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Cox Automotive has acquired fleet mobile maintenance provider Dickinson Fleet Services to bolster the capabilities and geographic reach of its nationwide Pivet fleet services marketplace, and focus on powering a fleet future that is dependent on mobile maintenance and repair services.
“Total fleet management” is a generic, shorthand term used to refer to programs offered by FMCs that administer all aspects of a client company’s fleet operations. Have you ever wondered about the origin of this concept? You might be surprised to learn that IBM was one of the initial catalysts leading to the development of today’s total fleet management programs. This might surprise some in the fleet industry, because for the longest time, IBM has been the poster child of driver reimbursement.
Fleet management will always be a critical role in any business or public entity that relies on vehicles regardless of the title of the person making the decisions.
For the past several decades, FMCs have employed in-house fleet managers in their fleet administration departments to manage client fleets, but were promoted from within the FMC. Now, we are starting to witness FMCs hiring traditional fleet managers. Does this make a trend? It is still too early to tell, but, what I can say is that it has caught our attention. My prediction is that this is indeed the start of a bona fide, long-term, industry trend that will accelerate in future years.
With fewer in-house resources available to fleet managers than ever, a key remedy is to outsource what can't be done internally. However, once the contract is signed, performance must be measured, and vendors held accountable.
When you examine the seminal events of fleet management over the past 30 years, most were driven by changes in tax law, the introduction of governmental mandates,and adoption of new technologies. Looking to the future, we should probably expect more of the same.