When Your Vehicle Needed Repairs, You Got Betsy.
We had seventeen service vans for seventeen service technicians and one "Betsy". When it was time for a tech to have their truck serviced or maintained, they knew they had to transfer their tools and standard parts over to Betsy. No one wanted Betsy. She had seen the road many times. In her day, she was the top of the line for a service vehicle. Now her doors creak and her interior shelves squeak with every bump in the road. Though former drivers treated her well, her interior has been used far beyond expectations. Her back bumper has supported the weight of many service people removing ladders from her scratched roof racks. She bears the marks of broken rubber tie downs that, after being stretched to their limit, snapped and slapped their metal hooks on her roof. Her shelves show the signs of housing many parts and tools. Her floor being the burden of old units and trash removed from jobs. Someone lost the keys to her shelf doors many years ago. They still shut, but there are a few you have to lift up on the door's handle for them to stay closed. Sometimes when you hit a dip in the road, one may pop open. The techs knew to secure their tools or parts in these closets. With two pumps on the gas and the turn of the ignition, she started with a grumble; like someone who was woke from a sleep (and does not want to get going). The driver knew it was best to let her run for a minute or two before persuading her to move. Once roused, she moved on to the next job. Even with her minor flaws, Betsy remained part of the fleet and treated the same as if she was new. Her mileage was recorded monthly and her safety inspections were performed quarterly. Because she was serviced and maintained as detailed in our fleet maintenance management plan, she was just as safe to drive as when she was being operated on a daily bases. We could generate reports when her tires were rotated and get alerts when it was time for her brakes to be checked or motor oil to be changed. When management deemed it was time to purchase some new vehicles, Betsy retired from this job and another Betsy took her place. Our fleet management plan showed us who will be the best "Betsy" to choose from the current motor pool.