General
10. Safe and efficient transportation is a critical OSL activity of WHO work in emergencies; Transportation is the first source of incidents and often the highest budget item.
20. OSL manages emergency fleet and field teams' transportation using approved mechanisms to ensure teams operate in a safe, effective and efficient manner in accordance with WHO road safety and vehicle management policy in eManual section https://emanual.who.int/p19/Pages/default.aspx
Transportation and Fleet Management Principles
30. Vehicle Sourcing: It is usually more cost-effective for WHO to use rented vehicles during emergency operations' initial acute (push) phase. The temporary hiring of vehicles should be considered to address fast-growing transportation needs and demands. Costs must be reviewed regularly to establish whether vehicle rental is more cost-effective than purchase. If the local rental fleet market is insufficient or unsuitable to meet minimum operational requirements, the option to import or purchase vehicles should be considered. See eManual section XIX.5.3 https://emanual.who.int/p19/XIX.5%20WHO%20Vehicle%20Administration/Pages/XIX-5-3-Use-of-rental-vehicles.aspxFor emergencies beyond three months, solutions for the purchase of vehicles should be researched, budgeted and planned to improve sound financial management, safety and efficiency of vehicles managed by WHO.
40. Fleet Management Implementation: In emergencies, a preliminary Fleet Management System (FMS) is expected to be in place within seven (7) days of OSL emergency team activation. The FMS is expected to be fully operational within 21 days. A fleet manager must be deployed from the onset of the response phase to ensure effective initiation, set up and management of fleet and transportation.
50. The Allocation of vehicles meets the following principles:Pooling: Pool vehicles are not allocated to any individual staff or programme but are available for the entire operation on a need basis. The dispatcher allocates vehicles based on daily requests and actual demand.Allocation: Allocated vehicles are not allocated to any individual staff but are shared within a programme. Related costs should be allocated directly to the programme.
Transportation Assessment
60. Operational Requirements are based on forecasted programme activities.
70. Existing WCO Fleet: The existing WCO fleet offers the opportunity to share resources and experience, particularly where the WHO Country Office (WCO) has a large setup with dedicated staff. Reporting and management systems must be integrated whenever possible. At the beginning of an emergency, instead of renting vehicles, the use of WCO WHO branded vehicles should be considered, with the authorization of the WCO, to carry out emergency operations in areas where effective representation is an advantage.
80. Local Rental Market: The local rental vehicle market is the primary source of surge vehicle capacity; therefore, a complete market assessment is required to identify suitable suppliers, availability and condition of vehicles. WCOs are expected to assist through their local supplier database.
Transportation Plan & Contracting (including Human Resources)
90. Fleet Roles:
- Fleet Manager: The fleet manager has overall responsibility for the fleet activities and ensuring they comply with WHO standard policy and procedures while meeting the requirements of the emergency operations.
- Dispatcher: The dispatcher's role is essential for successful fleet management by ensuring the availability of vehicles and allocating them according to requirements, priorities and needs.
- Drivers: The importance of drivers is often misunderstood. Due consideration must be given to the responsibility placed on them regarding staff and recipients' safety and the value of the assets placed under their care. Rented vehicles should be hired with drivers contracted by the rental company. However, WHO must assess the ability of all drivers before authorizing them to transport WHO passengers. Fleet Managers must also ensure they are contracted and managed appropriately. All drivers must be briefed on WHO key policies and must follow WHO policy on road safety and vehicle management.
100. Contracting: All contracts must establish basic terms and conditions covering valid documentation, repair & maintenance, adherence to WHO's standard policies and procedures, no accident liability for WHO, secure parking, and performance assessments.
110. Budgeting/Payments: Fleet management requires a consistent cash flow to maintain operations. An efficient system of regular invoicing and systemic control of invoices must be put in place immediately to prevent emergency operations from being disrupted because of non-or-late payments. Payment terms must be established in the contract and should be respected.
Fleet Management (including Reporting & Maintenance)
120. Vehicle Files: A vehicle file must be opened immediately upon contracting each vehicle. It must contain a vehicle file index card, the signed contract, and the vehicle documentation. It must be maintained for the duration of the use of the vehicle by the Organization.
130. Log Books: All vehicles should have a logbook in which the driver reports all movements, including time and distance travelled, fuel consumed, and passengers transported. Data from these logbooks should be collected at least monthly and recorded in the fleet management system (Tracpoint).
140. Key Performance Indicators (KPI): All WHO vehicles, including rental vehicles used for more than 30 consecutive days during emergency operations, must be recorded in the WHO Fleet Management System (Tracpoint). Weekly and monthly analyses must be carried out on the following key performance indicators: monthly mileage coverage, fuel consumption (l/100km), availability rate (%), utilization rate (%) and cost per km. Analysis should be undertaken at multiple levels, including for the event's entire fleet, events sites, and vehicles. Monthly monitoring reporting is the norm, although fleet managers must be able to report upon request. Corrective and preventive measures should be identified, documented and implemented if performance measures are below expected standards.
150. Daily Checks: Each driver is responsible for completing a daily check of their allocated vehicle to ensure usability and safety. Any vehicle operational issues should be immediately reported to the dispatcher and fleet manager responsible for taking action.
160. Regular Maintenance: All vehicles must follow an adequate maintenance schedule based on the age and operating environment of the vehicles. Fleet planning should consider a maintenance schedule to ensure enough vehicles are available to cover those out for maintenance.
170. Fuel Supply: A reliable and stable fuel supply should be sourced in key operational locations. A centralized contract with a local fuel supplier as part of a national delivery network will simplify payment and access to fuel. Fuel suppliers are expected to provide fuel cards and additional infrastructure (including tank trailers and pump stations) to improve access to fuel in operation areas. Where this is not possible, the OSL OPS/Field Support team will have to set up their fuel supply network. All fuel supply solutions should have adequate security, safety, and monitoring processes implemented.
180. Vehicle Tracking: All WHO vehicles, including vehicles rented for more than 30 consecutive days, must be fitted with the standard WHO vehicle tracking system (VTS) to record all vehicle movements during emergency operations. Until the vehicles are equipped with VTS, a regular reporting procedure will be established with ICT network where drivers regularly (i.e. hourly) report their position and status, which is recorded in a central movement register.
Road Crashes & Security Management
190. Road Crash Incidents Reporting: All road crashes must be reported immediately to the fleet management team so they can implement post-crash management procedures, including casualty support, police reporting, security & IM notification, and insurance reporting activities. A detailed report, including photos, police reports, and diagrams, should be compiled and added to the vehicle's file. The Fleet Manager/Assistant and/or FSO must provide a preliminary report of all incidents and road traffic crashes resulting in death or injury of passengers or third parties or material damage to HWO, DAF and SHW/RSP within 24 hours of occurrence.
200. Insurance: All rented vehicles should have insurance provided by the supplier. All vehicles owned, operated or under the control of WHO must be insured against the financial consequences of damages to third parties, including coverage for the risk of death or injury to passengers. Where necessary, OSL should arrange additional insurance if the local insurance does not provide sufficient coverage.
210. Security Arrangements: Vehicles should always be operated within security guidelines. Safe parking spaces must be identified, with security guards if required. All vehicle movements must be connected with relevant WHO activities and in line with prevailing security restrictions.
220. Communications: All drivers/vehicles should have suitable communications equipment for their operating environments to facilitate continuous communication channels.
