The word “middle” has never carried the greatest connotation. From cutting out the middleman to getting caught in the middle and middle-child syndrome, from the middle of nowhere to a middle-age crisis, the middle will be forever yoked with angst and mediocrity. 

Middle managers, too, fall into a Hollywood stereotype. They symbolize corporate hierarchy, are blamed for bureaucracy, and are overloaded with busy work, yet they are often viewed as pencil pushers. These perceptions may be unfair, but they are rooted in the structural and interpersonal challenges of the role.

I sheepishly begin my point by saying that fleet managers are middle managers. In fact, they are the definition of middle management. They have a team (most of the time) that reports to them, and they report to others within an organizational hierarchy.

What Fleet Managers Actually Do 

But think about what fleet managers actually do within this hierarchy. They:

• Supervise millions of dollars of assets yearly.

• Facilitate economies through the movement of people, goods, and services.

• Influence hundreds and sometimes thousands of workers’ daily lives.

• Directly affect their organization’s bottom line.

• Are relied on as experts by the C-suite.

• Have the capacity to make the earth a greener place.

Fleet Managers’ Jobs Are Becoming More Complex

For falling squarely into the middle of middle management, fleet managers wield a lot of power. And this power is growing as the job demands become much more complex.

With the rise of telematics, connected vehicles, and AI, fleet managers are expected to interpret vast amounts of data daily. With video telematics systems and in-cab driver alerts, they must now respond immediately to risky behaviors behind the wheel.

In the push for sustainability, fleet managers are expected to understand EVSE switchgear, utilities’ load capacities, and electricity demand charges. They’re also expected to deal with a message at midnight that a charger connected to an EV has stopped working.

As fleets electrify, they’re caught in the “messy middle” of running gas and diesel vehicles, hybrids, and EVs. Fleet managers must determine the optimal use cases for multiple powertrain types, while some are even adopting multimodal strategies for another layer of complexity.

The challenge of regulations and compliance is intensifying, as diametrically opposite national political ideologies promise to tear down or enact regulations every four years and threaten the best-laid fleet cycles.

And to think, this new era of complexity has only emerged in the last five to 10 years on top of their “traditional” duties.

How Fleet Managers Make a Difference

Here are real-world examples that showcase the bullet points above:

In 2023 and 2024, Sandra Doucette of Advance Auto Parts (winner of the 2024 Fleet Safety Award) managed to reduce preventable losses by 28%, total claims by 14%, and total losses by 10%.

As part of a comprehensive carbon reduction strategy implemented by Sharon Etherington of Roche Diagnostics, her fleet’s overall fuel economy increased by 3.3% to 37.9 MPG in 2023 and another 7% to 40.59 MPG in 2024.

Etherington, the 2024 fleet manager of the year, also recently organized an “innovation day” for select drivers that included idea sharing and learning through roundtable discussions, technology demonstrations, and an EV ride and drive.

Ted Chan of Schindler Elevator, a fleet manager of the year runner-up, led a strategy that resulted in $2.1 million in fuel savings in 2023. The initiative reduced CO2 emissions per vehicle by 11.2%.

David Hayward of ABM, another runner-up, created an Amazon-type experience for vehicle ordering. This “Fast Track Program” dramatically reduced vehicle upfit time, out-of-stock ordering, and overall costs.

Beyond the Statistics

Beyond the statistics, consider the positive human impacts of fewer crashes, a more productive and engaged workforce, and a cleaner environment. Indeed, the above examples just scratch the surface.

They say folks “fall into fleet,” and many stay for life. Middle management? Of course. But fleet managers are constantly demonstrating creativity, ingenuity, and resilience. And they’re making a profound difference.