You can earn a living in a conglomerate as a fleet management expert if you have the right qualification as well as experience. When you work as a fleet manager, you will be responsible for the efficient movement of the fleet of vehicles owned by the company. The daily running of the fleet which can include different types and sizes of vehicles will depend on your abilities.

The fleet expert is responsible for managing existing contracts and developing new business opportunities. He also has to ensure that the vehicles are regularly serviced and properly maintained. This job also includes finding the most cost effective source for new vehicles.

The automobiles that are in the fleet will have to be replaced from time to time and the staff should be properly coordinated. The fleet manager is also in charge of insurance coverage for the vehicles as well as the workers.

If you are interested in this kind of career, this article will provide all the information you need to be able to excel in this field and earn a living.

• How do I Become a Great Fleet Manager?
• What are the Challenges Faced by Fleet Managers?
• What is a Fleet Expert?
• What Does a Fleet Management do?
• Is Being a Fleet Manager Worth it?
• How do you Overcome Fleet Management Challenges?
• What is Fleet Optimization?
• What Skills Does a Fleet Manager Need?

How do I Become a Great Fleet Manager?

In fact, there are a number of habits that can make for highly effective fleet managers. These best practices, when applied appropriately, can really make a difference in your company’s bottom line and the overall safety of your workforce.

1. Act, don’t react when it comes to the safety of your fleet

With the numerous distractions and safety hazards for your drivers, it is always a good idea to get ahead of any potential problems. If you wait until an accident or near miss, then your company and employees could pay dearly.

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The cost of a hands-free device, driver behavior monitoring app or in-cab camera may seem unnecessary, but the alternative is always going to be more expensive. You can also integrate the data you get on driver behavior from your telematics devices into a cloud-based fleet management software, and more closely analyze the effect those behaviors are having on both your drivers and your vehicles.

Be proactive by understanding what your drivers are doing when you’re not looking.

2. Make fleet vehicle maintenance management easy and accessible

People are more apt to take the path of least resistance. If you want your drivers to keep up with routine vehicle service and maintenance, you need to make inspections, scheduling and reporting as effortless as possible.

We’ve seen whiteboards, handwritten notes and file folders used to keep fleets on schedule. Cloud-based fleet management software with mobile accessibility and automated features like service reminders and electronic driver vehicle inspection reports (eDVIRs) are the key to a successful vehicle maintenance program.

Simplify fleet maintenance management by making it mobile, automated and accessible by anyone you want on your team.

3. Set guidelines for fleet vehicle purchasing and disposal

Consistency is key. Without purchasing guidelines, personnel from varying departments and locations may buy vehicles as needed and keep them for as long as they see fit. Without bulk purchasing and insight into the right time/mileage for selling vehicles, your company could be hemorrhaging money.

You should aim to optimize vehicle replacement. Take the time to spec out vehicle options to meet the requirements of your fleet and put a purchasing plan in place.

4. Set goals and expectations for driver performance

Some of our customers incentivize drivers for doing a good job — whether this be for achieving high fuel efficiency, performing vehicle inspections regularly or exhibiting high driving performance. While this may not work for everyone, you should always hold your drivers to a performance standard.

The potential fuel savings for better driving habits and a well running vehicle can really add up across an entire fleet. With driver behavior monitoring, it’s even easier to promote safe driving habits.

Create actionable goals for your drivers to inspire safer, more responsible driving habits.

5. Measure everything that matters

Metrics are important — they can help monitor progress, but they can also become a bunch of numbers if they aren’t measuring anything useful. In order to be on top of your fleet operations, you need to make sure you’re measuring well. After all, how can you improve upon something when you don’t know the starting point?

A few metrics that give solid insight into vehicle performance and fleet performance overall include cost per mile, total cost trend and operating cost summary. You can make tracking that data a lot simpler with a centralized fleet management platform, or even by simply upgrading to a smarter spreadsheet that does the calculation for you.

In other words, monitor and measure specific data that directly impacts your fleet.

6. Document everything digitally

Ditch your file folders. In the world of cheap online storage, there are no excuses for not knowing where your fleet information is stored. Invoices, work orders, receipts, photos, employee records, product manuals and more can be kept in one central digital location and accessed from any internet-connected device.

It’s time to join the modern era of fleet vehicle management. Move your fleet documents to the cloud and find your fleet information instantly.

