Episode 250: What Makes a Great Fleet? Inside the Fleet Success Awards

What actually makes a fleet successful?

For the 250th episode of The Fleet Success Show, Marc Canton sits down with RTA fleet experts Nathan Schafer and Scott Conlon to go behind the scenes of judging the first Fleet Success Awards, and unpack a much bigger question: How do you know whether a fleet is truly performing well?

The answer isn’t as simple as looking at a dashboard.

Marc, Nathan, and Scott explore why fleet metrics need context, how something as seemingly straightforward as PM compliance can tell different stories depending on how it’s measured, and why availability remains such an important indicator of operational performance.

But the conversation goes beyond KPIs. Nathan makes the case that strong relationships with user departments, finance, HR, risk, and leadership can ultimately improve operational performance. Scott explains why fleet leaders need to become better storytellers if they want their organizations to understand the value fleet provides.

Together, they explore how performance, stakeholder satisfaction, intentional culture, resource efficiency, and risk management reinforce one another, creating either a positive or negative feedback loop across the fleet organization.

Key Takeaways

• Fleet data without context can be misleading. A KPI tells you what happened; understanding how the fleet operates helps explain why.
• PM compliance needs context. Differences in PM tolerances and measurement practices can dramatically affect the reported number.
• Availability is a critical outcome metric. PM compliance and other operational KPIs contribute to the larger goal of keeping assets ready for the people who depend on them.
• Relationships can drive better fleet performance. Strong relationships with user departments and organizational stakeholders make it easier to get vehicles into the shop, secure resources, and improve performance.
• Fleet leaders need to tell their story. Strong performance can go unnoticed when leaders don't communicate what fleet contributes to the organization.
• Culture makes performance durable. Processes and KPIs matter, but an intentional culture helps an organization continue performing when individual people come and go.
• The four pillars work as a system. Improvements in one area can reinforce improvements elsewhere and create a positive feedback loop.
• Applying for fleet awards can itself be valuable. The evaluation process forces fleet leaders to examine metrics, identify gaps, benchmark performance, and recognize their teams—even if they don't ultimately win.

Speaker Bios

Marc Canton — VP of Fleet Strategy, RTA Fleet
Marc Canton is Vice President of Fleet Strategy at RTA Fleet and host of The Fleet Success Show. He brings more than two decades of transportation, logistics, and government fleet-management experience, including serving as Transportation Director and Fleet Manager at Fordham University. Today, he helps fleet leaders improve performance and shape technology designed around real-world fleet operations. RTA Fleet

Nathan Schafer — Fleet Management Consultant, RTA Fleet
Nathan Schafer, CAFM, CPFP, is a Fleet Management Consultant at RTA with approximately 25 years of fleet management and maintenance experience. A former technician and fleet manager, Nathan has led both private-sector and government fleets and brings hands-on experience across maintenance, replacement planning, customer service, shop management, and fleet operations. RTA Fleet

Scott Conlon — Fleet Management Consultant, RTA Fleet
Scott Conlon is a Fleet Management Consultant at RTA with more than 25 years of fleet management and maintenance experience. As part of RTA's consulting team, Scott helps public-sector fleets evaluate performance and improve their operations through the pillars of Fleet Success. RTA Fleet

Additional Resources

Looking to take the first (or next) step in your fleet career journey? Start by requesting your free copy of The Fleet Success Playbook. Written by fleet professionals for fleet professionals, the Playbook breaks down the four key pillars of fleet success, and gives you the tools you need to build a truly great fleet. 

Request your free (yes, really, free!) copy here. 

Control fleet chaos with RTA Fleet360, proven software designed by fleet managers for fleet managers. Request a demo today. 

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