Our objective in this survey was to determine compensation levels and to see if any discrimination exists and if so, in what areas of the fleet management business. We wanted to see the disparity in pay for administrators where cars and trucks were leased, owned and fleets where vehicles were under both headings. We also wanted to compare responsibility and amount of compensation. We wanted to do all this so that AUTOMOTIVE FLEET can become an integral part of an on going system of making sure equal pay, recognition and advancement are available.
The survey, mailed December 31, 1981, and tabulated in January in preparation for the February issue of the magazine, shows that the average female administrator has been on the job a shorter time, is responsible for more cars, and makes less money than her male counterpart.
Many more female administrators responded to the survey than males; those queried were told that signing their name was optional. Few surveys came back signed, although it was evident that most participants went to great time and trouble to complete the complicated, two-page form.
The survey itself was in four parts. The first section dealt with the parties' first years in the transportation industry, what level they entered the industry and what their rate of pay was at that time, as well as how long the person waited for a promotion after entering the field. The second part asked about present job conditions, including rate of pay, title, number of staff members, vacation, insurance benefits and other items. Part three of the survey went into the queried person's responsibilities on the job. The final part of the questionnaire asked for comments from the respondent and contained the message that the form did not have to be signed.
Analysis of Fleets Responding and Summary of Responses
With administrators of 83 fleets responding, 14 of the fleets were company-owned, 42 were leased through another party, and 27 of them were combinations of owned and leased.
A total of 300 surveys were mailed out, 150 men, 150 to women. No one queried knew the names of any one else taking part; the survey forms were not coded in any way to reveal the respondent.
Of the 150 men queried 29 of them responded, giving the men a survey response average of 19.33 percent. Of the female administrators, 54 of the queried 150 answered, giving them a response rating of 36 percent.
Out of the 29 male responses, 15 indicated a college degree, a rating of 51.72 percent. Ten of the female administrators claimed college diplomas, a rating of 19 percent.
Of the males receiving degrees, nine of the 15 were in business administration, mathematics, commerce or some related field. One had a degree in mechanical engineering, one in chemistry and one in transportation.
Four of the women had business- related degrees. Two were in liberal arts, one was in languages and one in education, as well as one in sociology.
The female respondees indicated that they spent some 14.14 years in their initial field before coming into their present occupations, while males said they stayed in their entry fields for 11.86 years before moving into their present capacities. One man spent 32.5 years in his entry position; one woman 30 years. One man moved on to another position 6 months after entry; three women spent one year in their entry position before moving on to higher responsibilities.
As far as initial promotion from entry-level positions, the men averaged a promotion after 4.1 years on their first job; the women waited some 7.1 years before a promotion. Twenty- one men responded to that question; 48 women answered.
As far as present job positions are concerned, the men have been on their job for 5.33 years on average, while the women have been there a slightly shorter time, at 4.04 years.
Women rated slightly higher in vacation days per year. They averaged 16.33 days, with two women having 28 days and 12 women reporting a low of 10 days. The men averaged 14.75 days of paid vacation per annum, with two men garnering 30 days each and six men reporting the industry-wide low of 10 days.
Salary Question
Out of the 29 males responding, 27 of them listed their present salary. The high listed was $55,000, the low for them was $17,500. The men's average came out to $34,103 per annum.
From 54 female responses, 53 listed their present salaries. The high for the women was $36,000, and the low was $13,000. The women's aver age administrator salary figured to $22,000.
The man receiving the highest listed salary ($55,000) is titled Director-Transportation and runs a leased/owned fleet. He facilitates usage of 230 cars and 100 trucks, and man ages a staff of 27 people. He receives 30 days of vacation a year, and has been in his present position for one year. He is in charge of all important aspects of the fleet from maintenance to expense control, and says he feels he would not be paid differently if he were of a different gender.
The highest paid female responding ($36,000) is titled, Manager, General Services. She supervises a staff of 20 people, facilitating operation of 290 cars and 15 trucks. She receives 25 days of vacation yearly, and has been in her present position for ten years. She is responsible for all aspects of fleet control except the safety program, insurance reporting and statistics. She feels she would receive the same rate of pay if she were a man.
Neither the highest paid man nor woman added extra comments to their answer forms.
Of that final question, two men responding felt they would be paid differently if of a different gender. Out of 54 women responding, 31 said they would be paid at a different rate if they were male and doing the same job.