7. Constantly educate yourself about industry advances and consider adoption

The fleet industry is constantly changing — it’s important to keep up! Join an industry association, check out industry podcasts, attend conferences and trade shows when possible and read trade publications and blogs (like this one) to keep up with what is happening in vehicle technology.

As you read up on new technology, don’t be afraid to adopt it. Alternative fuels, for example, were once seen as a long shot, but may actually be within reach and cost-effective for your fleet.

The same goes for vehicle technology where if you have accurate data for your vehicles, you can make educated decisions about payback on investments. Investing in cloud-based fleet management software can be a great way to advance your fleet into the future and give you greater visibility into your fleet’s data, as well as give you more actionable insight than you have on paper.

What are the Challenges Faced by Fleet Managers?

1. Vehicle Acquisition

The first thing your fleet manager should tackle is evaluating changes to vehicle legislation such as the WLTP and RDE2 fuel economy test cycles. Determining purpose and suitability of vehicles and negotiating deals with vehicle manufacturers all sit with the fleet manager. Fuel consumption, tax and insurance costs in addition to employee expectations need to be considered too when selecting the right fleet vehicles.

Add to this a consideration towards end of life and vehicle re-sell value and it soon becomes clear why the role of a fleet manager can be such a challenge. They will also need to ensure budget allocations are met and savings are always there to be made.

2. Fuel Management

In our opinion, probably one of the biggest cost-saving challenges for a fleet manager is ever increasing fuel costs. Fluctuations in market price and the external factors that influence prices are beyond the control of a fleet manager, but there are options to help reduce fuel consumption and costs.

We all know that the popularity of diesel vehicles is in decline following the Volkswagen emissions scandal and well publicised negativity on harmful NOx emissions. The government response of adding a surcharge to tax has understandably had an impact on sales.

Despite this, an effective fleet manager needs to evaluate the options to see if they still deliver the greatest cost savings. Petrol remains the market leader but the margin is decreasing due to the growing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles.

Fleet managers can carry out a cost benefit analysis on fuel options as a way of determining the most suitable for the vehicles in their charge. We recommend giving consideration to all of the data available though – for instance, is the higher purchase price of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles off-set against their lower running costs and performance?

Another area you must consider is fuel card choice – this is paramount to any fleet by selecting the best value deal to meet needs. We would use telematics alongside this to remotely observe driver behaviour and the effect on fuel management in addition to an ability to track vehicles and determine the most cost-effective routes.

3. Vehicle Maintenance

You have two choices here, depending on the size of your business. Larger firms may decide to carry out servicing and repair work at an in-house workshop, while smaller businesses may choose to out-source to specialists.

Regardless of which route your business takes, it will be the responsibility of your fleet manager to ensure that vehicle checks are carried out to comply with legislation. This includes driver daily walk round checks, pre-purchase vehicle inspections, regular maintenance checks and to ensure that reported defects have been rectified.

4. Health and Safety

If the worst happens and one of your employees is involved in a road accident, your company needs to make sure it has complied with health and safety guidance. You need to ensure robust reporting procedures are in place to enable drivers to deal with an accident by following insurance reporting procedures correctly so that claims can be handled quickly and efficiently.

Needless to say, your fleet manager will be responsible for both the development and implementation of the health and safety policy in addition to making sure that driver training records are up to date to minimise the risk of accidents occurring within the fleet in the first place.

5. Meeting Compliance Requirements

Daily checks, inspection sheets, driver checks, defect reporting, road worthiness tests, insurance… the list goes on. Compliance and fleet risk management is an essential part of the role and all aspects need to not only be carried out but also documented. This ensures that a full trail of information is available for each vehicle for both auditing purposes and in the event of an accident should a claim or investigation need to be made.

Vehicle legislation is changing apace, particularly with the move to the WLTP vehicle testing structure. In our opinion, it is imperative that your fleet manager is aware of changes to legislation that could have a direct impact on your business.

6. Controlling Costs

We might be stating the obvious here, but controlling and reducing costs is always a priority for any business and fleet management is no exception. Fleet Managers are required to analyze the relevant information about their fleet and realize the areas that can be improved. This can include reducing vehicle purchase costs, reviewing fuel consumption and analyzing the behavior of your drivers – achieving more for less.

7. Avoiding Information Overload

Your fleet operation will generate a lot of data, but we know from experience that not all of it will be useful. Trawling through such vast amounts of information is time consuming and runs the risk of missing important, relevant information. Updating such information has administrative time and money implications too.

