Growing profile of fleet manager takes centre stage at AFP conference

The theme of the fourth annual conference of the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) was the growing profile of the fleet manager.

The event, which was held at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on Wednesday (May 7), featured four panel discussions, a keynote speech from the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles, (OZEV) 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, said: “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.”

Hollick also reported membership for the AFP had soared over the past 12 months and revealed that a virtual depot app for shared electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities is nearing launch. 

The first panel session of the day - “Fleet Administration: It’s More Than Just Licence Checking” – was moderated by AFP board director James Pestell and featured Andy Bland from Enterprise, Dale Eynon from Defra and Keelie Fleet from Altrad.

Pestell 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.”

Eynon 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 from Platform Housing, Martine Smith from Phoenix Distribution, Lindi Tembha from Weetabix and Emily Tunnard from Ayvens.

Evans 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.”

Tembha 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,” she said.

“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, “AI in Fleet – Data Driven Decisions”, was moderated by AFP board member Lorna McAtear and featured Chris Endersby of Samsara, Fabrizio Margaroli from Allstar and Richard Nimbley from Geotab.

McAtear 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 from Logistics UK, Matt Hammond of Altrad, Alison Moriarty of Beverley Bell and Harvey Perkins from HRUX.

Baird 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.”

Perkins 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 Euro 6e-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, Matt 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.