Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General M. Sean O’Neill announced today the release of a report on the DOJ Justice Management Division’s (JMD) motor vehicle fleet management program. JMD oversees motor vehicle fleet management and policy, and manages the fleet of approximately 88 motor vehicles leased from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for the DOJ’s Offices, Boards, and Divisions (OBD).
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) audit found that although all sampled vehicles were physically accounted for, JMD provided insufficient oversight of the OBD’s fleet program, leading to weaknesses in cost control, asset accountability, and operational efficiency. For example, we found that JMD did not develop a detailed Vehicle Allocation Methodology (VAM), did not coordinate with OBD components to conduct a fleet utilization review, did not ensure consistent and timely reporting of vehicle mileage data to the GSA, and did not address vehicle safety recalls and perform preventive maintenance in a timely fashion, among other issues.
The OIG’s findings included the following:
- Vehicle Allocation Methodology. JMD did not establish clear utilization criteria, identify critical mission vehicles, or develop written policies and procedures for conducting a VAM.
- Fleet Utilization Review. JMD did not coordinate with OBD components to conduct a fleet utilization review, and missed opportunities to identify underutilized vehicles and improve efficiency.
- Inventory Management. JMD’s inventory records were incomplete because vehicles are missing from the record and information was inaccurate (e.g., license plate and identification numbers).
- Mileage Reporting. JMD did not ensure consistent and timely milage reporting to GSA, leading to system-generated estimates and inaccurate data in the Federal Fleet Report.
- Addressing Vehicle Recall and Preventive Maintenance. JMD did not address all vehicle safety recalls and perform preventative maintenance in a timely manner. Of the 27 sampled vehicles, 4 vehicles had at least 1 outstanding safety recall, and 13 vehicles had overdue preventive maintenance. The longest outstanding recall was open for over 5 years, and the longest overdue maintenance was over 6 years.
The OIG made four recommendations to improve JMD’s management of OBD fleet program. JMD agreed with all four recommendations.