FLEET decision-makers require specialist skills and knowledge to deal with mounting taxation and environmental pressures, according to a new survey. The GEE Guide to Company Cars 1999 said fleet management was as crucial to today's successful business as it has ever been.

Robin Sutton, managing director of GEE Publishing, said: 'Fleet managers will be required to investigate new methods of providing employees with the necessary vehicles, while at the same time examining new transport technologies and innovations.' The survey discovered, for example, that 39% of fleets intend to adopt green initiatives over the next five years, compared to just 19% in last year's survey.

'Only by keeping one step ahead will professionals working in this sector ensure future profitability,' said Sutton. His comments coincided with calls for greater professionalism among fleet managers at this week's Institute of Car Fleet Management's annual conference. The GEE survey also revealed the intense price sensitivity of the fleet market, where half of fleets that have changed supplier over the last year did so on cost grounds.