challenges, municipal fleets continue to push the needle forward on their emission goals while instituting best practices that are catching notice — such as Tulsa, Okla., which worked toward receiving the No. 1 Fleet Award from The 100 Best Fleets in the Americas for 2021.

Writer Julie Young spotlights Tulsa’s efforts to reach that goal in addition to how the city’s fleet is mentoring the next generation of fleet professionals with its Learning with a Wrench program.

Meanwhile, in Florida, writer Beth Anne Brink-Cox shares Clearwater’s green fleet policy, which aims to convert 100% of its municipal vehicles to alternative fuels by 2040.

Additional topics include Hyattsville, Md., welcoming its first all-electric refuse truck — lovingly nicknamed Sparky — and Fayetteville, Ark.’s, brand-new fleet wash facility, which will not only save the city money but also improve the life span of fleet vehicles.

As the omicron variant continues to spread, the challenges currently faced will remain, but two years in, the ability to adapt and move beyond the way we have always done things has kept cities moving forward — and will continue to.

Stay well this March!