Do you have a company car?

[KapeKopyTek]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Small car, smaller gas bills. Also, our company doesn't want our techs riding around with a car full of parts - just some basics. We are close enough to the mothership to come in and grab bigger items. We're riding in Honda Civics and Scion pillboxes (when we're moving at all, due to summer traffic).

[engineerboy93]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Small car, smaller gas bills. Also, our company doesn't want our techs riding around with a car full of parts - just some basics. We are close enough to the mothership to come in and grab bigger items. We're riding in Honda Civics and Scion pillboxes (when we're moving at all, due to summer traffic).

Do have a point about the parts. I never really thought theft would be a problem, but these days people will steal anything! Thinking about it, few years back someone stole our dollar store landscape lights. Turned out to be a bunch of kids, as those are the only people who actually steal in my neighborhood.

[fixthecopier]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Spent a week and a half at Xerox school a few weeks ago. I was told that Xerox techs who use a company car, have been ask why the vehicle was sitting for too long at some lights, and a new system they have coming out will track the route, so your boss can quizz you about why you took the route you took, when you could have turned here, ect. Nothing like micro managing to make things better, and save a penny.

[engineerboy93]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Spent a week and a half at Xerox school a few weeks ago. I was told that Xerox techs who use a company car, have been ask why the vehicle was sitting for too long at some lights, and a new system they have coming out will track the route, so your boss can quizz you about why you took the route you took, when you could have turned here, ect. Nothing like micro managing to make things better, and save a penny.

Back when my mother worked bill ops for ATT, they had a Xerox substation built inside of this building. They had a copy center that had a machine about 20 feet long that could do anything. They had factory trained techs there that worked all the time, and they performed maintenance to the machines every two weeks! They had atleast 10 machines on each floor, over 80 machines in total!

[alliedofficeproducts]

Re: Do you have a company car?

I guess you could say I do. I own the company, am the only employee, provide my own vehicle. It was new when I got in 2008 and am still driving 368,000 miles later. It is a Ford Edge and have loved it.

[wester]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Anyways, the E63 wagon is nice to drive around to fix copiers. I never understood why these companies use these tiny cars. I would always think copier techs would drive around in vans like everyone else used to back in the 90's *scratches head*. Cost is a factor obviously!

I've been driving a Chevy Astro AWD for 12 years and well over 300,000 miles now I love it and having a problem finding a replacement.

[alliedofficeproducts]

Re: Do you have a company car?

When you have to supply your own vehicle you tend to treat it a bit better. Got to get those monthly oil changes, tires rotated and other scheduled maint when needed, just like the copiers. A little luck never hurts either.

[Counsel]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Our company provides the vehicles, gas card, and all repairs and maintainence. They are gps tracked however. We all have dodge grand caravans mine is a 2011. At a regular 50,000 miles per year average that i drive theres no way id use my own car.

[Gazzahos]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Our company provides the vehicles, gas card, and all repairs and maintainence. They are gps tracked however. We all have dodge grand caravans mine is a 2011. At a regular 50,000 miles per year average that i drive theres no way id use my own car.

Do they have to ask your permission to install the GPS tracking? By law in Aus they do.

Old job: I ran a Mazda 6 2006 model. Still have it, great car. Was paid a vehicle allowance to run my own vehicle
New job: 2008 Volkswagen Caddy. I have to move MFD's sometimes. Good fuel economy (diesel). Road noise is awful. Van is supplied by the company and everything except parking meters is paid for. (And speeding fines of course!)

[Counsel]

Re: Do you have a company car?

They didn't ask and beings they own the vehicle i would be surprised if they had to ask, our policy technically says we are only supposed to drive the vehicle for work purpose, they let us drive beyond that within consideration of using their fuel but no ones in the office after 5pm to watch the gps anyway.

[mbcruzin]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Personal vehicles for most of us, and company cars for those that want/need one. We used to get a solid .35 cent per mile. Then after gas pushed closer to 4.00 a gallon we went to a sliding scale. No lower then .34 no higher then .55 based on the average cost of fuel in the local area. Plus we are required to be GPS'ed if you want your monthly reimbursement check. There has been talk about getting all the techs a company Ford Transit, but I don't think that is going to happen any time soon.

[Gazzahos]

Re: Do you have a company car?

They didn't ask and beings they own the vehicle i would be surprised if they had to ask, our policy technically says we are only supposed to drive the vehicle for work purpose, they let us drive beyond that within consideration of using their fuel but no ones in the office after 5pm to watch the gps anyway.

GPS shows your movements throughout the day. In effect an invasion of privacy. Thats why it is asked for your approval here. Some want you to have a GPS to use some automated feature in job allocation software. If you have been employed by someone for years, they do not have job allocation software and they want one to track fuel. What is the real reason? If your fuel bill increases dramatically you could understand.....no

Don't they trust there staff?

[slimslob]

Re: Do you have a company car?

Our company provides the vehicles, gas card, and all repairs and maintainence. They are gps tracked however. We all have dodge grand caravans mine is a 2011. At a regular 50,000 miles per year average that i drive theres no way id use my own car.

They didn't ask and beings they own the vehicle i would be surprised if they had to ask, our policy technically says we are only supposed to drive the vehicle for work purpose, they let us drive beyond that within consideration of using their fuel but no ones in the office after 5pm to watch the gps anyway.

GPS shows your movements throughout the day. In effect an invasion of privacy. Thats why it is asked for your approval here. Some want you to have a GPS to use some automated feature in job allocation software. If you have been employed by someone for years, they do not have job allocation software and they want one to track fuel. What is the real reason? If your fuel bill increases dramatically you could understand.....no

Don't they trust there staff?

When an employer provides a vehicle for you to use, they are legally allowed to track that vehicle. The same is true if they provide you with a smart phone. Just because they have to ability to track you through GPS does not mean that some is sitting at a computer watching your every movement. What it does mean that should a priority customer call for service they can enter the location of the closest techs and after determining how soon you will finish your current call, dispatch who ever they determine can get there the soonest.

[jeromeblanks]

Re: Do you have a company car?

We have company cars, I drive a 2014 Nissan Versa, with a company gas and maintenance card, it doesn't hold many parts but it does the job...

[mistersampo]

Re: Do you have a company car?

The company I work for gave me a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan with no seats in back. I get a gas card, and the company maintains the vehicle. When they transferred me to another location, they allowed me to start taking the vehicle to and from work, which has been really nice. It's nothing fancy, but it gets where I need to go with air conditioning and a stereo.