This article is based on a recent episode of The Fleet Success Show podcast. Watch the episode below:
Fleet management is rarely as simple as "How many vehicles do we need?" The answer depends on three interconnected elements that veteran fleet consultant Tony Yankovich calls the 3Ws:
The total volume of maintenance, repairs, inspections, and service required to keep your fleet operational. This includes both planned and unplanned work.
The technicians, supervisors, parts staff, and admin personnel responsible for fulfilling that workload.
The physical infrastructure—shop bays, admin space, parts rooms, exterior deadline parking, fuel islands, and employee areas—that supports the work being done.
“If one of the Ws is out of balance, your entire operation suffers.” – Tony Yankovich
Right-sizing is more than just deciding how many vehicles you need. It's about understanding how vehicle quantity, replacement schedules, shop resources, and personnel bandwidth affect each other.
Many fleets:
All of these gaps make it nearly impossible to right-size effectively.
Marc and Tony both agree: Fleet replacement is often the most important lever you can pull.
Why?
Because an older fleet causes:
“When your fleet’s falling apart, no amount of technician hiring or process improvement can fix it. You’ve got to fix the root cause: the age of your fleet.” – Marc Canton
When you start with a strong replacement plan, everything else improves—availability, technician morale, shop efficiency, and budget predictability.
Here’s a mistake many fleet managers (and finance teams) make:
They assume that if you have 10 technicians, you have the capacity of 10 full-time wrench-turners.
But in reality, you might only have 7 or 8 FTEs once you account for:
“You think you have 10 techs. But if 2 of them spend 25% of their time on non-wrenching tasks, you’re down to 8.5 FTEs. That gap directly affects your availability.” – Tony Yankovich
Start here if you're unsure where to begin:
Fleet leaders often hit a wall when presenting requests to leadership—especially when the ask involves headcount or capital.
Tony suggests presenting multiple scenarios backed by the 3Ws model.
Instead of just saying:
"We need more technicians."
Say:
“If we replace 30% of our fleet, here’s the impact on technician workload, parts demand, and shop capacity. If we don’t, here’s what happens instead.”
Use real math:
Presenting data-backed scenarios:
“When they can see the chain reaction of their decisions, leadership is more likely to buy into your strategy.” – Tony Yankovich
Fleet right-sizing is the process of optimizing your fleet’s size and composition to match operational needs. It includes adjusting vehicle count, usage, replacement cycles, and support resources.
These three elements must stay in balance for a fleet to perform well.
Because aging fleets lead to more downtime, lower availability, increased labor needs, spare creep, and budget bloat. A proactive replacement plan can eliminate—or significantly reduce—these issues.
You may have 10 FT technicians but only 7.5 FTEs due to parts, admin, or other non-maintenance work.
Use the 3Ws model to present multiple scenarios. Show how a lack of replacement leads to higher workload, which demands more staff and space. Quantify tradeoffs and use FTE analysis to explain why your shop is overextended.
The best fleet operations don’t just react—they plan.
By understanding the relationship between workload, workforce, and workplace, you can make smarter decisions, gain leadership support, and move your operation from overwhelmed to optimized.
Start with:
And remember: right-sizing isn’t about cutting—it’s about aligning your resources with your reality.