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A tribute to the fleet manager |
I recently came across a great empathetic look at the role of a fleet manager in today's operating environment. I found it on the web site of LadyPrada Consultants, a company run by Dot Engelbrecht which specialises in - well, a whole lot of things but basically it has a host of products and services designed to help transporters conduct their task in a professional manner. Here's how LadyPrada Consultants views the modern fleet manager.
FleetWatch sees it as an insightful and fitting tribute to the profession and I thank Dot Engelbrecht for allowing us to reproduce it for our
FleetWatch readers.
Although change is a constant in almost all endeavors, no industry has experienced more dramatic change than fleet management, especially the fleet manager in today's environment. Twenty years ago, maintaining equipment was generally the only responsibility the fleet manager had - and he did that within a budget allocated to him by upper management. Today, the role of the fleet manager has not only expanded but is constantly shifting:
- From accepting technology to embracing and pursuing technology.
- From command and control to a shared vision and empowerment.
- From completing tasks to taking responsibility for outcomes.
- From operations specialists to marketing and communications experts.
- From total insourcing or outsourcing to a variety of hybrids.
- From hoarding resources to sharing resources.
- From having hundreds of suppliers to forming alliances with a few.
- From following the rules to breaking them in the name of customer service.
- From "fleet only" to total maintenance management.
- From a total focus on cost to total customer satisfaction.
- From viewing departments as separate to embracing cross-functional responsibilities and outcomes.
- From low bid to best bid.
- From a focus on downtime to one on reliable availability.
- From measuring only the general, after the fact, to real-time analysis of detail.
- From shop mechanic to computer technician.
- From individualization to standardization.
- From total ownership of all equipment to maximizing of capital and technology.
- From owning and operating all fuel sites to a combination of strategies, including the universal card.
- From outsourcing warranty work to becoming certified to do it "in house" and;
- From a focus on cost only to leading the way for clean air....and the list continues.
Phew! Who said this job was easy? FleetWatch lifts its hat to the fleet manager of today - as we do to Dot Engelbrecht and her team for identifying in such an interesting and innovative way the changing role fleet managers play in companies today. And you thought a fleet manager just ran the lorries hey! Get in there and serve your fleet manager a cup of coffee. He deserves the attention.
Patrick O'Leary
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