Returning to Fleet: What Changed While I Was Away?

Leaving the public fleet industry four years ago, I expected that coming back would feel unfamiliar. After spending the past few weeks reconnecting with fleet professionals, I was struck by how familiar many of the conversations felt.

Staffing challenges remain, technology is still evolving and fleets are still trying to do more with limited resources. But a few themes stood out to me.

AI Is Now Part of the Conversation

One topic that keeps coming up is artificial intelligence. For many of us, AI has already worked its way into both our personal and professional lives (guilty!).

People are experimenting with AI to draft communications, summarize information, create presentations and analyze data. Fleet software providers are building AI capabilities into their products. While it’s true that many fleet professionals remain skeptical, a few others are actively experimenting with AI and trying to determine where it fits into their operations.

I don’t think the robots are replacing us—at least not yet—but the way work gets done is already changing. I’m especially curious about what this means for fleet administrators and office staff, as well as how technicians might benefit from faster access to information when they need it.

The EV Conversation Feels Different

I’ve always been interested in fleet sustainability, and electrification was one of the biggest topics in fleet when I left. It still is, but the tone feels different.

Some fleets are finding success with EVs, particularly in light-duty applications. Others are focusing more attention on hybrids or taking a closer look at where electrification makes operational sense.

Fleet professionals’ opinions on electrification seem more informed today than they were a few years ago. Many now have had EVs and hybrids in service long enough to understand the operational realities and know whether (and when) they work. Those real-world experiences are now shaping purchasing decisions.

Affordability Is a Growing Concern

A few years ago, supply chain disruptions dominated fleet conversations. Today, I heard more discussion about rising costs.

Vehicle prices have increased significantly, and fleets are feeling the impact. Several talked about rethinking replacement plans, extending vehicle lifecycles and finding ways to make budgets stretch further. In many ways, the challenges are similar to those of a few years ago: Fleets are still trying to accomplish their goals with limited resources. The difference is that the conversation seems to have shifted from availability to affordability.

Technician Recruitment Remains a Challenge

Technician recruitment and retention remain familiar challenges, and the issue feels even more pressing now. Conversations about compensation, training, facilities and workplace culture often circle back to the same question: How do fleets attract and keep talented people?

What Hasn’t Changed

For all the changes, some things feel remarkably familiar.

Fleet managers still take tremendous pride in their operations. Conversations still drift toward accomplishments, purpose and the impact fleets have on the communities they serve.

What also remains unchanged is the openness of the public fleet community. People still attend events to connect and compare notes. They still answer the phone. Doors are still open.

”Call anytime,” they say. And they mean it.

More than one fleet manager has told me they could have retired by now but haven’t because they aren’t quite ready to stop. People always seem to come back anyway—fleet has a way of drawing us back in.

What have you noticed changing over the past few years? And what feels evergreen? I’d love to hear your perspective.