News + Insights

News | June 2, 2020

NCHRP Fleet Reference Guide

The Kercher Group is pleased to announce the availability of a major new fleet reference guide on performing fleet cost accounting in a public agency in accordance with industry best practice and GASB34 rules:

Guide to Calculating Ownership and Operating Costs of Department of Transportation Vehicles and Equipment: An Accounting Perspective

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.

Kercher’s Henry Canipe was the Deputy Principal Investigator for this project and played a major role in the creation of this document.  Henry is Kercher’s Fleet and Management Consulting Practice Leader.