This past year tested fleet managers, from tariff speculation and budget uncertainty to technician shortages and technology integration.
This past year tested fleet managers, from tariff speculation and budget uncertainty to technician shortages and technology integration.
Pulled from Automotive Fleet’s news, profiles, articles, blogs, and videos, fleet managers shared insights on what worked, what didn’t, and what keeps their fleets moving.
At the 2025 Merchants Fleet Summit, supplier and fleet manager clients gathered to compare strategies for managing cost pressure, supply-chain volatility, and rising safety and liability exposure in a post-pandemic operating environment.
During a panel discussion on risk management and personal use policies, Cory Beard, director of fleet at Crane Payment Innovations, emphasized that liability follows the vehicle at all times, not just during working hours.
“Anytime something happens, we’re still liable for it, whether you’re working or not.”
In the same session, Tim Lovett, fleet manager at Cameron Enterprises, discussed how disciplined preventive maintenance practices help control long-term repair costs and reduce vehicle downtime.
“We stay away from some of those big repairs by staying on top of it.”
As fleets monitored escalating rhetoric and shifting policy signals around Trump-era tariffs, many braced for immediate cost impacts that, by late summer, had yet to fully materialize. While suppliers and automakers absorbed much of the early burden, fleet managers were more wait-and-see.
One commercial fleet manager described trying to separate real exposure from speculation.
“Head in the sand… I simply don’t know what to believe until it happens. In the meantime, business as usual.”
To kick off Automotive Fleet’s new Fleet in Focus profile series, we interviewed Mikhaila Baldwin, fleet manager at CoolSys, who oversees 2,500 vehicles in the HVAC sector. She discussed navigating organizational transitions, managing driver adoption of new technologies, and pursuing sustainability goals.
Baldwin shared how she worked to integrate multiple systems following CoolSys’s growth through acquisitions. This is a challenge Baldwin understands personally as someone who came from an acquired company.
“We are currently working to consolidate multiple operating systems into a single unified platform, which is no small undertaking and requires cross-departmental collaboration.”
Her philosophy for managing volatile fuel costs emphasizes empowering drivers with data rather than top-down mandates:
“Although we continuously analyze data to identify cost-saving opportunities, it ultimately falls on the drivers to take action and capitalize on these insights.”
She draws her professional inspiration from watching her mother balance single parenthood, full-time work, and graduate education while advancing in a male-dominated industry.
“Her journey continues to inspire me every day and serves as a constant reminder of the power of perseverance, learning, and leadership.”
An article for industry newbies and old-timers alike explored how conferences and industry events serve as accelerators of learning, relationship-building, and long-term career growth. The piece emphasized that the real value of events often comes from conversations, preparation, and follow-through.
SuYvonne Bell, commercial fleet & field operations leader at Gilead Sciences, encouraged attendees to engage beyond their immediate areas of expertise to broaden perspectives and spark new ideas.
“Introduce yourself and share your challenges. I attend one or two sessions outside my core industry. You learn how others approach fleet safety, maintenance, and compliance, and make great new connections.”
Amy McAdams, CAFM, fleet manager at Diebold Nixdorf, highlighted the importance of capturing and extending insights beyond the event itself through documentation and ongoing networking.
“Take tons of photos of slides and vendor products. And make those LinkedIn connections. You never know where the next great idea will come from.”
In a 2025 pulse survey conducted by Automotive Fleet, fleet managers shared anonymous feedback on how fleet management companies (FMCs) are supporting their operations amid rising costs, extended timelines, and increasing complexity.
Some respondents noted that while FMCs perform reliably, fleets increasingly want more proactive engagement.
“They’re reactive, not proactive. Nothing is done without our asking.”
Even so, many fleet managers emphasized that FMCs continue to deliver critical value that keep fleets operating smoothly.
“Funding is absolutely critical and consistently handled well.”
While many fleets hesitate to adopt electric pickups due to range limitations, patchy charging infrastructure, high upfront costs, and uncertain TCO from depreciation, McKinstry has moved beyond pilots.
The Seattle-based construction and energy company deploys fully upfitted Chevrolet Silverado EVs as everyday tools for jobsite crews. They’re spec’d for duty-cycle fit and operational needs, not just compliance or sustainability goals.
Said Ryan Winchester, fleet manager for McKinstry:
“We have fully upfitted, jobsite-ready EVs out there right now. They’ve got toolboxes, ladder racks, deck slides, everything our crews need.”
Joseph Hagar, president and CFO, recalled the initial driver resistance:
“When we started, some drivers weren’t thrilled about EVs,” he said. “We heard some choice words, but we focused on education and highlighting the benefits.”
