Automotive Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Strange but True

Automotive Fleet has collected these “Strange but True” stories from fleet managers, drivers, and fleet management companies. Do you have a strange, but true story? Something so incredible it couldn’t have been made up? Share your stories with Automotive Fleet. E-mail: Lauren.Fletcher@bobit.com.

January 15, 2009
2 min to read


Snow Trouble
A driver was traveling to visit a customer about 500 miles north of Montreal. The road was slightly iced and as the driver crested a hill,  he encountered a huge moose standing in the middle of the road.
He tried braking, but slid into the snow on the border of the road. He was transporting about $2,000 worth of water treatment equipment in the back of the SUV. The equipment slammed through the rear window and landed in the 10-12-foot deep snow. The company never found the equipment, but the driver and the moose both made it through without injuries.

Stuck in the Snow
A fleet management company (FMC) received a phone call from a fleet manager one day asking for the color and plate number of a colleague’s company vehicle. All the manager said was his rep got stuck in the snow and the police were involved.

Ad Loading...

A few days later, the manager called again and said the employee was having transmission trouble. The FMC advised the manager to go through the maintenance program for repair. A day later, the maintenance call center contacted the FMC to inform staff the transmission was blown to bits.

Ad Loading...

Apparently, one particular rep, in his third week on the job, decided to visit an account in a remote Oregon location in the dead of winter. Traveling from Seattle, he had to drive through Bear Pass, which was under repair. He took a detour and got lost, then spun out with the back end of the van hanging over a cliff. To get some traction, the rep repeatedly gunned the engine and eventually blew the transmission. He ended up spending the night in his van in the wilderness, hanging off a cliff with no cell phone coverage. Luckily, the rep was from Sweden and trained in wilderness survival. In the morning, he walked around the woods until he got a signal and called his wife, who called in the search and rescue squad.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

More Operations

AF news recap thumbnail
Operationsby Faith HowellSeptember 11, 2026

Fleet Has a Talent Pipeline Problem. What Comes Next? | AF News Recap

Where will fleet’s next generation of leaders come from? This week, we’re looking at the industry’s talent pipeline, what certification can add to a fleet career, how to build an award-worthy track record, and the return of Automotive Fleet’s Personal Use Survey.

Read More →
5Keys Engage
Operationsby StaffSeptember 9, 2026

Smith System Launches Driver Risk Management Program

Fleets have more driver data than ever, but identifying risky behavior doesn't necessarily correct it. Smith System's new Driver Risk Management program combines monitoring, training, and follow-up coaching to help fleets connect risk signals with driver intervention.

Read More →
Graphic promoting Automotive Fleet's 2026 Personal Use Survey with the text "Have a Personal Use Policy? We Want to Know!" encouraging fleet managers to complete the annual industry survey.
Operationsby StaffSeptember 8, 2026

Automotive Fleet Opens 2026 Personal Use Survey for Commercial Fleet Managers

Less than two weeks left! Commercial and corporate fleet managers are invited to share how their organizations handle company vehicle personal-use policies, charges, and driver eligibility.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Automotive Fleet news graphic featuring a woman pointing to the headline, “From AI Prompts to AI-Generated Safety Songs,” against a blue background.
Operationsby Faith HowellSeptember 4, 2026

From AI Prompts to AI-Generated Safety Songs | AF News Recap

Can better prompts make AI more useful for fleet managers? This week, we’re breaking down smarter fleet analysis, an AI-assisted experiment that turned safety training into music, and what happened to fuel prices in August.

Read More →
Interviewee photo and quote from her
Operationsby Chris BrownSeptember 1, 2026

How to Write Better AI Prompts for Fleet Analysis

Include these six elements in your fleet prompts to generate more relevant analysis and accurate answers.

Read More →
A Fleet Meets blue, red, and teal graphic with Eric Kilgore's headshot, title, and company.
Operationsby Faith HowellAugust 21, 2026

Fleet Meets: Eric Kilgore

This edition of the Fleet Meets series features one of the industry's best leaders driving multi-market and national operations.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
fleetio coast pay cost
OperationsAugust 13, 2026

Why Reactive Fleet Management Is Becoming Too Expensive to Sustain

Research highlights a growing need for proactive management strategies to address rising costs in fleet operations effectively.

Read More →
"Element Mobility report cover with a utility fleet truck and the title 'What your fleet KPIs aren't telling you.'"
SponsoredAugust 12, 2026

What Your Fleet KPIs Aren’t Telling You

Tracking fleet metrics is only useful when the data leads to better decisions. This guide helps fleet leaders assess cost, utilization, and downtime more accurately, identify performance gaps, and prioritize the actions that can improve operational results.

Read More →
Cover of the AgileFleet white paper "Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks" with the AgileFleet logo and a photo of fleet vehicles parked outside a government building.
SponsoredAugust 7, 2026

Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks

Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Turning Fleet Payment data into executive insights blue podcast thumbnail
OperationsAugust 5, 2026

Turning Fleet Payment Data into Executive Insights

Does data alone drive results in operations?

Read More →