All and sundry

By: Anonymous Fleet Manager

Why is it that some people believe that if they own a car, that automatically qualifies them to be a fleet practitioner and provide advice on how to run the fleet?

Who do they think they are?

If you were to have a look at their job descriptions, you’d probably find that their duties are things like mowing parks, repairing roads, and similar tasks.

Nowhere in their job description will it describe providing fleet management advice.

Why do they feel that they need to offer advice on how to run the fleet?

• Maybe they’re experiencing poor customer service from the fleet department
• Maybe ‘turnaround times’ for repairs at their workshop is unacceptable
• Maybe the repairs that are being completed are not to a suitable standard
• Maybe they experienced bad service 20 years ago – long before your time!
• Or, maybe they’re a boofhead, have a poor attitude or just don’t get it.

Regardless of the reason, ensure that you’re monitoring your key performance metrics, offering professional services and providing exceptional customer service – no one can argue with this!

Education can be very helpful with these types of people. Sitting them down and explaining the fleet management process can be an eye opener and often acts as an attitude adjuster.

As for the fools that you have to deal with that continue to have poor attitudes – hopefully they’ll be retiring soon!

To stop our Anonymous Fleet Manager (AFM) blowing a gasket, we created Internal Combustion, a monthly column for fleet-related rants that lets him blow off some steam. Got a fleet gripe you'd like to get his opinion on? Email the editor who will pass it on to AFM... when he's in a good enough mood, that is.