From Clipboards to Connected Cars: Fleet Veterans Reflect on Five Many years of Changes – Operations

The fleet industry has evolved dramatically over the past five many years, reshaped by technology, regulations, environmental consciousness, and changing workforce dynamics.

However the core mission has remained constant: move people and products safely, efficiently, and strategically.

In this text, Automotive Fleet presents a collective history drawn from seasoned fleet leaders who’ve lived this transformation and, in lots of cases, led it. For a lot of, fleet management wasn’t the unique “dream job.” Nonetheless, what began as a street eventually became the essential highway.

For instance, Susan Miller, currently an independent consultant at MPG Miller Group, began her journey as an assistant to the treasurer of ServiceMaster Industries, eventually becoming a trusted consultant and mentor to her peers through fleet manager positions at Keebler Company and McDonald’s, after which on the seller side with Geotab.

Theresa Belding moved from a knowledge entry role at Forest Pharmaceuticals to overseeing a fleet of over 4,000 vehicles within the pharmaceutical industry. She recently exited her fleet manager role at Exact Sciences.

Others, like Charlie Stevenson, vice chairman of fleet at Essential Utilities, and Matthew Betz, founding father of Ore Creek Fleet Consulting, got here up through the ranks as mechanics and leasing agents, respectively. Their stories reflect the organic and sometimes unexpected ways fleet professionals enter the industry.

How Fleet Adapted Through Disruption

Through the years, fleet management has undergone many changes, shaped by events like fuel shortages, recent technologies, and global challenges. Each shift challenged corporations to adapt how they ran their fleets and made long-term decisions.

Industry-defining shifts emerged across the interviewees’ accounts:

1. Oil Crises of the Nineteen Seventies and 2000s: These moments drove a reevaluation of fleet vehicle selection and sparked fuel efficiency initiatives, resulting in domestic manufacturers’ development of more fuel-efficient vehicles. Belding recalled how her company pivoted to four-cylinder vehicles in response to soaring fuel prices.
2. Digitization and Telematics: The rise of telematics has arguably had essentially the most significant impact on modern fleet operations. As John Dmochowsky, who retired as a senior global fleet manager at Mondelēz International, noted, digitization and external stakeholder innovation revolutionized how fleets track, analyze, and act on data.
3. Distracted Driving: What may look like a contemporary issue should have began somewhere. Fleet managers with many years of experience can recall the implementation of automobile phones and early cell phones as the place to begin of driver distraction. This issue has only intensified with the rise of smartphones and constant connectivity, causing many more challenges for fleet managers with driver safety. 
4. Environmental Accountability and Electric Vehicles: What began as voluntary emissions tracking has develop into a driving mission for some corporations. Joe LaRosa, who held fleet and procurement positions at Ascenia Diabetes Care, Merck, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, identified how emissions data transitioned from annual reports to every day operational metrics. Today, fleet managers must balance ESG goals with infrastructure challenges.
5. Post-COVID Supply Chain Disruptions: As Stevenson emphasized, pandemic-era supply issues weakened vendor relationships and fundamentally shifted fleet planning. The COVID era was also a turning point that made budgeting and invoice processing more difficult, with fleet managers having to navigate a more complex financial terrain post-pandemic.

A significant shift which will often go missed within the “modern” day is the broader availability of desktop computers through the 80’s and 90’s. After the desktop computer’s introduction, advanced software versus mainframe operations and increased use of the web revolutionized the event of fleet management systems.

“This was perhaps one of the exciting, creative, and modern years of my profession until the introduction and advancement of GPS technology and telematics within the 2000s,” Miller said.

Charlie Schott, fleet director at Rollins, also referenced the introduction of diesel engine sedans in Europe. U.S. import restrictions kept these vehicles from the domestic market, not directly benefiting American gas engine manufacturers. Plus, stricter emissions standards for diesel engines had a notable impact on heavy-duty truck OEMs and engine producers.

The problems fleet leaders face today require heightened strategic planning and resilience in fleet management. Fleet managers are actually expected to balance cost, safety, technology, and company alignment more diligently than ever before.

