The Department of Public Works is currently assigned a total of 945 vehicles and pieces of mobile equipment. Of the 945 vehicles and pieces of mobile equipment, 211 are general-purpose vehicles, defined as non-emergency-response automobiles, and light-duty trucks and vans, and the remaining 734 are special-purpose vehicles or pieces of mobile equipment such as electric carts, forklifts, dump trucks, front loaders, packers, graders, sweepers, and trailers. Included in the Department of Public Works general-purpose fleet are 70 sedans and one sports utility vehicle, a 1991 Chevrolet Blazer, which the Department reports is used for messenger services.

The Department's 945 vehicles and pieces of mobile equipment are allocated to the Department's General Office and Bureaus, as follows:

Table 14.1
Department of Public Works Vehicle and
Mobile Equipment Allocations

Fleet administration services for the 801 vehicles and pieces of mobile equipment assigned to the Operations Division of the Department of Public Works, which includes the Bureaus of Street Environmental Services, Building Repair, Street and Sewer Repair, and Urban Forestry, are performed by two classification 7210, Mobile Equipment Supervisors. Those services include writing specifications for new and replacement vehicles, preparing new vehicles for service and preparing vehicles for turn in, boom truck certification, management of the fuel key/chip system, and other tasks.

According to the Manager, Central Shops, 182, or approximately 35.8 percent, of the Department of Public Works' 508 on road, non-general-purpose, operational fleet are 10 years or older.

The City's Fleet Management Program

Section 4.10-1 of the Administrative Code provides for a Fleet Management Program to be administered by the Director of Administrative Services. All general-purpose vehicles owned, leased, or rented by the City are eligible for participation in the Program.

Salient features of the Fleet Management Program are as follows:

Based on information recorded in the Central Shops fleet database, all general-purpose vehicles assigned to the Department of Public Works are enrolled in the Fleet Management Program.

Use of City-Owned Vehicles

The Department of Public Works has not complied with certain Administrative Code provisions on the use of City-owned vehicles. Section 4.11 of the Administrative Code, Use of City-Owned Vehicles, specifies that vehicles owned, leased, or rented by the City shall be used only in the discharge and transaction of municipal business. Section 4.11 also specifies the conditions necessary for City vehicles to be used for transportation to and from an employee's place of residence, as follows:

Non-compliance with Scheduled Preventive Maintenance Inspections

Preventive maintenance is maintenance performed on equipment at specified time or operating intervals, such as monthly or every 1000 hours of operation. The purpose of preventive maintenance is to maintain equipment in continuous operating condition by performing maintenance tasks that prevent breakdowns and failures.

As of March 29, 2006, 98 of the 206 general-purpose vehicles then maintained by Central Shops for the Department of Public Works, or approximately 47.6 percent, were overdue for the six-month preventive maintenance lubrication and service. Some general-purpose vehicles last completed a preventive maintenance service in the first half of 2004, in some instances more than two years ago. The condition cited denotes the need for management emphasis on vehicle maintenance. Central Shops reports that expected savings due to effective preventive maintenance programs average between 12 and 18 percent annually.

Non-compliance with California Safety and Inspection Requirements

The Employer Pull Notice Program

The Department of Public Works does not maintain sufficient documentation or oversight of the Employer Pull Notice Program. The California Highway Patrol is responsible for regulating the safe operation of certain types of vehicles. Accordingly, the California Highway Patrol has instituted safety programs covering vehicle maintenance requirements and a State driver license Employer Pull Notice Program for all drivers who are required to possess a Class A or Class B driver license. Each of the bureaus within the Operations Division operates vehicles that require driver enrollment in the Employer Pull Notice Program.

An employer enrolled in the Employer Pull Notice Program is assigned a requester code. The requester code is added to an employee's driver license record. When an employee's driver license is updated to record an action/activity, a check is made electronically to determine if a pull notice is on file. If the action/activity is one that the California Highway Patrol reports under the Employer Pull Notice Program, a driver record is generated and mailed to the employer. The California Highway Patrol periodically checks sites required to be in the safety programs in order to determine compliance with the requirements.