Specific Salary and Responsibility Questions
The survey asked respondees to list the number of cars and trucks they administrated in their fleets.
The men listed a total of 14,388 cars and 17,659 trucks. This works out to an average responsibility for the males for 496.13 cars and 763.86 trucks each. The high number of cars was 2500 and the low was 24. The number of trucks contained a surprise, as one administrator listed fully 10,000 trucks in his responsibility. The lowest truck number for the males was three.
The women listed a total of 30,019 cars and 6613 trucks. This meant the average responding female administrator was responsible for 566.39 cars and 183.69 trucks. Two women facilitated use of 2500 cars, and the smallest women's fleet had 20 cars. The largest truck fleet number was 1561, and the low was one.
As far as salaries are concerned, the women averaged lower in every category. Salaries for administrators of owned fleets were slightly higher than that for leased fleet administrators, not surprising, as the administrator of an owned fleet usually has much more responsibility. The salary" for leased/owned combination fleet administrators was highest. Again, the majority of fleets responding were leased, and they also tended to be the largest fleets.
Specifically, in leased fleets, the average pay for men was $31,111 while the average pay for women came out to $20,524. The highest male pay was $48,000, the low $24,000. The highest female pay reported was $33,000; the lowest female pay $12,500.
In company-owned fleets, the male pay averaged to $32,000, while the female's pay averaged to $23,200. The highest male pay in owned fleets was $54,500, the lowest at $25,500. The highest female rate of pay was $35,000, while the lowest was reported at $16,200.
In combination leased/owned fleets, pay rates overall were above the other two categories.
Highest male rate of pay was $55,000, the lowest was $17,500, and the average of the 29 respondees was $35,090. For women, the average was $25,812, with the high being $36,000 and the low $13,000.
Asked to list their entry-level salaries, the men averaged out to $12,929, while the women figured out slightly lower at $12,503.
The total average for current salaries shows men with a salary of $34,103, with women at $22,000.
Specific Comments Reveal Likes, Dislikes
While a number of respondees, male and female alike, listed additional responsibilities (ranging from "lease heavy equipment and buy all auto parts" to "budgets and dispatching chauffeurs," "employee household moves," "full-time secretary to administration manager," "aviation travel" and "purchase and lease rail cars") many also wrote on additional comments pertaining to the subject.
Respondees were advised that their comments might be used as part of this article, and many of them were free with their praise and condemnation of certain aspects of their positions in their companies.
Of the 29 men responding, only three put down additional comments in the space provided.
One of the highest paid male administrators ($48,000) who has been in the business for over 37 years, stated that "my pay would probably be $10,000 less if I were a female." This writer declined to sign his comments.
Another administrator, Floyd Wilson, said, "I see no reason there should be any disparity between a male or female fleet administrator if she is well-qualified and can. handle the fleet drivers and earn their respect."
Another male administrator who preferred to remain nameless, has responsibility for some 1000 cars and trucks, total, and says his pay level ($50,000 per annum) is "based on my primary function as Material Manager, not on fleet administration. Therefore, listing my salary as that of a fleet administrator is misleading for my situation."
However, the bulk of comments came from the female administrators. Out of the 54 responding, fully 39 of them filled out the area where extra comments were requested. Most of them were unsigned, and many serve as an accurate reflection of what it's like to work in "a man's world."
One administrator, making $26,000 annually caring for 80 cars and 20 trucks, as well as overseeing a staff of two, says, "To be fair I must say I recently changed companies. 1 left a larger corporation where upper management was comprised of all men, upper 50s to 60s in age and mostly ex-military.
Advancement of women was not a practice. I went as far as I could go, and changed companies for growth. I walked in with a manager's title and a 15 percent in crease in salary. My current employer is pro-women in management. Upper management consists of men and women from the ages of 35 to 50. However, generally speaking, most men do not believe that a woman has, or can obtain, the knowledge associated with this field, or that a woman can be an effective manager. From my experience, some men feel threatened by the advancement of women."
This unsigned testimonial was fairly typical of the numerous comments received from the women administrators.
Another woman, managing a fleet of 120 cars, eight trucks, and making $20,700, says forthrightly, "I feel I would have been paid more if I were a male, because the two males before me made more and their qualifications were not better than mine."