This is why fleet management software is so important – it can help sort through the unnecessary information and generate reports on only the areas that you need.

8. Expanding Role of the Fleet Manager

We believe this role will increase over time… technology and its integration within your fleet operation will expand your fleet manager’s job to cover mobility management, asset management and input into measuring and controlling the environmental impact of your business. We recommend incorporating fleet management software sooner rather than later as it will be vital in helping to deliver this expanded role.

What is a Fleet Expert?

When you get your items safely delivered on time, you can thank the fleet manager who made it happen. Put simply, a fleet manager is a logistics expert who works in the transportation industry. 

These logistics specialists are in charge of managing every detail, regarding company vehicles and their drivers.

In addition to their main duties of buying and maintaining vehicles that are used for deliveries, fleet managers have several other jobs. Here are five of their many responsibilities, along the qualities needed to be a good fleet manager.

1. Records Accurate Information on Fleets

One of the main responsibilities of a fleet manager is to record and maintain correct data regarding everything pertaining to a fleet.

In other words, a fleet manager keeps a detailed history for every vehicle in his or her fleet. An example is a fleet manager looking up the date of the last oil change for a specific vehicle. This entails having well-kept records.

2. Analyzes Recorded Data

Fleet managers examine recorded data. They extrapolate possible problems from this information, besides reroute vehicles or change a travel schedule when needed.

As a result, drivers don’t waste travel time because they use routes with less traffic or road hazards.

3. Chooses the Right Vehicles

Another basic job is selecting the most appropriate vehicles. Fleet managers also determine the best way to finance a fleet.

Once their vehicles have reached their maximum use and are ready to be resold, a fleet manager knows how to get the best price possible. Thus, they also serves as negotiators.

4. Sets Up Maintenance Schedules

Fleet managers are responsible for vehicle maintenance. They make sure their vehicles are in excellent shape for performing their various functions.

Consider how it’s critical for their vehicles to be able to successfully deliver products and/or services at a minimal cost.

To ensure the vehicles in their fleets are properly maintained, fleet managers set up a maintenance schedule. Usually, vehicle maintenance is performed by a service department.

It can also be done using an external auto-service business. Furthermore, an auto-service center can be a source for supplying spare parts when needed.

5. Establishes Situational Procedures for Possible Problems and Scenarios

Fleet managers understand how a variety of issues can prevent their fleets from delivering goods and services on time. That’s why they have to devise situational plans when problems arise.

For instance, a good fleet manager will have detailed plans of action for conditions, such as vehicle breakdowns, traffic crashes, failed inspections and other incidents that may occur while a fleet is traveling to its destination.

Other Responsibilities

• Creates and manages fleet policies.
• Assigns vehicles to drivers.
• Manages accident reports.
• Uses GPS systems that find where vehicles are located—This makes it easier to track vehicles or locate them if they’re lost or stolen. GPS systems help managers take the steps needed when there are delays in deliveries.
• Uses devices for monitoring their drivers’ driving patterns, such as speeding and excess braking.
• Looks for ways to reduce costs and increase profits, in addition to finding means for getting better fuel efficiency.
• Complies with all the laws and regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What Does a Fleet Management do?

A fleet manager is an individual who is responsible for a company’s group of vehicles. This includes all aspects from hiring all the way to maintaining fleet efficiency. 

Each fleet has their own unique set of tasks and challenges that fleet managers help to navigate. A fleet manager oversees fleet operations within a company to help a business run efficiently, safely and in compliance with the laws and regulations. 

Fleet managers are responsible for directing and managing the costs of the vehicles owned or leased by their companies. They also create policies based on company requirements, to address vehicle usage and driver behavior, and may also set driver schedules.

While everyday tasks might differ for each fleet manager, the job has common strategic responsibilities that include promoting and raising awareness on safety, maximizing fuel efficiency and lowering operational costs. All of the responsibilities are directed towards minimizing the impact of fleet operations on the company’s bottom line.

Fleet manager duties and responsibilities

Fleet managers responsibilities vary but generally, they are tasked with duties including:

Vehicle acquisition 

Negotiating pricing and demands with manufacturers, as well as engineering technical solutions (particularly with trucks and equipment) is an important part of reducing costs. Consideration of the vehicle’s job and the load it must carry are required in forecasting and planning fleet purchases.

