The Sacramento Clean Cities, East Bay Clean Cities, and Northern California Chapter of MEMA (MEMA NorCal) partnered on a successful, two-day NTEA Equipment Specification Training Workshop. This event was held on August 19-20th, 2015 at the Fairfield Community Center. Presented by the NTEA (The Association for the Work Truck Industry), this multifaceted event incorporated nine training modules that were designed to provide fleet managers with a better understanding of the various hybrid, alternative fuel, and sustainable technology options that are available to them. The event also provided guidance as to how individual fleets can determine which alternatives will provide them with the best return on their investment while at the same time, not having a negative impact on day-to-day operations.
MEMA NorCal NTEA Training Sponsors
Sonoma County fleet manager and MEMA NorCal Secretary David Worthington said, “Today more than ever, fleet organizations need to maximize educational opportunities for all of their staff to just stay current on the latest vehicle and equipment technology, regulations, and industry trends, in order to provide and operate safe vehicles and equipment. The NTEA Vocational Truck Design and Specifications Development Seminar is an excellent example of the benefit of bringing municipal fleet professionals together to receive in-depth technical information and training that can help ensure that vehicles and component specifications will meet our operational needs through better, safer, more productive and fuel efficient work trucks.”
The Northern California Chapter of the Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association (MEMA NorCal) capitalized on their resources to minimize the per person cost of the seminar while providing a centralized location within reach of the greater Northern California Bay Area. The two-day seminar also provided attendees with a networking opportunity to establish professional relationships with other fleet professionals that will lead to sharing knowledge and experiences that improve and benefit all of our individual operations.
Northern California Chapter NTEA Truck Specifications Training held in Fairfield, CA in August of 2015
The seminar introduced fleet managers to proven practices and procedures for designing their vehicles, regardless of technologies used, to insure that their vehicles are safe, productive, and in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations. Finally, the event provided fleet managers with an in depth overview of effective practices for writing truck body, equipment, and chassis specifications that can help to insure that upfitted vehicles match the designer’s expectations when working in a competitive bidding environment.
Worthington says, “No one fleet professional has all of the answers for today’s ever increasing complex fleet management challenges, but through a collaborative association such as MEMA NorCal, we can all take advantage of a larger collective pool of knowledge at a moment’s notice while minimizing valuable time in researching solutions to our individual questions. There is no greater direct benefit to your professional career than joining a proactive and dynamic association comprised of industry leading fleets and companies that want to work together to help improve our individual operations and the industry as a whole.”