30 Jul Myth #4: Fleet Management Is Operations’ Job – Procurement Only Handles Contracts

For years, fleet has sat between two functions: operations, who handle the logistics and day-to-day management, and procurement, who focus on sourcing vehicles and negotiating supplier contracts. It’s a familiar model – but it’s also outdated.

Modern fleets are no longer just about admin and purchasing. They’re strategic business assets that impact cost, compliance, sustainability, and employee experience. And that means fleet can’t sit in a silo.

What’s often also overlooked is the role of HR, who typically own or influence company car policy – especially when vehicles are provided as part of a benefit scheme or aligned to job roles. In many organisations, HR decisions shape eligibility, driver entitlements, and mobility expectations. When their voice is missing from fleet planning, policy misalignment and poor employee experience can follow.

Fleet Is Cross-Functional by Nature

Whether it’s a job-need vehicle or a status perk, every company car sits at the intersection of multiple strategic priorities:

• Cost control – one of the largest non-payroll spends in the business
• Compliance and risk – from driving policy to duty of care
• Sustainability –  especially when targeting net zero goals
• Talent strategy –  fleet is a benefit that influences retention and attraction

No single department can manage all of this effectively in isolation.

What Siloed Thinking Misses

When operations manage logistics, procurement handles contracts, and HR sets policy — but none are aligned –  it creates friction:

• Policies that don’t reflect cost or operational realities
• Contracts negotiated without full visibility into usage or risk
• Fragmented data and reporting, making it hard for finance to track or forecast
• Missed opportunities for cost-saving, compliance, and strategic alignment

Even small misalignments between stakeholders can drive up cost and complexity –  and undermine fleet performance.

High-Performing Fleets Are Joined-Up Fleets

The most successful organisations treat fleet as a cross-functional function – with procurement, operations, HR, finance, and ESG working from a shared view of performance and priorities.

At Fleetworx, we help clients:

• Centralise data across all suppliers and systems
• Connect policy, procurement, and operations with aligned reporting
• Create a platform for joined-up decisions that serve all functions
• Translate fleet into value – for the business and for its people

Ask Yourself…

• Do your HR, procurement, and operations teams collaborate on fleet strategy?
• Is your policy aligned with actual usage, cost, and availability?
• Are decisions being made with one view of the truth – or several conflicting ones?

If your fleet still operates as a series of disconnected functions, you’re not alone – but change is possible.

Start With Shared Visibility

The best-run fleets aren’t just cost-effective. They’re aligned. And alignment starts with shared insight and independent data that everyone can trust.

Ready to align your fleet with the business? Start with visibility.

Contact Graham Rees to discover how