Fleet Week: Taking Stock

n August 2025, the project working group, led by Kevin Guilbault, launched Princeton’s first-ever “Fleet Week.” The idea was simple: put eyes on every vehicle, talk to the people who drive them, and find out what’s really happening on the ground.

For more than a month the team crisscrossed campus, walking back lots and service yards, snapping photos, checking registrations and safety stickers, and sitting down with staff to hear how vehicles are actually used. The picture that emerged was equal parts impressive and alarming.

Departments volunteered 28 vehicles for repurposing or disposal, including a food truck, a box truck, and dozens of golf carts that were no longer safe or useful. Hidden among the hedges and tucked away in sheds, the team also uncovered nearly three dozen abandoned vehicles—forgotten, but still technically on the books. Another 21 were inactive yet quietly racking up insurance and registration costs.

By the end, the working group visited about 50 departments and inventoried over 500 vehicles. Along the way, the team found expired inspections, missing paperwork, vehicles too dangerous to be on the road, and others barely driven at all. At the same time, they heard from staff who rely heavily on their vehicles but struggle with inconsistent policies and limited support.

The lesson is bigger than broken disposal. Fleet Week revealed a fleet without a real system—a collection of well-meaning efforts but no consistent lifecycle management. Yet it also proved that when the University brings structure and coordination to the task, it can move fast, shine light on long-standing issues, and begin to clean house.I