Being a fleet manager is no easy task. It can be stressful, fast-paced, and it’s easy to stumble. Experience counts, but so does the personal character of the manager and how they approach each day. But being a Fleet Manager can be an excellent career choice.
As a Fleet Manager you make a difference by leading and developing a group of drivers. You lead your fleet in achieving safety and meeting service, revenue, and retention goals. As a leader, you develop strong relationships with your drivers, anticipate needs, take proactive steps to ensure positive outcomes, and manage performance. This is incredibly rewarding work that will provide you with a high level of personal and professional satisfaction. A fleet manager with a few years of experience can make between $50,000 and $65,000.
Here is what it takes to be a great fleet manager.
Adaptability
Being adaptable to changing demands, the ability to drop everything to troubleshoot a problem immediately, and to confidently work the problem, is key. Being stuck in the mud and unwilling to adapt won’t cut it as a fleet manager.
The demands will come thick and fast. There might be supplier issues, driver management problems, or issues with the vehicles themselves. Changes in legislation, budget cuts, and technology upgrades all play a role here. It’s the opposite of a static, never-changing situation when working in fleet management.
Therefore, it’s best when the person savors the challenge and doesn’t want every workday to be the same as the one that came before it.
A Strong Communicator
As someone in a senior position, the fleet manager will be dealing with upper management who will expect much and have little tolerance for excuses. When something does inevitably go wrong, he or she must be able to discuss it clearly, explain the issue and how they aim to resolve it (or did resolve it).
With drivers, there’s a need to not just see the job as cars and fuel needs. Drivers, their needs, their strengths, possible weaknesses, and other factors all play a part. Matching the right driver to the right assignment gets better results too. So, being too distant from the drivers will be a hindrance.
Talking with suppliers and other contacts is also important. Some will be a little rough around the edges. Therefore, the fleet manager must be adaptable to different styles of communication too.
Protect the Vehicles from Damage
The first line of defense with fleet management is to protect the value of the fleet itself. Certainly, there’s Fleet insurance but rates increase if your drivers are “high risk”. So your responsibility is to ensure that your drivers drive safely not just for the company’s benefit but for the driver’s own safety as well. A company like Quotezone.co.uk can help you access a range of ideal policies from different insurers to find the right one.
Ensure Fleet Vehicles Are Checked & Maintained Well
A driver is only as good as the vehicle they’re driving. When the fleet vehicle has been poorly maintained and infrequently checked for fresh issues, that leads to breakdowns on the road. This is especially true when the fleet is rented out rather than used by the company itself.
Also, drivers should have a way to report problems with the vehicle. These must be quickly followed up by a workshop to look at the problem, replicate it, and then resolve it.
An effectively managed fleet of vehicles can support a business in a variety of ways. But when fleet management is done poorly, things can quickly fall apart. So, the right person must be put in the position to get the right results.
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