FLEET COUNTING SEASON: LCT is compiling its annual
100 Largest Fleets/Who’s Who list, and with it comes the usual excuses that crop up every year about not entering.
Leaving aside the pro-forma debates of -- 1) insurance records vs. public records; 2) Fleet size matters vs. no it doesn’t; 3) Who cares? vs. But you really care after all -- let us address some common concerns:
Myth No.1: “I don’t want my competitors to know how many vehicles I have.”
Response: “They already do — if you’re legal.”
Myth No. 2: “I don’t want to be targeted by greedy trial lawyers.”
Response: “They don’t need LCT to notice you. The smart attorneys (the ones you have to worry about) have many other ways of noticing and learning about you, especially if you operate the amount of visible metal that qualifies you for the list in the first place.
Myth No. 3: “I might get audited because of the list.”
Response: Or you might not. You are divulging far less information to LCT than you do to the IRS, the DMV, the TLC, the PUC, D.O.T., the Labor Department, the SSI Administration, the state Franchise Tax Board, workers’ comp agencies, airport regulators, most of whom have extensive public records that can be combed, especially by a legal team.
Myth No. 4: “I don’t want anyone to know I’ve lost vehicles because of the recession.”
Response: “Once again, the people you want to hide from already know. And why are you so thin-skinned anyway?”
Myth No. 5: “Nobody cares about fleet sizes. The list means nothing.”
Response: “And no one cares about the Fortune 500 list? Consumer Reports rankings? The Inc. 500 list? Any industry list anywhere that ranks businesses based on volume, size, revenue or equipment? While definitely not the last word, the 100 Largest Fleets list is just one industry barometer, index, snapshot, etc.
Myth No. 6: “Just because someone has more vehicles, doesn’t mean they provide better customer service.”
Response: “True. Has anyone said otherwise? India and China have bigger populations than the U.S., but which of the three nations provides the most per capita prosperity? Which nation would you rather live in?”
Myth No. 7: “The LCT fleets list is nothing but a biggest penis contest.”
Response: “And the point is — what exactly? Ron Jeremy gets more action but John Holmes is still dead.
Print | posted on Monday, May 24, 2010 5:01 PM