What Makes a Good Fleet Manager? Beat the Competition with These 9 Points

by Kogler PR Team

The fleet industry is anticipated to touch the revenue of US$29 billion by 2030. Thus, the demand for good and result-oriented fleet managers is also soaring. Being one of the highest-paying job options, the competition is increasing, and there is a dire need to polish your skills and portfolio to grab this position. 

 

So, stay till the end as we will be discussing the qualities that you should adopt to become an efficient and successful fleet manager. 

 

Qualities of a Successful Fleet Manager

 

Just as said above, you need to inculcate the features that make you stand out from your competitors. This will help you beat the queue and seize the opportunity. 


  1. A multi-tasker: Fleet managers are expected to juggle between fuel consumption, drivers' retentivity, vehicle health, legal documentation, supply management, auditing, invoicing, bookkeeping, and whatnot! So, if you are not ready for this, your performance will be hampered. 


  1. Innovative: As a good fleet manager, you should be able to brainstorm to bring new ideas for increasing efficiency, profit margins, and retention rate while maintaining a decent market image as well. One such idea is replacing the regular truck mattresses with Kogler's unique and comfortable mattresses that are anti-microbial and easy to clean. This initiative will save you extra dry cleaning and frequent replacement costs. Moreover, your drivers will get a sound sleep.


  1. Goal-oriented: You ought to run the operations with a result-oriented approach. This includes everything from fuel-saving to fleet utilization and productivity. To do this, you need to set goals as per the metrics and drive all your decisions in that direction. 


  1. Flexible and adaptable: The fleet industry is ever-evolving and technological advancements are acting as a fuel. Nowadays, many tools help maintain the spare parts inventory, invoicing, bookkeeping, drivers roster, and more. These days concepts like outsourcing are also becoming prevalent. So, unless you are open to adapting to these changes, you cannot be the perfect fit for this role. 


  1. Good communication skills: This goes without saying that fleet manager needs to be able to express themself clearly and concisely. Without this, your ideas, thoughts, and messages won't reach your team, and eventually, your efforts will not turn into results. 


  1. Ability to lead the team: You will be leading the entire team involved in the end-to-end operations and need to train them at different levels. For this, you are expected to be patient, understanding, empathetic, and a good listener. Moreover, you should be able to keep your team motivated and committed to the collective goals. 


 

  1. Expertise in time management: As you are required to be a multi-tasker, it is imperative to master the time management skills. You have to carefully schedule all the tasks and training sessions to satisfy corporate and drivers' needs. However, it is more important that you start and finish the tasks in the due interval so that no one else's schedule is hampered because of your unavailability. 


  1. Work towards fulfilling the company's goals: To be an excellent and result-oriented fleet manager, you must understand the corporate products and programs. This will ensure you operate in a 'company impactful' manner rather than just a 'fleet impactful' manner. Moreover, it is expected that you know the right tactics to connect the dots between the objectives of the company, department, and individuals.


  1. Ability to absorb feedback: No matter which industry you belong to, you are bound to get both good and bad feedback. Hence, you need to absorb constructive criticism and for that possessing a thick skin is a must.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Every job is challenging, and that of a fleet manager is no exception. You are expected to beat the competition, elevate the sales chart, keep the fleet happy, and whatnot!

 

So, the foremost habit to develop is to become a good speaker as well as a listener as you are required to communicate your thoughts, ideas, and messages whilst considering the same of others. 

 

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