Fleet Manager
Vital Tech Solutions · South Lyon, United States
Our client is seeking an experienced Fleet Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of a transportation terminal supporting the movement of a high volume of vehicles annually. This position provides leadership to a team of approximately 1–25 employees and contractors and is responsible for terminal performance, staffing, safety, customer service, equipment, and overall operational efficiency.
The Fleet Manager will work closely with regional and corporate leadership, customers, vendors, professional drivers/car haulers, and internal support teams. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring someone who can balance people management, transportation operations, customer expectations, regulatory compliance, and financial performance.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee daily terminal operations, including staffing, workflow, driver activity, equipment utilization, and service performance.
- Ensure appropriate staffing levels are maintained to support operational and customer requirements.
- Direct, coach, and manage terminal employees and drivers while establishing clear performance expectations.
- Participate in recruiting, hiring, onboarding, performance management, corrective action, goal setting, and employee development.
- Monitor operating costs, revenue, equipment utilization, productivity, and other key performance indicators to improve terminal profitability.
- Ensure vehicles and freight are delivered safely, efficiently, and on schedule.
- Troubleshoot service issues, delivery exceptions, customer concerns, and other operational disruptions.
- Build and maintain productive relationships with customers, vendors, drivers, contractors, and internal business partners.
- Maintain a strong safety-focused culture and ensure compliance with DOT, FMCSA, Hours-of-Service, accident reporting, injury reporting, and other applicable requirements.
- Review CSA violations and address driver performance or compliance issues in partnership with Safety and regional leadership.
- Establish and maintain local procedures that improve safety, productivity, service, and operational consistency.
- Communicate regularly with regional and corporate leadership regarding staffing, inventory, revenue, budgets, equipment, and operational risks.
- Oversee purchasing and accounts payable activities in accordance with company policies.
- Ensure company-owned and owner-operator equipment remains current on preventive maintenance requirements and that maintenance costs are appropriately controlled.
- Maintain accurate vehicle inventory records within company systems and quickly resolve discrepancies.
- Respond to urgent operational or emergency situations as needed.
- Identify opportunities to increase revenue, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and expand terminal operations.
Requirements- Strong leadership, coaching, and people-management skills.
- Experience managing drivers, transportation employees, contractors, or similar operational teams.
- Strong understanding of transportation operations, dispatch, routing, or fleet management.
- Knowledge of DOT and FMCSA regulations, including Hours-of-Service and driver compliance requirements.
- Strong analytical, diagnostic, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to use operational and financial KPIs to make sound business decisions.
- Experience managing or contributing to operating budgets and controlling expenses.
- Strong customer-service and relationship-management skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and remain calm and professional in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across multiple levels of an organization.
- Comfortable using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, along with routing, dispatching, transportation, or fleet-management systems.
- Safety-focused mindset and a positive, accountable leadership style.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree and at least one year of management experience within transportation, logistics, fleet operations, or a related industry preferred.
OR
- Approximately 3–5 years of transportation or logistics leadership experience in lieu of a degree.