The growing profile of the fleet manager was the theme of yesterday’s fourth annual conference of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP)
Taking place once again at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon, it attracted over 250 members and was sponsored by Enterprise Mobility and Ayvens.
The event featured four panel discussions, a keynote speech from the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles, a live interactive session about fleet roles for the future and an AFP Academy certificate and awards ceremony, celebrating members who have recently gained accreditations from the AFP Fleet Academy.
Opening the conference, Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, reported the industry body’s membership had increased by a substantial 28% in the last 12 months to almost 1,800.
“Our abilities and experiences as fleet managers have never been more important to companies. This is a profession that is booming and it’s crucial for organisations today to have access to high quality fleet skills.
“We see the priorities for the next year as helping fleets with decarbonisation, cost containment, increasing use of technology, new manufacturer market entrants, the rise of mobility, and advances in autonomous vehicles. All of these bring new challenges and we aim to support our members in meeting them.”
The first panel session of the day was titled, “Fleet Administration – It’s More Than Just Licence Checking”. Moderated by AFP board director James Pestell, it featured Andy Bland of Enterprise, Dale Eynon of DEFRA and Keelie Fleet of Altrad.
James said: “This might not seem like the most glamorous topic but is business critical. Fleet administration used to be a simpler task but has become increasingly complex and fast moving.”
Dale added: “We see the administration team as the beating heart of our fleet. They handle 220,000 financial transactions and 20,000 incoming e-mails every year, as well as dealing with compliance, taxation and more. Getting all of this right is difficult but crucial to keeping the fleet on the road.”
Moderated by AFP board member Martin Evans, the second panel session of the day was “Keeping Fleet Relevant – Driving Change in More Ways Than One”, and included Matt Neale of Platform Housing, Martine Smith of Phoenix Distribution, Lindi Tembha of Weetabix and Emily Tunnard of Ayvens.
Martin said: “Many businesses now outsource large parts of their fleet administration and management, and some even want to absolve all of their fleet responsibilities to a third party. Our experience is that complete outsourcing doesn’t produce optimum outcomes, and maintaining some kind of in-house fleet function is crucial to getting the best out of suppliers.”
Lindi explained that outsourcing needs varied widely across different organisations and it was crucial to avoid a one size fits all approach.
“At a basic level, a fleet that is primarily an employee benefit tool is very different from one that is a tool to support the operations of a business. Suppliers need to understand the fundamental distinctions between these operations and adapt accordingly in key respects, from methods of delivery to the metrics used to measure outcomes.”
Panel session number three, moderated by AFP board member Lorna McAtear, was titled “AI in Fleet – Data Driven Decisions” and featured Chris Endersby of Samsara, Fabrizio Margaroli of Allstar, and Richard Nimbley of Geotab.
Lorna said: “It feels as though fleets have more questions than answers about AI. They want to know how it differs from the technology they were using five years ago, and what it is likely to be able to do in five years. They know there is potential but they need guidance on exactly how it is likely to be able to help them.”
The final panel session, “New Legislation and the Impact on Fleets in General” was moderated by AFP board member Ric Baird and included Michelle Gardner of Logistics UK, Matt Hammond of Altrad, Alison Moriarty of Beverley Bell, and Harvey Perkins of HRUX.
Ric said: “There are a number of new pieces of legislation and regulation coming that will potentially affect fleets in the next 18 months or so, ranging from revisions in taxation through to the impact of US tariffs on UK companies. Operators need to know about these and may need to take action to mitigate their effect on company vehicles.”
Harvey added: “Probably the biggest changes concern PHEVs. The new benefit in kind table unveiled at the last Budget means that driver tax on these cars will rise dramatically from April 2028 but there is also the current EURO6e-bis consultation to consider. This could mean that emissions figures for PHEVs already ordered and delivered towards the end of this year may increase, potentially substantially.”
Members who had recently completed AFP Academy courses were recognised with the creation of six new fellows – Russ Boulton of Ayvens Charlie Dix of Lex, Matthew Hammond of Altrad, Matthew Neale of Platform Housing, Rob Simister of Centrica, and Joanne Turnor of Lex – who had all completed the Advanced Fleet Vehicle Management course.
AFP Academy Awards were also given to standout candidates Lisa Malone of Aon for the Strategic Online course, Scott Simpson of Anglian Water for the Strategic Classroom course and Russ Boulton of Ayvens for the Strategic Advanced course.
