I remember when we first described fleet data overload as “drinking from a firehose.”

That phrase became meaningful as telematics adoption accelerated, when we realized we could connect and collect mountains of information from our vehicles, fuel cards, maintenance records, driver scores, and other sources.

But that data generally sat there, because we lacked the time and resources to analyze it effectively. We called it “data paralysis.” At the same time, we might have thought our fleets were firing on all cylinders, that we’d squeezed nearly every ounce of efficiency out of our operations.

Fast-forward to today, and the conversation is dramatically different.

The firehose hasn’t slowed down; in fact, it’s a wider spigot. But generative AI, agentic AI, and increasingly sophisticated analytics programs are beginning to empower fleet managers to harness that information in ways that were previously unthinkable.

Those 12 or so dashboards on your desktop? With most, you’ll soon be able to have a conversation with them to deliver actionable recommendations. Even more powerful, you’ll be able to connect information across platforms without having to become a data scientist.

Imagine asking your fleet management system: When is the optimal time to sell our cargo vans with more than 75,000 miles in Houston? Or: Are drivers with lower safety scores also driving higher maintenance, repair, and accident costs?

Vibe coding takes this a step further, letting fleet managers — not coders — create applications with natural-language instructions in a fraction of the time. One step further, agentic AI promises to move beyond recommendations to actually executing workflows.

This is all very exciting, but such massive disruption is daunting, to say the least.

Some 10 years ago, we thought we were optimized, but we “didn’t know what we didn’t know.” We were optimizing within the limitations of the tools available to us.

Now, the ability to forecast costs, anticipate downtime, optimize utilization, and make better decisions with our companies’ money is elevating the role of the fleet manager.

“Fleet” is still a cost center. When managed effectively, it can drive productivity, profitability, and competitive advantage.

But here’s the thing — not all fleet managers get it yet. They must be willing to challenge established practices, adopt unfamiliar technologies, and rethink what is possible within, and outside of, their departments.

What worked last year will not be the best way tomorrow. Particularly through the lens of what’s coming: Have you contemplated the job description for a fleet manager of autonomous vehicles? Or how do you calculate the total cost of ownership for an autonomous fleet?

We need to start preparing for a future in which managing data, software, and interconnected systems becomes as important as managing vehicles. Wait, that future is now.

Are we winning the battle against data overload? It feels that way, as we finally have the tools. The question now is: Are we ready to take advantage of them?