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Suggested Citation:"Bibliography." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Guide to Calculating Ownership and Operating Costs of Department of Transportation Vehicles and Equipment: An Accounting Perspective. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25700.
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Page 36
Page 37
Suggested Citation:"Bibliography." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Guide to Calculating Ownership and Operating Costs of Department of Transportation Vehicles and Equipment: An Accounting Perspective. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25700.
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Page 37

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36 Separate infrastructure-related MISs are sometimes integrated with fleet systems and are often used to record and manage detail on maintenance activities for transportation infrastructure, whether performed by internally or by contractors. Many of these systems are designed to track costs down to specific geographic locations (such as 1/10th mile roadway sections) using linear reference system coordinates. The level of integration between different MISs and the accounting MIS vary significantly by DOT, as does the level of customization. Even when two DOTs use the same vendor-supplied MIS for a function or activity, those system are often implemented differently. Together, these challenges impact the extent to which a fleet manager can develop a cost accounting system using the existing MIS applications versus making offline calculations in separate software. 6.1.2. DOT Fleet Management Information Systems A DOT fleet represents a significant and ongoing investment by the DOT with thousands of parts, dozens of equipment categories, and dozens of personnel. The level of detail needed for fleet management far exceeds the level of detail typically needed and captured in most accounting systems. To ensure a proper level of detail, fleets use FMISs, which capture and track highly granular levels of data with embedded business processes designed to support high transaction volume. Sometimes called a fleet management system, FMISs capture a combination of transactional information (labor hours, parts and fuel used, disposal cost, acquisition, and external repairs) and cost data and link this information to specific assets (utilization). These assets are further segregated into fleet classes. GSA Bulletin B-15 (GSA 2007) provides recommendations for the functionality of a well-designed FMIS (shown in the blue call-out box below). In turn, the aggregated cost information is typically passed to the accounting system. Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a DOT that has separate MISs for accounting and fleet functions, with some degree of overlapping data needs. All Management Information Systems in DOT Accounting Management Information System Fleet Management Information System Figure 4. Conceptual diagram of DOT with separate accounting FIM and FMIS

37 A well-designed FMIS allows fleet managers to identify equipment or activities with costs that exceed the norm. Similarly, a well-designed FMIS supports examining specific systems and components with cost outliers. These kinds of details are critical for fleet management personnel who must identify specific actions to manage fleet costs and productivity. FMISs support the need to manage fleet ownership costs. However, elements of the fleet ownership costs may not be integrated with FMIS, which compromises the ability of these systems to provide this holistic analysis in an easily repeatable manner. 6.1.3. State DOT Fleet Management Information System Usage Table 12 in Appendix A gives the FMISs used in all 50 states (EMTSP 2018). Although these systems vary in design and functionality, they can generally be grouped into four categories (shown in Figure 5): 1. Custom systems (mainframe/homegrown) 2. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems 3. Enterprise asset management (EAM) systems 4. Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) fleet systems Federal Guidance on Fleet Management Information Systems GSA Bulletin FMR B-15 (GSA 2007) recommends that a well-designed FMIS have several types of functionality: • Vehicle identification. Includes information like the year, make, model, and color. • Acquisition. Interfaces with agency equipment acquisition system. • Utilization. Provides information on how the equipment is being used and by whom and whether the vehicle is awaiting assignment, disposal, maintenance, or other. • Repairs and servicing. Provides automated vehicle repair history, a review of vehicle repair files, a capture of repair information, and notifications of preventative maintenance services. • Accident reporting. Summarizes accident data and is able to prepare accident reports. • Disposal. Includes information on the type of disposal action, out of service dates and final disposition dates, disposal costs, and ability to maintain complete vehicle records. • Financial management. Includes information on all direct and indirect costs, including capabilities for reporting.

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Guide to Calculating Ownership and Operating Costs of Department of Transportation Vehicles and Equipment: An Accounting Perspective Get This Book
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A central role of a state Department of Transportation (DOT) fleet manager is to maintain a clear understanding of the fleet’s costs. This helps in tracking activities over time, comparing costs with other fleets, communicating with stakeholders, and effectively managing fleet assets.

The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Research Report 944: Guide to Calculating Ownership and Operating Costs of Department of Transportation Vehicles and Equipment: An Accounting Perspective provides a practical, logical, and transparent framework for conducting fleet cost accounting in state DOTs. The Guide focuses on the unique aspects of DOT fleets, although the principles in the Guide could be extended to any public fleet.

Without a complete understanding of fleet costs, the fundamental functions of fleet managers—such as equipment replacement decisions, outsourcing decisions, and budget requests—are diminished. Ultimately, fleet managers need full confidence in their fleet cost numbers to have credibility with fleet stakeholders.

The report is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation summary.

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