Designing and managing fuel programs 

Fuel is consistently one of the three greatest expenses in a fleet budget. Managing a preferred fuel network, fleet card program and/or on-site fueling with suppliers directly impacts a fleet’s cost per mile. Various tools, including telematics, fuel reporting and gamification are used to influence drivers to purchase fuel according to their policy.

Designing and managing maintenance programs 

Fleet managers set preventive maintenance policies based on vehicle type, vocation and geography as it impacts driver safety, saves repair costs and optimizes resale value. 

Leading safety programs 

Fleet managers are passionate about safety. When an incident occurs, potential negligence and brand damage come with staggering costs to organizations. 

Working with the executive team and/or health and safety office, the fleet manager has the responsibility to limit a company’s liability, improve safety within the communities they operate and positively impact the lives and well-being of their drivers. A program that proactively improves driving behaviours and reduces incidents will also result in reducing fuel and maintenance costs.

Tracking fleet metrics 

To monitor fleet activities, fleet managers typically use GPS fleet tracking devices and software. A manager’s work routine includes reviewing daily, weekly and monthly reports, and measuring performance in areas such as idling, routing, asset utilization, fuel consumption and driver safety. Here are various examples of common fleet management reports. 

Understanding and managing compliance 

Keeping up-to-date with legislation changes and new regulations allow fleet companies to stay in compliance and avoid heavy fines. Examples of vehicles subject to compliance regulations include motor carriers and drivers, vehicles carrying hazardous materials and food. Many heavier commercial vehicles are required to perform driver vehicle inspections and report on them.

Vehicle remarketing 

Managing vehicle life and coordinating replacement with the timing of the sale is important in achieving optimal remarketing value. Keeping the vehicle in a clean, well-maintained condition with all the accessories it was delivered with (extra key fobs, mats, seats, headrests) help sell the vehicle at a better price.

Is Being a Fleet Manager Worth it?

Fleet management is one of the most interesting and rewarding careers out there and an excellent stepping stone to greater responsibilities. The talents and experience needed to be a successful fleet manager are a rare combination of communication, technical knowledge, administrative ability, negotiation skills, and perseverance.

It is often said by experienced fleet managers that the industry “gets in your blood,” and it isn’t unusual for a fleet manager to move onto bigger and better things on some other “side of the desk” in the fleet industry.

However, as with any other career path, roadblocks, challenges, and decisions must be faced. If a fleet manager misses the target, the result can stop career progress in its tracks. Some career mistakes are more generic management errors, while others are specific to fleet.

To become a fleet manager, you will need a high school diploma or a GED certificate. Most fleet manager jobs require an associate degree in a relevant field and several years of work experience in some aspect of the transportation and logistics industry.

As a fleet manager, you must be able to demonstrate a wide range of managerial skills and meet qualifications including budgeting, maintaining impeccable records, vehicle knowledge, and people skills.

How do you Overcome Fleet Management Challenges?

Fleet managers must maintain an efficient, safe and productive fleet. This includes managing maintenance, fuel consumption and other fleet expenses while ensuring drivers have the vehicles and equipment to fulfill tasks.

Sometimes, it’s more about the resources you lack than those you possess. Three of the most important solutions fleet managers often need more of include visibility, automation and technology.

1. Replace Antiquated Processes

We live and work in the digital age and your fleet solutions should be no different. When it comes to fleet management, the methods you choose to deploy will often dictate success.

For years, fleet managers relied on paper forms and invoices, complex spreadsheets and messy whiteboards to keep track of their fleet. You might even be using these today, but each of these presents a unique set of issues.

Paper processes like vehicle inspection forms take time to be hand-delivered by drivers and are susceptible to pencil-whipping and errors. Though spreadsheets hold value for certain aspects of fleet management, they can be cumbersome and inefficient when it comes to managing multiple data sets. Whiteboards are great for jotting things down and creating visual flow charts but aren’t optimal for recoding and updating mass data.

These outdated measures aren’t nearly as effective or efficient as software and mobile applications. A dependable fleet management software is also scalable, intuitive and delivers a return on your investment.

2. Add To Your Technology Toolbelt

Limited resources are a true hindrance to your ability to effectively manage your fleet. So, how can you defeat these fleet management challenges? You’re only as good as the tools you have available.

