72nd LRS named one of best fleets Published July 23, 2009 By Howdy Stout Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 72nd Logistic Readiness Squadron's motor vehicle unit is one of the top 100 best-run government fleets in the country, according to Government Fleet magazine. The annual award rates the best fleet management programs run by government agencies, such as cities, counties and states. The magazine's awards committee reviews submissions and ranks the top 20 fleets in order while the remaining 100 are simply listed. Tinker is the only federal-agency - civilian or military - to make the list. "Everybody is excited," said Vicki Hoppes, contract manager for Tinker's motor vehicle unit. "It puts Tinker Air Force Base on the map as being an elite fleet." Ms. Hoppes, who submitted the motor pool for the award, believes this is the first time the base as entered as most entries come from state and local government fleet management programs. As a government-run program, however, Tinker is eligible to enter. "They've dealt mainly with city and county fleets," she said of the award. "But we are a city here at Tinker so we got involved in this." The unit, divided into two divisions, maintains more than 1,500 vehicles on base in addition to managing and providing transportation services and vehicles. They also oversee maintenance of specialized vehicles, such as aircraft tugs, cranes and loading vehicles. "We do everything from general purpose, light pick-ups to M-35s and fire trucks," Ms. Hoppes says. "We even take care of the Navy, the DLA and the 3rd Herd." "It's outstanding," said Eddie Allen, manager of the motor vehicle division. "It (the award) tells the story of what we do and how we compare (to other fleets)." While the award is designed to promote recognition of well-run government fleet programs, it also serves as a forum to share best practices throughout the industry. Tinker's operation, Ms. Hoppes says, operates under even more stringent regulations than most municipal or state-run fleets. "We have the stringency of the AFIs and the mandates of the federal government," she explained. "And Air Force standards on top of manufacturing standards." Tinker's success is due to the unit personnel, she added. Hired under the Ability One program, many are disabled veterans with vast amounts of experience unique to the type of vehicles managed and maintained by the Air Force. "For servicemen and women coming back with injuries, this is an opportunity for them to be employed," Mr. Allen said. "And a lot of times they have that expertise and they can put that expertise to work." "The nice thing about our people is that they come from such diverse backgrounds and they have that knowledge and experience," Ms. Hoppes said. "There's nothing that we haven't been able to tackle so far." Making the top 100, she added, gives the industry notice of what the Air Force can do and how it stacks up to other fleet management programs in the country. Ms. Hoppes says they plan to enter the competition again next year. "We would absolutely love to be in the top 20, if not number one," she said. "We're going to get there. We're not afraid of a little competition."