REDWOOD CITY, CA – GreenRoad’s recent Fleet Leaders survey of 380 fleet management professionals in North America found that reducing fuel costs and crash rates are their two major concerns. Of those surveyed, 40% said reducing fleet fuel consumption was their most important challenge and 21% said reducing crash rates was the most important issue.

One finding that stood out was fleet managers’ opinions of their drivers. Only 19% agreed with the statement that their drivers are “are true professionals and probably do not have much room for improvement.” Fleet managers surveyed are also interested in technology that can help their drivers improve their performance as well, with 42% saying they will either "definitely" or "probably" invest in new Driving Performance and Safety Management technology within a short timeframe, 3-4 months.

With safety a major concern, 44% of those surveyed said they implemented a safety program within the last 12 months. Of those who set goals for their programs, 87% were happy with the results.

Related to reducing fuel consumption, the survey found that only 37% had implemented a new fuel-saving initiative in the past 12 months. Of those that did, they achieved mixed results. For example, 25% didn’t set objectives for the program, and nearly one-fifth said the program did not meet their goals or objectives.

GreenRoad said that the fleet managers surveyed came from fleets of all sizes, ranging from fleets with fewer than 100 vehicles to those with more than 1,000. In addition, 81% of respondents have some level of budget responsibility for fleet purchases, either final approval, providing input or influencing final purchasing decisions.

You can read the full report here.