You don’t have to be Tim “The Toolman” Taylor of technology but pairing fleet technology with capable software is a great start. Software can be used as an essential database to store, securely access and analyze your fleet data. But the features don’t end there. Some have the functionality to seamlessly integrate with other solutions you rely on.

For example, many organizations use fleet fuel cards for a variety of conveniences. Fuel cards make it easy to collect fuel consumption data instantly, instead of having to wait for drivers to submit or hand-deliver receipts — which can be easily lost or damaged. Fleetio integrates with many popular fleet fuel cards and transactions are automatically imported, so you can verify fuel spend for your entire fleet.

Trying to singlehandedly manage an entire fleet of assets without the help of technology will leave you frustrated, overcommitted and fighting an uphill battle. When you have the opportunity to enhance efficiencies and deliver peace of mind, take it!

3. Track Vehicles and Equipment

One of the best ways to gain visibility across your fleet is through GPS tracking or telematics devices. Tracking the location of your vehicles and equipment is a great way to check that your drivers are staying on their routes and remaining productive.

Telematics devices also integrate with certain fleet management software. Similar to fuel cards, data is transmitted instantly from the vehicle to your software dashboard. This enables you to control almost every aspect of your operation from a single platform.

In real time fleet managers can receive in odometer readings in real-time, monitor driver behavior and receive notifications when DTC fault codes are initiated. From there, you can take necessary action to address issues in real-time to avoid downtime.

4. Streamline Your Maintenance Process

Maintenance is essential to maximize the lifespan of your mobile assets and every fleet should have an understanding of how much they spend on it. With fleet management software, you can keep track of service history by line item for every mobile asset and develop reports to discover cost trends.

But monitoring your fleet’s maintenance expenses isn’t enough. Developing and carrying out preventive maintenance schedules is also critical to keep your assets functioning.

Service reminders can be configured based on the vehicle manufacturer’s interval recommendations (mileage, km or time) or your preferred period of time elapsed between services. Notifications can be automated so you receive them directly into your inbox at the appropriate timeframe to take action and schedule maintenance.

5. Adhere to Budgets By Calculating the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

No matter what industry, your fleet must adhere to a budget. Capital limitations might restrain fleet managers, but if you know your numbers, you can still make cost-effective decisions.

Trying to navigate your budget and manage expenses can be a challenge, especially with so many variables to consider. To best address this, you must identify your mobile asset’s true TCO. A vehicle’s TCO is comprised of both fixed and variable costs.

Variable Costs include but aren’t limited to:

• Fuel
• Maintenance
• Parts and Labor
• Tolls

Fixed Costs include but aren’t limited to:

• Taxes and Fees
• Licenses/Permits
• Loan/Lease Payments
• Insurance/Registration
• Depreciation

Fleet management software can break down TCO to a cost per mile level, which is helpful to determine the efficiency of your vehicles and equipment. You can leverage the cost per mile of your mobile assets to help determine an optimal replacement strategy and get the most out of your investment.

6. Automate Data Entry and Reporting

With so many functions to manage, spending your days entering data is a poor use of your precious time. It’s probably not possible to fully automate every piece of data you need, but with fleet management software, you can come close.

We’ve discussed how integrations can instantly pull in data and how software can automatically calculate expenses to determine ownership costs as a per vehicle basis. Reporting is another important feature to consider.

Once you’ve collected your data, you need a solution to organize and visualize your metrics in a concise and digestible manner. Configurable reports aggregate all of your metrics, making it easier to analyze and share those conclusions with other stakeholders (ie: your boss or owner). Reports can be generated with a few clicks and scheduled to deliver to your inbox.

7. Improve Communication to Avoid Bottlenecks

The overall impact of COVID-19 is still to be determined, but it has brought remote work to the forefront. Many fleet managers have had to adjust to working from home for the first time. It can be a challenge for some to remain focused amid a host of distractions.

Nonetheless, it’s possible to succeed remotely, but the most important dynamic is communication. Your team is dispersed throughout the day and some oversee a fleet across multiple locations. You must provide means for your drivers to communicate issues with you in the most efficient manner.

Without question, your mobile phone will be an important tool to communicate. Be sure all of your drivers have your contact info and don’t stray far from your device at all times of the workday. In addition, mobile apps provide a means to manage your fleet from anywhere while empowering your team to upload information instantaneously.

