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.
Conscientious Vehicle Thief
fleet manager drove an office pool vehicle. After one weekend, the manager discovered the keys to the vehicle were missing from her desk and the vehicle was gone. She filed a police report reporting it stolen.
Two and a half years later, she received a phone call from the police. The company vehicle had been found on the flatbed of a truck taking vehicles to the dump. Apparently, the truck had been stopped for an overloading citation. The truck driver stated he had found the vehicle on the side of the road. When no one claimed it for two weeks, he took the vehicle.
When the vehicle was returned to the fleet manager, she found it had been driven only 55 miles after being stolen and someone — presumably the thief — had installed brand new tires and changed the oil and oil filter.
Angry Ex-Employee Lashes Out
When one company disbanded one of its divisions, the division’s senior managers nearly forgot about the company’s 41 vehicles.
One employee had been utilizing her company-provided vehicle for personal use. The employee became eternally "unavailable," dodging company officials, while reportedly on planes or out of town. Finally, the fleet manager called a tow truck service and arranged for the vehicle to be picked up at the employee’s house in the middle of the night.
The towing company did not arrive until early the next morning, coincidentally while the fleet manager was speaking to the employee on the telephone. When the employee realized the car was being retrieved, she became so angry she ran into her garage and got a bucket of paint. The fleet manager recovered a two-tone colored vehicle.
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