| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Logistics and Warehousing |
| Level | Manager |
| Reports to | Head of Logistics |
| Direct reports | Fleet Supervisor, Fleet Maintenance Supervisor, Fleet Coordinator |
| Experience | 6 to 10 years in fleet or transport with maintenance and compliance exposure |
Fleet Manager job description template
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Job title: Fleet Manager
Department: Logistics and Warehousing
Reports to: Head of Logistics
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Fleet Manager keeps a company's vehicles running safely, legally and at low cost. They own the trucks, vans or buses, their drivers, maintenance and fuel, and the paperwork that keeps every vehicle on the road: fitness, permits, insurance and pollution certificates. The job balances vehicle availability against maintenance and cost, and holds drivers to safe, compliant driving. A good Fleet Manager maximises utilization, cuts breakdowns and fuel waste, and never lets a vehicle run with an expired document.
Key responsibilities
- Maintain the vehicle master with fitness, permit, insurance, pollution and tax dates and renew each before it expires.
- Plan preventive maintenance schedules so vehicles are serviced on time and breakdowns on the road fall.
- Track fuel consumption per vehicle, investigate abnormal mileage, and act on pilferage or misuse.
- Manage the driver pool: duty allocation, licences, training, rest hours and conduct on the road.
- Approve repairs and spares, control workshop and outsourced garage costs, and keep vehicles available.
- Monitor vehicle utilization and idle time and redeploy or dispose of vehicles that do not earn their keep.
- Handle accidents and insurance claims from first report to settlement, and reduce repeat causes.
- Manage tyres, batteries and major assemblies on a life and cost basis rather than replace on failure.
- Keep statutory and safety compliance for the fleet, including driver medicals and vehicle checks.
- Report fleet cost per kilometre, availability and compliance status to logistics leadership each month.
Requirements
- Graduate, or a diploma in automobile or mechanical engineering
- Sound knowledge of the Motor Vehicles Act and transport compliance
- A certificate in fleet or transport management is an advantage
- 6 to 10 years in fleet or transport with maintenance and compliance exposure
KRAs and KPIs for a Fleet Manager
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Vehicle availability | Fleet available for duty above 95 percent, with unplanned breakdowns falling |
| Cost per kilometre | All-in cost per kilometre held within the monthly budget |
| Fuel efficiency | Average mileage per litre at or above target with pilferage cases closed |
| Compliance | Zero vehicles running with an expired fitness, permit, insurance or pollution paper |
| Safety | Accidents per lakh kilometres reducing year on year |
| Utilization | Vehicle utilization above the target with idle vehicles redeployed or released |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Fleet management software, GPS and telematics, Fuel monitoring systems, Vahan and Sarathi portals, MS Excel.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Transport Manager, Head of Logistics, General Manager Logistics
Interview questions for a Fleet Manager
- How do you build a preventive maintenance schedule that keeps vehicles available and cost down?
- What is your process for making sure no vehicle runs with an expired document?
- A vehicle shows a sudden drop in mileage. How do you investigate?
- How do you decide whether to repair, retire or replace an ageing vehicle?
- Walk me through how you handle a road accident involving one of your vehicles.
- What checks and training keep your drivers safe and compliant on the road?
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What does a Fleet Manager do?
A Fleet Manager runs a company's vehicles: maintenance, fuel, drivers and compliance. They keep vehicles available and safe, renew fitness, permits, insurance and pollution papers on time, control cost per kilometre, manage accidents and claims, and report fleet performance to leadership. The aim is high utilization and low cost with zero compliance lapses.
What qualifications does a Fleet Manager need?
A graduate degree or an automobile or mechanical engineering diploma is common. Employers look for real knowledge of the Motor Vehicles Act, vehicle maintenance and transport compliance, plus experience managing drivers and controlling cost per kilometre. A fleet or transport management certificate helps, but hands-on depot experience matters most.
What is the difference between a Fleet Manager and a Transport Manager?
A Fleet Manager owns the vehicles and drivers: maintenance, fuel, compliance and availability. A Transport Manager owns the movement of goods: scheduling vehicles, planning routes, managing transporters and transit times. The two overlap, but the fleet role is asset-focused while the transport role is service and dispatch focused.