A report into the number of dedicated in-house fleet managers by leasing and fleet management company Alphabet has revealed a 50 per cent year-on-year reduction between 2011 and 2012. In 2011 two-thirds (66 per cent) of fleets were run by a dedicated fleet manager, however the proportion fell dramatically to just 37 per cent in 2012. This significant trend has been felt most keenly among the private sector where only 27 per cent of businesses surveyed revealed they had an in-house fleet management function, compared to 63 per cent in 2011. The decline of the in-house fleet operator was not quite so drastic in the public sector, where 67 per cent still retain a dedicated manager as opposed to 77 per cent the previous year. The data was released as part of the Alphabet Fleet Management Report (AFMR) 2012, which was based on a detailed survey of 250 fleet managers. An underlying tone of the report was that the fleet management role has been increasingly migrated to various different departments for businesses such as procurement and finance, as well as operations teams. In 2012 the fastest growing trend was the use of outside fleet management specialists, with twice as many firms outsourcing their requirements as the previous year. 40 per cent of those that fully or partially outsourced their fleet management admitted their primary reason for doing so was to cut costs. Paul Hollick, sales and marketing director at Alphabet, said: "The fact that three-quarters of private sector organisations no longer have a fleet manager title on the payroll should not be seen as a decline in the need for professional vehicle and driver management. "The question is about where fleet responsibility sits within organisations or outside them if they outsource. "Getting policy right is critical to fleet effectiveness and operating costs. But because today's business systems allow policy to be executed by almost anyone from almost anywhere, the need for a single point of in-house authority and process expertise is diminishing as organisations increasingly turn to outside specialists for services and guidance." At IT Fleet we are extremely passionate about improving fleet efficiencies for businesses. Not only can our FleetPlus system manage the storage, refurbishment and transport of your fleet vehicles online, we seek to improve our client's bottom lines with cost-effective, industry-leading fleet appraisals with realistic refurbishment estimates provided. Businesses looking for long term guidance and support for their fleet should contact our friendly team today to discover more about what we can do for you on 01473 313057 or drop us a line using our online enquiry form.
