Fleet Project Update: Sharing What We’ve Learned

On Wednesday, October 15, the Princeton Fleet Project team hosted two workshops to share the findings of the Current State Report—a major milestone in the University’s effort to modernize and better manage its vehicle fleet.

More than 85 participants from across campus joined the sessions, representing academic departments, facilities, public safety, athletics, and administrative units. Later in the day, the project team presented the same findings to the executive sponsors and steering committee for discussion and feedback.

Presenting the Current State

The team walked participants through the Current State slide deck [available here], highlighting key findings from this summer’s Fleet Week, which for the first time provided a comprehensive look at all motorized vehicles on campus. The analysis revealed more than 650 active vehicles—mostly trucks and carts—spread across nearly 50 different departmental “mini-fleets,” with inconsistent records, uneven maintenance practices, and few shared resources.

The presentation also included a six-minute video excerpt from a Fleet Roundtable with peers at Cornell University, the University of Michigan, and the University of California San Diego. Each of these institutions has a centralized fleet department responsible for acquisition, maintenance, and governance—a model that offers valuable lessons for Princeton.

Lessons from Our Peers

Our peer universities shared how they have built efficient, accountable systems that serve the full campus:

• Renee Jordan, Fleet Manager at the University of Michigan, described how her team secures competitive pricing by purchasing vehicles in bulk based on standardized specifications negotiated early with suppliers.

• Billy Meade from Cornell explained how his group streamlined aftermarket upgrades into just three configurations, making it faster and cheaper to put new vehicles into service.

• Josh Kavanagh and Jonny Mason from UC San Diego detailed how they “lease” vehicles to departments using an all-inclusive monthly rate that covers purchase cost, maintenance, insurance, registration, and overhead.

  
  

All three institutions operate a shared motor pool that allows the broader campus community to rent vehicles for short-term use—a model that Princeton currently lacks.

World Café: Shaping What Comes Next

After the presentation, participants joined a World Café discussion to share ideas and priorities on three core topics:

1. Motorpool and Shared Fleets – How might Princeton develop shared vehicle resources that meet departmental needs more efficiently?

2. Culture Change and Personal Mobility – How can we rethink when vehicles are needed, and encourage sustainable, safe, and space-efficient ways to get around campus?

3. Procurement and Maintenance – What systems and policies would make it easier to buy, service, and retire vehicles responsibly?

Next Steps

These conversations generated dozens of practical ideas that will feed directly into the Core Design Phase, where the community will help shape options for how a future fleet program might work.