Even when you return to your traditional work environment, committing to overcommunicating will prevent miscommunication and improve workflows for both your team, service providers and vendors.

8. Implement and Enforce Policies

Continuing the focus on your team, you should have policies in place for them to follow. Balance the tasks of managing assets and a team is a delicate balance that requires guidelines.

Be direct with your expectations and transparent with any updates. Safety protocol should be actively displayed (placards, posters, etc.) where your team can easily view it. Standardizing and enforcing policies ensures your fleet is protected and remains compliant with regulations.

When it comes to inspections, consider using electronic driver vehicle inspection reports (eDVIR). These convenient eDVIRs can be completed on a driver’s mobile device, are more efficient and accurate than other forms.

Additionally, you can track and review vehicle inspections and require details like pictures to help identify issues. This allows you to identify issues immediately and take the necessary action to resolve the problem.</span>

9. Stay Current on Fleet Industry Trends and Best Practices

Fleet technology and mobility have undergone a tremendous revolution. The ability to understand new technological advancements and apply them to your operation will keep you prepared.

Some of the most popular topics include the state of autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, electric trucks among more. You’ll also want access to guides and best practices that you can apply to your fleet.

Our monthly newsletter, Fleet Beat, keeps you informed on fleet trends and tips to help you improve your operation. Scroll down to the bottom of this post and enter your email address to join our newsletter list so you’ll always remain informed!

10. Consider Fleetio as Your Software Provider

Not all fleet management software is created equal. Fleetio offers a variety of features to help you overcome any fleet management challenge thrown your way.

Whether it’s tracking your assets and expenses or managing your maintenance workflows, we have the necessary capabilities to prepare you for any outcome.

What is Fleet Optimization?

Fleet optimization is the process of maximizing the productivity of your fleet to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of your operations. There are a number of areas that fleet managers should look at to achieve optimal fleet efficiency, and fleet optimization software will help you to identify the best priority order for tackling these.

Key considerations for fleet optimization include:

• Fleet fuel consumption – are my vehicles achieving the best fuel consumption that they are capable of?
• Fleet maintenance – am I adequately prioritizing maintenance tasks to minimize vehicle downtime and maintenance costs?
• Fleet benchmarking – how does my operation’s fleet efficiency compare to that of other similar fleets?
• Vehicle rightsizing – do I have the right vehicles in my fleet, and are they all completing the duty cycles that they are best suited to?

Fleet optimization can be tracked and measured with fleet optimization software. This software provides you with metrics and insights into the following areas of your fleet operations:

• Fuel management – Save on costs by actively managing fuel use and increasing overall fuel efficiency.
• Fleet maintenance – Take a proactive approach to fleet maintenance. Maximize vehicle uptime and reduce costs with a proactive maintenance schedule.
• Fleet benchmarking- See how your fleet stacks up against other fleets with similar operational requirements.

What Skills Does a Fleet Manager Need?

There isn’t a single trait that epitomizes a great fleet manager; rather, it is a multitude of traits interacting with one another. To identify those traits, AF recently surveyed 200 fleet professionals, both fleet managers and fleet suppliers. Here’s what they had to say:

1 – Ability to Multi-Task. The best fleet managers are “jugglers.” They need to balance everything to make the fleet program work efficiently. Drivers want one thing, suppliers suggest something else, management has a variety of focus areas (fuel economy, safety, depreciation, image, etc.), and everyone is an expert about which manufacturer makes the best product. The great fleet managers are those who are able to juggle these demands. As one fleet manager said, if you are not capable of juggling 18 chainsaws at once, your time as a fleet manager will be limited.

2 – Good Time Management Skills. A great fleet manager must be a master of time management. A fleet manager’s customers range from upper management to drivers in the field. You have to manage your time to satisfy corporate and driver needs, while completing your own work to keep the fleet running smoothly. A great fleet manager has the discipline in day-to-day tasks to focus on the important without being consumed by the urgent.

3 – Goal-Oriented Fleet Management. Great fleet managers are goal setters. They are goal-oriented in all aspects of fleet management and employ metrics to continually benchmark productivity, vehicle downtime, fleet utilization, and effective management of both fixed and operating costs. Great fleet managers are committed to achieving specific results and govern their operations with these results in mind. It is this results-orientation that pushes a great fleet manager to be creative in addressing daunting challenges.