Throughout the process, the company focused on educating drivers about charging practices, range planning, and the operational differences from maintaining an internal combustion engine vehicle, said Winchester.
“We’ve been strategic about replacing ICE vehicles with EVs. We’re not just electrifying for the sake of it; we’re ensuring these vehicles meet the needs of our superintendents and service technicians.”
In AF’s next Fleet in Focus profile, we interviewed Nancy Murray, senior manager of North America general services, travel, and fleet at Agfa. Murray has spent 45 years with the company and 13 of them in fleet management, overseeing a fleet that is now 80% hybrid vehicles. Starting her career in 1980 as a facilities planner and draftsman, Murray never imagined entering fleet.
“Fleet wasn’t even on my radar at that point.”
Her background in asset and lease management for buildings proved an ideal foundation when fleet operations unexpectedly came calling in 2011.
“My boss at the time, the director, thought I would be a great fit for fleet. Like everybody else, I didn’t find fleet, fleet found me.”
Murray embraced the role quickly, crediting industry connections, associations, and events for her success. She managed multiple shifts in Agfa’s fleet model, navigated a major transition to hybrids, and introduced driver accountability measures.
“I found that I love fleet. The people in fleet and everything about the industry. It gets your interest, and you don’t let go. It’s that much fun.”
Jim Petrillo, fleet manager at Fujifilm, sat down with Chris Brown at the NAFA I&E conference in April in Long Beach, Calif. Petrillo discussed the operational complexity of coordinating vehicle orders across 15 divisions while balancing cost consciousness with driver satisfaction and future-readiness.
On the challenge of multi-divisional coordination:
“It seems to always come down to when I can get everybody in the same room at the same time to order vehicles. We have many, many different divisions throughout the country, so I’m trying to make one buy and give them multiple options. And it’s becoming more and more challenging as the years go on.”
Petrillo had this to say regarding balancing future-proofing with financial discipline:
“Future proofing… a lot of this also adds cost. I am in the finance department, so I am very cost-conscious. Trying to take everything into account, such as electrification and total cost of ownership, you’re trying to get the best numbers, but at the same time, you want to have a really safe vehicle for the drivers.”
Patti Earley, fleet manager at Florida Power & Light (FPL), sat down at NAFA I&E too. She discussed how her fleet addresses the technician shortage through strategic partnerships:
“We have developed partnerships with some tech schools, trying to get the students as they come out of school and get them working with us right away. We’re also working with the military to try to catch folks coming out of the military that are trying to transition into the civilian world.”
Early is passionate about volunteering in the fleet industry and the personal and professional returns it delivers.
“Every minute that you put into volunteering is well worth it. It’s personal, you get a lot of satisfaction out of it, but you also learn so much because you talk to so many different people from so many different fleets. Everyone has unique situations, and you learn so much from them.”
Earley also recently received the inaugural Tom Johnson Award for promoting fleet management.
“Tom was very dedicated to promoting fleets and promoting fleet managers. He believed that fleet managers did not get enough recognition for all of the things that they did. So he made it his mission to go out and start the 100 Best Fleets program and really promote the fleet industry.”
The annual AFLA corporate fleet conference is always a great time to take the pulse of fleet managers.
At the 2025 conference in Marco Island, Fla., fleet manager panelists in the seminar “Safe Harbor: Navigating Fleet and Driver Safety” discussed how fleet safety becomes part of company culture through daily communication, coaching, and accountability.
Jessica Whittenberg of American Air Filter (AAF) spoke on securing executive buy-in for safety initiatives, which was critical when she joined AAF as the company’s first dedicated fleet manager in its 100-year history.
“Having leadership buy-in is everything. When the message comes from the top, drivers take it seriously.”
In addressing the “Big Brother” perception that often accompanies telematics and in-cab event recorders, Whittenberg and Meghan Murray of Teva emphasized that the technology serves to protect drivers rather than surveil them.
Said Whittenberg:
“We tell our drivers, ‘We’re not watching where you go, we’re watching out for you. It’s about safety, not surveillance.”
Said Murray:
“We don’t care if you’re at Applebee’s at two o’clock on a Tuesday. We want the important data — harsh braking, hard acceleration, not wearing your seatbelt.”
Whittenberg discussed the broader philosophy that positive reinforcement builds stronger safety cultures than punitive measures.
“No one wants to be told they’re doing a horrible job, but everyone wants to be told they’re doing a great one.”
On practical advice for fleet managers new to safety management, Murray stressed the importance of understanding policies before attempting to enforce or improve them:
“You can’t coach what you don’t know. Understand your policy, then engage your drivers to identify gaps.”
