As Shakespeare once wrote, “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” In the fleet world, that holds true for the many paths people take into leadership.
For some, fleet management has been a family profession and always felt like a natural step. For others, it was a long-term goal reached after years of working up through the shop and the office. And for many, the role arrived unexpectedly, such as a retirement, a reorganization, or a crisis, leaving them responsible for leading the fleet.
However you reached that position, being a leader comes with its share of challenges. The good news is you are not the first person to face them. Many have sat in a similar seat or worked closely alongside fleet leaders and can share what has helped them build effective teams and stable, well-run operations.
To kick off the new year, we’ve gone back through our stories from 2025 and pulled together some of the strongest leadership takeaways from public-sector fleets. The following points reflect what those leaders have learned about setting direction while supporting their people and keeping the operation moving toward its mission.
Accountability and Avoiding Complacency
When you think about being the best kind of fleet leader, where is a good place to start? Complacency may not be the first word that comes to mind, but it’s a smart place to start.
That standard of ownership directly connects to how leaders think about complacency. Nicholas Bradshaw, director of fleet services for the city of Knoxville, Tennessee, called it a “natural enemy,” especially when it comes to safety. A task repeated hundreds of times can become automatic, and that is when attention slips.
Bradshaw sees part of his role as keeping that risk in front of people and showing that no process is permanently solved; supervisors are expected to keep asking whether there is a better way to do the work.
Culture supports both approaches. In practice, that culture shows up in everyday habits and routines such as:
Leaning on empathy and trust.
Making time to talk with technicians and listen to concerns.
Explaining why certain practices are non-negotiable.
Using recognition: whether it’s an informal thank-you or a formal acknowledgement, it can reinforce habits that are healthy for the fleet.
Creating an environment where people feel safe, valued, and part of one team rather than divided by shift or assignment. In Salem, Oregon, assistant director Jim Schmidt used a “move forward together” message, regular meetings, and staff-driven process changes to reduce friction between shifts and rebuild trust.
Putting People at the Center of Leadership
When it comes to leadership, many experienced fleet professionals find that their approach evolves over time. For some, that means shifting focus from what people do to who they are.
A leader who solves problems effectively starts by understanding people, not just processes. Ask yourself: “What are our fleet’s values and culture?” Once you have those answers, decide how you can best move forward while respecting those values and culture. No two fleets are the same, and success depends on understanding the uniqueness of your team and where they excel in day-to-day operations.
But effective leadership is also tied to personal growth. Moving from one fleet to another means adjustment as a leader. Again, understand the new team, how they operated under the previous fleet manager, and identify new ideas to implement. Over time, the goal is to find a flow of work that keeps the operation running smoothly and maintains a clear, consistent line of communication.
Leaders know when they’re taking on too much and when the team is feeling the strain. A good leader can take a step back and reevaluate how tasks are being done, then find a clear plan that takes the needs of their fleet, their people, and their funding into consideration.
From there, the work is to stick with that plan, concentrate on a small number of meaningful measures, and stay focused on what is in front of them while still planning ahead.
Adapting to Change and Planning Ahead
For fleet leaders who want to see growth within their department, understanding the importance of adaptability is key. According to Monroe County, Florida, Fleet Management Director and Hall of Fame Inductee Daryl Greenlee, the industry keeps shifting under the weight of new technology, regulations, and expectations, and staying effective means being open to change and committed to continuous learning.
Takeaways from Monroe County:
Keep up with developments in areas like electric vehicles, telematics, and regulatory updates.
Know how to stay ahead of problems instead of reacting to them after the fact.
As someone with a leadership position, you will be tested by unexpected challenges, whether it’s parts shortages or supply chain disruptions that slow repairs and reduce vehicle availability. Learn to respond accordingly.
Be proactive with maintenance schedules and factor in extended build times into fleet lifecycles.
Build stronger relationships with multiple suppliers.
