A fleet manager’s role might arouse curiosity for those who have no direct insight into what it entails, but also for those who already occupy the position for a number of reasons. The responsibilities of fleet managers might be noticeably different according to the sector, size of company involved and according to the degree of technology used. It can be anything but easy to precisely codify a fleet director’s responsibilities depending on how regulations apply to each company or the countries in which they operate or because of their possible structural changes.
With this post we tried to comment on some true and false affirmations regarding fleet management and establish what can be considered an objective answer—see if you agree?
1. Being a fleet manager requires more knowledge than it has in the past
This can be seen as quite true. With the implementation of technology and the change in the global economy, the fleet world has changed a lot in the last years: fleet telematics, new fuels, changes due to energy regulations, different methods of procuring vehicles (rental, for example, as well as purchasing), the introduction of fuel cards to buy fuel; a lot of innovations have allowed fleet managers to evolve and ease some of their responsibilities, but also require them to keep up to speed on various topics.
2. The use of technology has become a must for fleet directors
This is indeed true. For the role of today's fleet manager, it seems totally unthinkable not to use new technologies to manage a fleet. The list of things controllable with just a few clicks starts gets longer and longer: tracking drivers as they transfer, checking out fuel consumption, following up on sanctions or compliance—it’s just way easier to do it with one of the modern tools fleet directors can now count on. Traditional methods are not necessarily ineffective in the case of small fleets, but they yield very little useful information, do not guarantee full visibility and are prone to error.
3. A fleet director does not deal with maintenance and vehicles
This cannot be considered completely true: knowing when a vehicle within the fleet needs repairs or general maintenance is vital to a successful business. A solid knowledge of what the implications are of certain repairs is also a valuable skill that will likely be sharpened over time.
While it’s not necessarily mission critical for fleet managers to know exactly how to overhaul hydraulic brakes or fix a leaky oil sump, understanding what those fixes require helps the fleet achieve a level of efficiency that only benefits the business. Quickly ascertaining when vehicles are out of commission—and for how long—may require rescheduling of jobs and shifting technicians around as the need arises to keep things running smoothly.
4. A fleet manager ideally has not only technical knowledge, but also an entrepreneurial mind-set
A good fleet manager is not only tactical when it comes to repairs but also business-minded and tech savvy. He has to integrate these two aspects into his business knowledge to guarantee what’s in the best overall interest for the company.
