Westmoreland County will soon begin intensive monitoring of its vehicle fleet, including the use of dozens of personal vehicles by employees and elected officials.
On Thursday, commissioners revised the county's fleet management policy to require drivers to log into a GPS device installed in nearly every vehicle. The device allows real-time tracking of where, when and how employees drive.
“The biggest problem with the pickup trucks is that they get scratched and damaged. We want to be able to see exactly what is happening,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes.
The county operates a fleet of approximately 180 vehicles, including heavy equipment, snow plows, trucks and other leased passenger vehicles used by employees of various departments such as the Park Police, Sheriff's Office, Probation Department, Children's Services and the Regional Senior Services Agency.
Most employees are assigned vehicles from the general fleet on a daily basis, based on need, while about 50 full-time employees are assigned to staff that can take home each night. Three elected officials — District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, Sheriff James Albert and Coroner Tim Carson — are assigned vehicles that can take home, said Greg McCloskey, county administrative director.
Ziccarelli's use of her county-provided SUV was questioned after she crashed while driving home on icy roads in Murrysville at night in December 2022. She claimed she was visiting a friend who was mourning the death of a relative.
The accident caused over $33,000 in damage to the vehicle.
Commissioners said the GPS tracking system was designed to monitor vehicle use during and outside working hours.
“If this had been present then (in Ziccarelli's accident), we would have had additional facts and such things could have been prevented in the future,” said Commissioner Ted Kopas.
Under the previous and now revised version of the fleet policy, private use of vehicles taken home is permitted “de minimis”. Employees who are given vehicles to take home must also submit logbooks every month detailing how the cars and SUVs are used.
A TribLive investigation last year found that logs were not routinely filed and that when they were filed, they contained only basic information, such as the total number of miles driven per month.
Geotab Inc.'s agent-approved tracking system serves as an additional method of monitoring fleet usage. Mileage logs are still required under the revised fleet policy.
In the meantime, the company will receive a one-time fee of $11,463 for the equipment and will have to bill the county monthly fees to install and monitor the tracking devices. McCloskey said the project will cost taxpayers about $38,000 a year.
This use of resources could ultimately lead to savings, McCloskey said.
McCloskey said GPS tracking will provide more detailed information about vehicle usage. The county will be able to see where the vehicles are being driven, when they are being used and even how fast they are being driven.
“Our goal is not to discipline. It's to get the most out of the vehicles and figure out how to best use them and keep people safe,” McCloskey said.
A fleet management review committee will be set up to examine the data collected and help develop future management regulations that could lead to a reduction in fleet size and the number of vehicles issued for take-away, he said.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. Reach him at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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