Data’s Dilemma: Insight vs. Overload

Although cost control has at all times been central to fleet management, the definition of value has expanded.

At one point, a fleet manager’s primary concern could have been vehicle acquisition price, but today’s fleet leaders prioritize total cost of ownership, driver safety, and alignment with corporate ESG goals. Betz observed that fleet managers now give attention to the worth of “getting drivers home safely” above all else.

Many interviewees chuckled over their early tools, reminiscent of fax machines, spreadsheets, and handwritten logs. Some remember starting with “#2 pencils and erasers.” Today, fleet managers cope with an overabundance of real-time data from telematics, FMC platforms, and AI-based analytics.

Lee Pierce, director of corporate fleet at PremiStar, and Miller noted that while traditional priorities like safety and utilization remain, the power to act on real-time data has raised expectations for performance. Nonetheless, Pierce added, “Access and managing the information has develop into easier, but it surely has added a complexity that did not exist 20 years ago.”

It is not a secret that data is a double-edged sword.

“Now that you’ve got all this data, how do you employ it, and what pain levels are you willing to take to manage or propose changes in your fleet operations?” LaRosa said.

Although data can unlock the chance for powerful operational improvements, it also introduces complex dynamics, especially regarding worker oversight. A growing reliance on telematics offers fleets unrivaled visibility into vehicle usage, location, and driver behavior.

Nonetheless, that very same visibility can raise worker concerns about surveillance and privacy, complicating management and staff relationships.

“Sometimes our employees imagine Big Brother is watching, and it doesn’t at all times bode well for the connection of the worker and the manager,” Stevenson added.

Fleet managers must weigh the advantages of greater oversight with the potential impact on team morale. Industry leaders are challenged to implement these tools and construct a culture of transparency where employees understand how and why the information is getting used.

Without thoughtful communication, even the very best technology can backfire.

Latest Demands, Latest Dynamics

Fleet management is not what it was once, and neither is the job of the person running it.

The trendy fleet manager faces recent and layered challenges, including:

1. Multigenerational Workforces: Dmochowsky highlighted the importance of listening and adapting to different generational expectations.
2. Complex Vehicle Technology: Belding said that today’s vehicles come full of electronics that may stump even dealership technicians.
3. Expanded Responsibility: Pierce identified that fleet managers now often oversee heavy equipment and assets beyond trucks, vans, and passenger vehicles.

Most notably, the corporate vehicle has develop into a robust recruiting tool. Belding shared that “What’s going to I be driving?” is now a top query in the course of the hiring process.

As some interviewees identified, they’re now not just handling cars and trucks. They’re managing equipment, navigating recruiting conversations, and playing an even bigger role in company strategy than ever before.

“I see the brand new fleet managers as talented and keen about their role in response to recent industry challenges. The team approach is the very best solution to fix challenges. Remember, ‘It takes a village,'” Dmochowsky said.

The image of the fleet manager as a back-office administrator is long gone. Today’s leaders are strategic operators, data analysts, and cross-functional collaborators. Schott described this shift as a move from “insulated” roles to positions that directly impact corporate objectives.

“Today, asset managers need a broader skill set to exhibit the power to contribute to corporate objectives, versus an administrative role,” Schott said.

Moving More Than Vehicles

Fleet management has at all times been about movement, but not only of vehicles. It moves with the times, the tech, and the individuals who shape it and has develop into central to conversations about sustainability, operational efficiency, and even corporate branding.

Despite the industry’s rapid evolution through technology and data, fleet management stays deeply rooted in human connection.

“Even with all of the technology and recent ways of working, persons are still at the center of all we do,” Miller said.

Strong relationships with drivers, vendors, and peers sustain successful operations. Whether it is the camaraderie forged over many years, the role of vehicles in worker recruitment and retention, or the worth of empathy and listening, persons are still on the core of what makes fleet work.

“Our DNA is defined by our networking and listening skills,” Dmochowsky said. “The fleet persons are supporting and willing to assist. It has at all times been that way.”