Alice Baldwin says of her job, 'I have learned very few people have a job with such varied and many tasks assigned to them. The majority of all people say they would not touch a job such as mine. I thoroughly enjoy such a variety of tasks, but have also learned that I'm paid on the basis of my title, which in other companies does not include what my job includes." Ms. Baldwin manages 162 cars and 200 trucks.
A respondee who prefers to remain anonymous says she works as a manager with 64 employees, and manages 180 cars and seven trucks. In addition to her fleet management duties, she says, "I manage supply and warehousing, purchasing, forms control, in-house printing, building management, policy records and mailing. I personally handle the fleet myself. I estimate that a male in my position would have been a full vice president two to four years ago and his salary would be $30,000 to $35,000." This administrator lists her salary at $24,600.
Another anonymous administrator, making $18,000 annually, says, "I am the fleet administrator for a day-care company. All the young executives are women. In talking with them I can see our salaries are about 25 percent below what a man would make. The operations women generally do not have college educations, so it is considered that they are being well-paid, and my salary is in line with theirs."
A female making $24,500 annually and managing 475 cars and some trucks, says, "I feel if I were a man they would probably have two people in this job. First, I approve the sales reps monthly compensation plans and annual plans. I also handle all computer entry for sales reps and managers, cross-check all work, correct manual invoicing errors which affect commissions. Also, all driver expense statements and sales rep territory expense statements are processed through this department, as well as all leased auto work."
Jeanne McDonald of Somerset Importers manages 140 cars and two trucks. She says, "The name of the game in my case was being in the right place at the right time, having knowledgeable bosses who were not threatened by an inquisitive woman and learning everything possible from them. If a female in the transportation business carries the feeling that she is discriminated against, she will be. If she positions herself as an equal, she will be treated as an equal. She must be very knowledgeable in her field, but also be able to say 'I don't know'" without feeling stupid. Women have the advantage in this field. We are, by nature, more detail-oriented, we are at our jobs in most cases because we want to be, not because we have to be. We are more innovative and not afraid of management, giving us a freer hand to develop new programs and elicit more cooperation from field personnel. In short, any person responsible for the corporate decision of hiring a fleet administrator and doesn't choose the female, doesn't know the position he or she is hiring for. Sorry boys!"
Another unsigned respondee says, "I feel fleet administration is a job requiring a great deal of responsibility, a knowledge of automobiles and a level head. I also feel that this position is greatly underrated in my company. Not anyone can do it, yet the job is not glamorous enough to attract any other than a secretary (as I was) who is looking for a step up." This administrator takes care of 520 cars and makes $19,500 annually.
An administrator who cares for 200 cars and one truck says she may make less money "not due to gender, but more so because of not having any degrees. I learned responsibilities of the job over the years and the company didn't use high salary increases during that time. I know I could get a higher salary at another company and feel secretaries and administrative assistants in other parts of the company make more than I do with less years of service." This administrator makes $ 12,500 per year.
Another female says, "The company will pay for male employees to attend industry seminars and trade shows, but not women."
A woman making over $18,000 annually and caring for 150 and 40 trucks has this to say: "I am a full- time buyer in the purchasing department but I am also responsible for the fleet. In the NAFA chapter I belong to there are several gentlemen that handle less automobiles and have at least one full-time clerk working for them and have a higher pay scale than myself. I am expected to handle my own clerical work as well as the administrative duties and not let my purchasing duties slip. I have been in formed by my supervisor that women have to work twice as hard to get the same benefits as men, but that he isn't prejudiced . . . 'that is just the way it is.' Ha! Living in the Mid-West is also a detriment. A larger city would have more opportunities and more open-minded managers."
Finally, a female administrator making $21,000, managing 100 cars and 17 trucks, has this to say: "Administrative personnel are considered necessary evils to tolerate in our type of business. A male administrative person will automatically be hired at a good two or three thousand more than I presently make (having been on the job for 10 years), yet not be trusted with the fleet. There were male administrative personnel available to handle the fleet when they decided to remove the sales manager from that responsibility. They were and are making more money than me, but they would not trust them with the fleet. If you are a male and sales- oriented, you make money. We have no females in sales; therefore, I have no hope of making what the sales manager who handled the fleet made, even though it is now handled efficiently with costs controlled."
These are just some of the comments readers were kind enough to respond with when queried about their feelings on their administration positions.
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