4- Adaptable to Change. The fleet manager role has changed over the past 20 years as fleet department staffs disappeared, outsourcing became more prevalent, and procurement groups began playing a greater role in fleet sourcing. While good fleet managers adapt to change, great fleet managers thrive because of it and are willing to recommend change — even if it impacts them negatively. Fleet is ever-changing and great fleet managers adapt to the change instead of fighting it.

5 – Lifelong Learners. Great fleet managers never stop learning. They regularly attend fleet management seminars and read industry publications to keep pace with best practices. They are active members in industry associations. Plus, they are motivated to attain professional certifications. They not only focus on professionally developing themselves, but also their direct reports, customers, senior management, and team members in fleet management and industry best practices. A continual learner has a constant thirst for knowledge and does not hesitate to share new-found information with colleagues.

6 – Excellent Communication Skills. This trait involves a high level of communication skills that allows the fleet manager to clearly communicate at all levels — both written and oral. In terms of writing skills, this includes the ability to be brief and to the point, which is especially important for senior management presentations.

Great fleet managers have the ability to conceptualize an idea and communicate it. They can persuasively articulate thoughts to others, at any level of management. They have senior management’s respect, because they can communicate a strong knowledge of fleet management, which gives them credibility when proposing new programs.

7 – Leadership. A great fleet manager is able to lead and coach not only the fleet team, but also drivers and multiple management levels. Being a fleet leader is more about serving than being served. A leader does not fear change. A great fleet manager is committed to leadership by example. A great fleet manager is able to inspire a team toward a common purpose or vision. In addition, they must possess a passion for success and understand they are a role model.

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A great fleet manager values ideas, respects team member contributions, and creates a learning atmosphere within their organization that rewards individual accomplishment.

8 – Business Acumen. Great fleet managers know how to read and interpret P&L sheets and other financial documents. They have strong accounting skills and financial aptitude. They not only have the ability to present the “numbers,” but know where the “numbers” come from and their importance to fleet. They have the capability of performing higher levels of cost analysis, which is important because there is high turnover in corporate procurement. As a result, great fleet managers are capable of conversing and working with new procurement people and share ideas, because of their strong business skills.

9 – High Ethical Standards. To be a great fleet manager, you must maintain very high ethical standards. You need to be honest to the core, even if it means acknowledging a mistake, which could cost your job. Fleet managers must be ethical, fair, and value each team member’s occasional challenges to their authority. These fleet managers are identified by everyone who deals with them as having unwavering integrity.

10 – Possesses a Thick Skin. No matter what you do, somebody won’t like it, and they’ll be sure to let you (and others) know. You must possess the ability to absorb constructive criticism; because, when you’re overseeing an asset that is used by other departments, there will be a lot of second guessing about your decisions.

11 – Good Listening Skills. A great fleet manager is a good listener. Obviously, you must listen to upper management, but you must also listen to your drivers, which isn’t always easy. 

A good listener is balanced, open to opposing perspectives, has an attitude that they can learn from others, and is open to new ideas. Listening is often an underutilized part of communication. Listening intently and devoting your time to people’s concerns or opinions goes a long way in building a great team and outside support for the fleet department.

12 – Ability to Make Decisions. Great fleet managers possess the ability to make decisive decisions, large and small. When on the spot, they have the confidence and knowledge to make those decisions. Daily phone calls and e-mails bring numerous small problems that need to be resolved, requiring a fleet manager to have the ability to think on their feet, make decisions, and act quickly. They make quick, calculated, cost-effective, and fact-based decisions and do not look back.

In the corporate world, not everything is black and white. These fleet managers can make decisions when faced with ambiguity.

13 – People Person. Great fleet managers have the ability to interact with people at all levels of a company. They have a great rapport with every level of management. To be a great fleet manager you must have excellent people management skills. Fleet is a people business and there are many different personalities and levels of management a fleet manager will deal with each day. Fleet is obviously asset management, but it is also a customer-service job.

14 – Sense of Humor. A great fleet manager must have (or will quickly develop) a sense of humor. You’ll hear excuses from drivers that the writers for Jay Leno couldn’t come up with. This also means being “fun.” All of us have seen that fun fleet managers seem to get best practices from others, because people like dealing with that fleet manager.

15 – Professionalism. Great fleet managers always conduct themselves in a professional manner, both inside and outside of their fleet operation. It is rare to hear negative comments from these fleet managers. They invariably have a “can-do” attitude and disposition.