For the fourth consecutive year, Government Fleet staff honored Culver City as a 2017 Elite Fleet at last month’s Government Fleet Expo & Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas. Culver City shares this honor with only three other North American Elite Fleets, which are from Boise, Idaho; Columbus, Ohio; and Mesa, Arizona. Elite Fleets are former #1 fleets that continue to perform at a high level and have the same leadership. Culver City was previously named the #1 Best Municipal Fleet in North America by the 100 Best Fleets National Fleet Certification/Recognition program in 2013. Paul Condran, Fleet Services Manager, accepted the award on behalf of the City.
This achievement is awarded to only a handful of public fleet organizations in recognition of outstanding contributions and leadership, particularly in the advancement of greening practices, accountability, efficiencies, best practices, and advanced technologies. Award-winning fleets must maintain high operational standards while demonstrating consistent sustainability practices. Only previously #1 selected fleets are eligible for the Elite Fleet program which identifies only the best of the best. Since the inception of this program, only four municipal fleets have been named an Elite Fleet.
This highly competitive program is open to all federal, state, and local government fleets in North America and is based on a comprehensive set of criteria specifically tailored to the challenges and requirements of government fleets. This year’s Elite Fleets are working toward improving environmental fleet operations to continue in order to lower the carbon intensity through “greening practices,” employee training, renewed benchmarking projects, updating old or outdated infrastructure, staying efficient and current, all while maintaining strong influential industry presence.
“Culver City stands out as one of the early adopters of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technologies as the sole fuel source for our entire transit, refuse, and many other fleet vehicles. It’s gratifying to hear that the City can share its experiences and best practices with other municipal fleets. Through the use of environmentally friendly CNG, our sanitation vehicles, CityBus, and our other municipal vehicles conserve over 900,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel per year and save taxpayers more than $1.2 million annually. The fact that our team is a repeat winner of this award is very impressive and makes us very proud!” said Culver City Mayor Jeffrey Cooper.
Culver City strives to protect the environment through sustainable practices. The City’s fleet operation is certified by the State of California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control as a “Green Model Shop.” “Culver City has stringent industry-standard recycling goals in this area and adheres to a 100 point recycling program approved by the State of California. Our program includes the proper management of all waste, including the recycling and proper handling of metals, fluids, and oils,” said Paul Condran.
The Equipment Maintenance & Fleet Services Division has been designated an Elite Fleet since 2014. The team was awarded the #1 Best Overall Government Fleet designation in 2013 and received the #1 Best Green Fleet Award for North America in 2009. In 2008, the Division was awarded the prestigious Natural Gas Vehicle America Leadership Award and is a three-time winner of the Municipal Environmental Leadership Award. Culver City has been ranked consistently as one of the top 12 fleets in North America since 2006. For over 30 years, Mr. Condran has helped to convey the importance of the City’s government fleet operations in the public sector and has helped to lead the industry in promoting and implementing alternative fuel technologies and best management practices.
For more information about these awards or the Culver City Transportation Department’s Equipment Maintenance & Fleet Services Division, please contact Dia Turner, Management Analyst, at (310) 253-6540.
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