Blazing a trail in fleet growth and transformation.

A company on fire

Impact Fire, headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, is a best-in-class fire protection and life safety company offering installation, maintenance, monitoring, and retrofitting of fire and security systems. With a mission to “be the best,” and 40 district locations nationwide—alongside quarterly acquisitions—they’re well on their way to achieving their goals.

This explosive growth has driven an equally fast expansion of their fleet. In 2019, Impact Fire had 250 vehicles; today, they boast a fleet of over 875 vehicles, with projections to reach 1,000+ by the end of 2024. Even in 2018 with a smaller fleet, Impact Fire’s national fleet manager, Ashley Lucia, knew they needed a partner that could grow with them. That’s when Mike Albert Fleet Solutions, and their Client Partnership Manager, Christina Hartzler, came into the picture.

When Hartzler began working with Impact Fire, she, too, had just come from the role of a fleet manager. “Transitioning from fleet management to partnership strategy has been transformative —it’s the best place for me to be because I’ve got the knowledge behind it, and it helps me better deliver client-focused solutions.”

Mike Albert and Impact Fire meet regularly to share data and create goals for the future of the fleet. “Ashley and I have very candid conversations about fleet management, where we tackle real-world challenges together,” Hartzler explains. “As their fleet solutions partner, we don’t just ‘do the work’—our main focus is removing barriers. Tell us what you need, and we’ll work to make your success inevitable.”

Six years later, the partnership continues to achieve savings and drive efficiency, with Mike Albert and Impact Fire working together to implement new processes, analyze fleet data, and transform obstacles into opportunities.

Expanding nationwide

As Impact Fire grows, vehicles are constantly being cycled in and out of the fleet. New drivers, new acquisitions, and vehicles with maintenance issues drive the demand for a steady supply. Impact Fire relies heavily on factory orders, but saving money with a large, mixed-OEM fleet was tough. With Mike Albert’s help, Impact Fire transitioned to mostly factory orders with General Motors. Through GM’s Competitive Assistance Program (CAP) incentive in 2023 and 2024, the company saved almost $650,000. That’s equivalent to 12 new units!

“We’ve gone from mostly locates to factory orders, which have streamlined operations greatly,” Hartzler says. “This helps toward Impact Fire’s goal of growing efficiently and saves them money, which they can then put aside for other uses.”

Beyond factory orders, Impact Fire embraces creative sourcing strategies to keep up with demand. “Our growth sometimes calls for alternative approaches,” says Lucia. “For instance, we've done about 30 locates in the past month because of growth. We’ve also gotten into the habit of ordering extra inventory, which is already assigned by the time they're even built in the factory.”

Impact Fire keeps spare vehicles on hand to further support growth and is working with Mike Albert on an inventory program to keep factory orders on the ground for them.

Disposal made easy with a set cycle

The company has also added to its fleet by integrating vehicles from acquired businesses. Since these vehicles have already been paid off and are well taken care of, Impact Fire maximizes their value by keeping them in service as long as possible. The company actually has one still running on its second engine with 350,000 miles.

Even with spares on hand, Impact Fire noticed that vehicle maintenance costs tend to spike after a certain point, turning them into money pits. If Lucia knew the sweet spot to cycle vehicles out, she wouldn’t have to worry about breakdowns and keeping vehicles running well past their prime.

Mike Albert stepped in to assist Impact Fire in establishing an ideal replacement cycle. District managers receive training to cycle out vehicles regularly, which is around 120,000 and 130,000 miles for Impact Fire—a number they received directly from Mike Albert based on their data analysis.

“After the 120K to 130K mark, we generally have to invest more in the vehicles than they’re worth. This is the sweet spot where we get the best outcome at auction and the best overall total cost of ownership,” Lucia says.

Lucia collaborates closely with her district managers, leveraging Mike Albert’s yearly analysis, including monthly and total mileage to date. Together, they go through the analysis line by line, determining whether a replacement is in order if a vehicle has over 100,000 miles or constant maintenance problems.

