Southeast Toyota Distributors has promoted Mike Bessette to vice president of fleet operations to oversee sales and processing of Toyota vehicles to commercial, government, and rental fleets.
by Staff
December 23, 2015
Bessette
1 min to read
Bessette
Southeast Toyota Distributors has promoted Mike Bessette to vice president of fleet operations to oversee sales and processing of Toyota vehicles to commercial, government, and rental fleets.
Bessette, 53, will also oversee the Toyota Rent A Car (TRAC) program in the region that offers Toyota rentals to customers at participating dealerships.
Ad Loading...
Bessette had served as assistant vice president of fleet operations prior to his promotion. He joined Southeast Toyota in 2005, and since then has held various roles including area training manager, regional fleet manager, and fleet director.
Prior to 2005, Bessette worked for Hertz Corp., Budget Rent A Car, and American Road Collection, the first authorized Harley-Davidson rental company.
Southeast Toyota distributes vehicles to 176 Toyota dealerships in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Its dealers sell about 20% of the Toyotas sold in the U.S.
AI is no longer a future concept for fleets—it’s already embedded in the tools, data, and decisions that operators rely on every day. In this episode of the Fleet Forward Podcast, recorded live at Fleet Forward, industry leaders take the conversation beyond hype to examine what responsible AI adoption really looks like in fleet operations.
As fleets rethink how they capture, manage, and act on vehicle data, telematics is at a major inflection point. In this episode of the Fleet Forward Podcast, we dive deep into one of the most pressing questions facing fleet leaders today: Should you rely on OEM factory-installed connectivity, aftermarket devices, or a hybrid of both?
Experts from telematics analytics, fleet-as-a-service operations, and national EV benchmarking share how real-time data is reshaping fleet strategy—dispelling assumptions, validating best practices, and exposing costly missteps.
A powerhouse panel featuring experts from the American Automotive Leasing Association, CalSTART, and municipal fleet leadership dives into the realities of navigating shifting emissions rules, regulatory waivers, federal agency actions, the future of the EPA’s endangerment finding, and the push for unified standards. They also examine the impacts of tariffs, autonomous vehicle policy, battery innovation, and the accelerating global EV market.
This episode kicks off with a deep dive into the technologies and market forces reshaping today’s fleet landscape. Host Chris Brown is joined by Laolu Adeola (Leke Services), Tyson Jomini (J.D. Power), and Richard Hall (ZappiRide) to break down real-world data, shifting incentives, and practical strategies fleet leaders can use right now.
In the middle of natural disasters fleet managers must shift priorities to protect people and assets. What policy items should be loosened, and when should the line be held?
In this episode, fleet leaders from municipal, university, and private-sector organizations share a candid EV reality check. From infrastructure setbacks and policy whiplash to grant funding, total cost of ownership, and charging resiliency, this conversation dives into what it actually takes to scale electrification in the real world.
After a decade of lagging compensation, fleet manager pay is climbing. But expanding responsibilities, larger fleets, and growing complexity continue to redefine the role.