The new fleet manager: from fleet manager to mobility coordinator

Corporate mobility is no longer merely an operational function, but a strategic lever involving sustainability, finance, procurement, HR, operations, security, compliance and top management. The modern fleet manager therefore manages not only vehicles, but also diverse interests and often conflicting objectives. “The fleet manager is undergoing a transformation: from fleet manager to corporate mobility director,” observes Laura Echino, president of Aiaga. “This is a new role, capable of linking efficiency, sustainability, safety and wellbeing, transforming complexity into value for the business. But the evolution of the role can only take place if the organisation changes too: we need consistent governance, clear mandates and full access to decision-making processes.”

This transformation is illustrated by new research from the Arval Mobility Observatory, focusing on professionals responsible for managing corporate mobility. The study, carried out in collaboration with Econometrica, involved 200 Italian professionals from companies of varying sizes and across different sectors, with fleets and levels of electrification that differed. “Arval Mobility Observatory,” emphasises Massimiliano Abriola, Head of Consulting & Arval Mobility Observatory Italia – has decided to broaden its scope of observation on mobility and not limit itself to vehicles or indicators such as costs, emissions, mileage or fleet size, but to examine the organisational and human dimensions through the work of the people who make it possible. Because behind every ESG strategy, every electrification plan, every TCO reduction policy and every technological innovation lies a professional figure tasked with reconciling divergent interests, rising expectations and often incompatible objectives. Understanding that role means understanding the future of corporate mobility and, ultimately, understanding how businesses themselves are evolving.’

The first finding to emerge from the Arval study is a general increase in perceived pressures. Reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is the top priority for the fleet managers surveyed; this is followed by ESG objectives, data reporting and management, and then driver satisfaction, supplier management and fleet electrification. The most significant finding is not the ranking of each factor, but their simultaneous importance. Companies are not replacing old priorities with new objectives: they are adding sustainability, data, technology and new organisational requirements to existing responsibilities. Fleet managers must therefore continue to ensure service availability and quality, whilst at the same time keeping costs down, reducing emissions, managing electrification and responding to the demands of management and employees.

A second crucial finding to emerge from the study concerns the gap between assigned responsibilities and actual control. When asked in which areas they perceive ‘high responsibility but low control’, the responses clearly highlight the main points of friction. Decisions relating to fleet electrification rank first among the areas perceived as having high responsibility but low control; these are followed by the budget and costs, ESG policies and charging infrastructure. The selection of suppliers, on the other hand, emerges as the best-managed area, where responsibility and control appear to be more balanced.

The fleet manager therefore finds themselves in a position where they are held accountable for results over which they cannot always exert direct control. Budget management remains the area with the widest gap, but decisions regarding electrification and infrastructure also create a significant shortfall. This disconnect between what is required of the role and what the role can actually control is one of the main sources of organisational strain. The resulting picture is that of a role in which the pressure is shifting from execution to mediation. The fleet manager is called upon to reconcile conflicting interests, manage exceptions, absorb uncertainties and forge sustainable compromises between costs, sustainability, driver experience and operational continuity.