That is the view of Geoffrey Bray, a fleet industry veteran of 50 years and chairman of the newly-launched Fleet Industry Advisory Group (FIAG), which is dedicated to developing and sharing best practice among fleet decision-makers while simultaneously raising money for the national Hope for Tomorrow charity.
He told more than 50 delegates at FIAG’s launch workshop entitled ‘Experience – Driving Change’ held at the Arnold Clark Group’s GTG Training Academy, Bearing Drive, Wolverhampton: ‘Fleet managers should challenge the status quo and look at how vehicles are currently being managed and perhaps do it somewhat differently.
‘Everyone should have a quest when they are managing cars, vans, trucks and plant and search for the Holy Grail.’
Billing FIAG as a ‘family of fleet professionals’ with a wealth of fleet experience and unbiased advice available, Bray said: ‘There is no one size fits all approach to fleet management policy. There is no right or wrong way.
‘A policy is right if it satisfies the operational objectives delivering a cost efficient fleet operation.
‘The demands on all fleet decision-makers have changed and continue to change over the 50 years that I have been involved in the fleet industry. Fleet managers must continue to become smarter and better at what they do. For the beginner managing a fleet looks extremely complicated.
‘But once those newcomers have defined what their objective is they can instigate a plan.’
Explaining that he wanted FIAG to become the “go to” organisation for fleet decision-makers in terms of policy advice and information, Bray said: ‘If you want to stand out as a fleet manager you have to be bold and stick to your beliefs and principles.
‘Too often I have seen cop-out management and have seen a fleet policy compiled as a result of consensus management. That results in a fleet policy in which no-one really believes, but to which no-one objects. A consensus fleet policy exists in many organisations – it is the easy option.’
He concluded: ‘Everything in fleet continues to change and fleets and fleet managers must change accordingly and face the consequences. The status quo must be loosened; possible solutions explored; new initiatives implemented and decisions justified.’