Is your goal to protect uptime for critical operations? Once you have that answer, plan around delays rather than being surprised by them.
Successful leadership can also be tied to a mix of technical knowledge and communication skills. Understand the work, but also set a clear direction, explain why changes are happening, and keep the team supported and motivated.
With that in mind, how does your perspective of what needs to be done show up in your current priorities?
Building Systems That Hold Up Under Pressure
For Alison Kerstetter, fleet manager for the city of Sacramento, leadership is as much about structure as it is about people. Staff are the priority, she said, but the way the work is organized either supports them or gets in their way.
When she stepped into the role, Sacramento’s six shops in the north, central, and south parts of the city were all doing things a little differently. Hours varied between the three largest locations. Standards for when to repair dents and scratches were inconsistent.
Shop and fuel island inspections were still on paper. None of it was unworkable, but it created friction and left too much to individual judgment.
Kerstetter’s answer has been to tighten the system. Her team has been reviewing procedures, aligning operating hours, setting clearer expectations around vehicle damage, and moving routine checks into digital workflows. The goal is simple: make it easier for staff to do the right thing the same way, no matter which shop they are in.
No two fleets are the same, and success depends on understanding the uniqueness of your team and where they excel in day-to-day operations.
That same approach can be translated into a few practical steps fleet leaders can apply in any multi-shop operation:
Standardize where inconsistency creates friction (hours, repair thresholds, inspection routines).
Put routine inspections into digital workflows to reduce drift and improve accountability.
Align procedures across locations so staff can do the right thing the same way, regardless of shop.
Define clear expectations around vehicle damage and repair triggers to reduce subjective calls.
Plus, a short checklist:
Operating hours and coverage expectations are aligned across shops.
Damage repair standards are written and consistently applied.
Shop and fuel island inspections are digital, scheduled, and reviewable.
Core procedures are documented and trained the same way in each location.
A good fleet, in Kerstetter’s view, meets customer needs by having safe, reliable units available when required and by turning work around in a reasonable time. That depends on two things: sound processes and ongoing investment in training so people can keep up with changing equipment and expectations.
When short-term issues arise—like coverage gaps between shops—consider whether the response can also serve a longer-term goal, such as building technicians who are comfortable with a wider range of vehicles.
Kerstetter leans heavily on data to support decisions, especially in a telematics-heavy environment where information can overwhelm as easily as it can help. Key takeaways from Sacramento’s fleet:
See analysis and policy adherence as tools for explaining decisions and securing buy-in when changes affect other departments.
When budgets tighten, that same discipline can guide where to hold the line and where to adjust.
Staff are the last place Kerstetter looks to cut. Instead, work through operations and specifications, trimming nonessential features and rethinking replacements before they move forward automatically.
Michael Brennan, retired fleet manager and consultant, starts with a simple premise: expect the unexpected and prepare for it. Policy shifts, new elected officials, and changing regulations can quickly alter the fleet’s operating environment. In his view, leaders should already be thinking through potential scenarios and responses rather than waiting for a new directive.
For Brennan, that preparation has to include succession. He sees a widening gap between retiring fleet leaders and the number of people ready to replace them. Agencies might fill that gap with individuals who do not yet understand fleet fundamentals or by moving people up too quickly without enough time in supervisory roles. In both cases, emerging problems can go unnoticed until they are difficult to fix.
Final recommendations from Brennan:
Treat succession planning as a defined piece of work, not an afterthought.
Know which roles are most vulnerable, who might leave, and what their jobs actually require, then identify who could step in and what training or exposure they still need.
Conferences, regional networking, and formal education all play a role, but they sit under a simple idea: responsibility for the fleet cannot be outsourced, even if some of the work can.
Don’t put too much focus on what other fleets are doing. Benchmarks and ideas from peers are useful, but each agency operates under different policies, boards, and environments.
Learn from others while staying grounded in your own data, constraints, and plans.
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