When disposal is needed, Lucia consults Mike Albert. "I call Mike Albert and ask what a particular vehicle is currently running for at auction. They may say, ‘You’re probably only going to get $3,000 out of it,’” she says. “We look at maintenance costs and the value of the vehicle and weigh whether or not we want to invest in it anymore.”

In 2023 alone, with Mike Albert’s help, Impact Fire successfully auctioned off older vehicles, earning over $178,000 in the process.

Extending fleet lifespan

Maintenance is vital for any fleet, especially when vehicles are weighed down and run hard. Regular maintenance is essential to prevent costly repairs. However, sometimes, things slip through the cracks, leading to vehicles needing extra-expensive maintenance like a new engine.

Through their partnership with Mike Albert and Geotab, Impact Fire has managed to keep preventative maintenance on track. Mike Albert sends monthly emails to Lucia, including Geotab maintenance data with fault codes, and she distributes them to the districts, who then schedule the maintenance. Mike Albert also prepares past-due maintenance reports on its fleet portal Overdrive, allowing Lucia to see which districts adhere to maintenance schedules and which vehicles have recurring issues.

“I’ll get calls from districts asking if it makes sense to invest, say, $3,000 in an older vehicle. They like to know what they’ve already invested in that year,” she says.

Impact Fire has also improved its use of in-network maintenance vendors, which has resulted in significant cost savings. By using their network almost 86% of the time, Impact Fire has saved over $860,000 in just one year and earned a year-to-date ROI of 13.46%—and they’ve been able to add nearly all their preferred shops to Mike Albert’s in-network vendor list.

“When we acquire smaller companies, many are used to going to the mom-and-pop shop across the street or their brother’s or cousin’s place,” Lucia says. “We tell them, ‘If you've got a preferred place, let's work at getting them in-network because we can add them.’ Mike Albert makes this easy. Almost every shop has signed on.”

Focused on safety

Accidents are challenging for any company; managers want to keep drivers safe and assets secure, and Impact Fire is no exception. Lucia describes the company's approach to driver safety:

“We focus on safety and making sure our drivers pay attention,” she says. “We have monthly safety meetings at each location, and a fleet-specific topic is covered. Last month, we discussed safely using roundabouts. We cover a wide range of topics to ensure our drivers' safety.”

Impact Fire also recently installed dash cameras, which have proven extremely valuable. “The cameras have already paid for themselves,” Lucia says. “Because we're a labeled vehicle, we get lawsuits like crazy. We’ve had three or four file a lawsuit against us. With dash cams, though, we can send a video showing that we weren’t at fault, but the other driver was.”

Streamlining fuel and registration

Managing fuel expenses and keeping up with vehicle registrations can be a logistical challenge, especially for a growing fleet like Impact Fire. With new vehicles constantly being added across different states, registration alone can be complex and time-consuming, leading to compliance consequences if done incorrectly.

Mike Albert has simplified this process by introducing comprehensive fuel card and registration programs. With the fuel program, Lucia can monitor fuel expenses in real time, set spending limits for drivers, and access detailed reports on fuel consumption and efficiency. Mike Albert also fully handles registration now, working directly with DMVs to ensure that all vehicles are correctly registered and up to date.

Both programs have allowed drivers to focus more on productivity over waiting in line and writing down fuel costs. Monetarily, the results of the fuel program speak for themselves: Impact Fire received substantial fuel rebates, earning over $9,700.

Looking forward

As Impact Fire continues its partnership with Mike Albert, both companies are focused on future improvements, including more driver training, increased use of in-network maintenance shops, and fuel education. Innovation is always top of mind:

“We’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to help Impact Fire,” Hartzler says. “We want to find the smartest solutions to empower Ashley and her team and further optimize their operations.”

Over the past six years, Impact Fire has tripled its fleet size while gaining substantial cost savings and operational efficiencies. Working with Mike Albert has transformed the potential complexities of rapid expansion into a streamlined, efficient process, allowing Impact Fire to focus on what it does best: providing leading fire protection and life safety services nationwide.

“We've been with Mike Albert for six years now, and we've developed a really good back-and-forth rapport,” Lucia says. “I pride myself on honesty and telling it like it is, and I have high expectations. I appreciate their honesty and expertise.”