The Budget Analyst evaluated the Department of Public Works' Employer Pull Notice Program in order to determine whether required employees are enrolled and whether the required individual Driver Record Information is available and current. Our review of 67 employees required to be enrolled in the Employer Pull Notice Program revealed that Driver Record Information records for 10 employees required to be enrolled in the program were not available for examination. Further, the Driver Record Information forms revealed expired medical examinations for two employees. The seriousness of these deficiencies can be derived from the following quotation from the California Highway Patrol's "Motor Carrier Safety Compliance Handbook."

All motor carriers should be aware that failure to enroll all drivers in the DMV Pull Notice Program is cause for an unsatisfactory terminal rating and a mandatory negative recommendation from the California Highway Patrol to the Public Utilities Commission, even if no other violations are found during the terminal inspection. Failure to obtain and keep any new driver's current public driving record prior to allowing that driver to drive a regulated vehicle is also cause for an unsatisfactory terminal rating.

State Preventive Maintenance Requirements

The General Services Agency's Central Shops does not consistently comply with the California Code of Regulation's standards for maintenance inspection and record keeping. As previously stated, the California Highway Patrol is responsible for regulating the safe operation of certain types of vehicles, including motortrucks of three or more axles that are more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, truck tractors, buses, full-trailers and semi-trailers, and vans with seating for 10 or more passengers in addition to the driver. Such vehicles are subject to regulations in Chapter 6.5, 13 California Code of Regulations. One of the general requirements that applies to all vehicles subject to Chapter 6.5, 13 California Code of Regulations, is that such vehicles are to be maintained in proper operating condition, in a systematic manner.

The California Highway Patrol has published a handbook titled "Motor Carrier Safety Compliance Handbook," (the "Handbook") for the purpose of facilitating compliance with the requirements of the California Code of Regulations. The Handbook defines preventive maintenance, sets forth objectives of preventive maintenance for the organization and for public safety, describes an effective preventive maintenance program, and establishes requirements and standards for inspections and record keeping. Required records include Driver's Vehicle Inspection Reports, Preventive Maintenance Inspection Reports, Lubrication Records, and Repair Records.

Our reviews of Central Shops' compliance with the maintenance inspection and record keeping requirements of the California Highway Patrol revealed significant deficiencies, as noted below:

The foregoing three deficiency types are considered to be serious by the California Highway Patrol: deficiencies a. and c. could result in a failure of the evaluation. In response to these findings the Manager, Central Shops, states that Central Shops has reviewed past practices and procedures regarding the Biennial Inspection of Terminals Program and has made the following changes:

Conclusion

Because 98 of 206 general-purpose vehicles were overdue for scheduled preventive maintenance inspections, the Department of Public Works was diminishing the benefits of such inspections, which are safe vehicles, economic repairs before major maintenance is required, and preserving the useful life of the vehicle. Central Shops reports that expected savings due to effective preventive maintenance programs average between 12 and 18 percent annually. Also, the Department of Public Works was not in compliance with the provisions of the administrative code requiring Board of Supervisors approval for garaging vehicles at the residences of employees and maintaining records of use for vehicles that are equipped with emergency equipment and are garaged at an employee's place of residence during nonworking hours. Further, the Department of Public Works was not in compliance with the State's Employee Pull Notice Program. Finally, deficiencies were noted in Central Shops' maintenance of vehicles operated by the Department of Public Works that are required to be maintained in accordance with the California Vehicle Code.

Recommendations

Costs and Benefits

The Budget Analyst's recommendations can be accomplished with existing staff in-house. The benefits of the recommendations would include better vehicle maintenance, compliance with use of City-owned vehicle regulations, compliance with the State's Employee Pull Notice Program, and compliance with State preventive maintenance requirements.