The Fleet

Mission HQ
  • 5,0 (1)
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  • Semanal

The #1 podcast for fleet managers and their teams. From electrification and autonomous vehicles to safety, sustainability, and global supply chains, host Chris Brandt brings you the people, trends, and technologies shaping the future of fleet management today.

  1. 30 jun

    The Hidden Math of the Middle Mile

    Sometimes the smartest freight route is A to C to B. Lacy Greening, Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University and a semifinalist in the DOT's ARPA-I Innovation Challenge, studies the hidden math of middle-mile freight — the hubs, lanes, and consolidation decisions that determine how goods actually move across a network. In this episode, she explains why freight networks often make moves that look wrong until you understand the math, how locally smart decisions create network-wide problems, and why the future of AI in logistics isn't replacing optimization — it's helping fleets replan faster without breaking the rules of the real world.   Connect Lacy Greening on LinkedIn ASU School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence DOT ARPA-I Innovation Challenge The Fleet podcast   Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset.   Chapters 0:00 Why “free shipping” depends on the middle mile 3:10 The technology is there. The coordination isn’t. 4:27 Why packages “carpool” through the network 8:36 Speed, cost, and the promise behind delivery times 10:41 The 50% savings hiding in consolidation 14:03 Why every company needs a different logistics network 16:39 Why your shipment goes the wrong direction on purpose 19:23 What smaller fleets can learn from Amazon 21:04 Zone skipping and the power of using someone else’s network 23:09 The hidden constraints behind every delivery promise 29:31 Customers don’t just want fast. They want accurate. 35:26 What if logistics worked like the internet? 40:10 Where AI can actually help fleet networks 47:58 Why the most optimized network can become the most fragile 51:52 Why AI still needs human operators Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    55 min

  2. 16 jun

    Building a Cyber-Ready Fleet Culture

    Only 1 in 10 fleet cyber attacks ever gets reported — and the smaller the carrier, the more likely the breach ends quietly in bankruptcy. Joe Ohr, COO of the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), spent 25 years inside fleet IT and telematics before stepping into the role that's made his nonprofit the trucking industry's cybersecurity backbone. In this conversation he walks fleet leaders through what attacks actually look like in 2025 — from $1,000 AI deepfakes that fool entire workforces to the offboarding gaps that let ex-employees still reroute your trucks — and the cultural shift that turns cyber from an IT line item into operational survival.   What you'll learn • Why only 1 in 10 fleet cyber crimes ever gets reported — and the silent extinction event happening to small and mid-sized carriers • How a $1,000 AI deepfake fooled an entire trucking workforce — and why the old phishing-detection playbook is obsolete • What Estes Express did differently when they got hit with one of the biggest ransomware breaches in trucking history • The offboarding gap most fleets miss — and why ex-employees can still log into your telematics and reroute trucks • Why cyber attacker dwell time collapsed from 6 months to under 30 minutes — and what that means for your defense strategy • How the ELD mandate forced safety culture into existence, and what it would take for cyber to make the same jump • Why every RFP should have a cybersecurity section — and what a non-technical fleet leader should actually ask vendors   Connect Joe Ohr on LinkedIn NMFTA NMFTA Threat Portal NMFTA Cybersecurity Conference (Long Beach, Oct 28-29) The Fleet Podcast   Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset.   Chapters 0:00 The cyber threats fleets aren't hearing about 2:02 What 'cyber-enabled' actually means for a fleet today 5:24 Why 9 out of 10 fleet cyber attacks never get reported 7:47 The spoofed email that arrived during a board meeting 9:16 The $1,000 AI deepfake that fooled an entire workforce 12:34 What good cyber hygiene actually looks like inside a fleet 13:34 Why cyber has to become the new safety culture 19:16 The only way to beat AI attacks is with AI 21:42 How attacker dwell time collapsed from 6 months to 30 minutes 23:27 What fleet leaders should be looking for from cyber vendors 28:19 What Estes Express did differently when the breach hit 29:17 The offboarding gap that lets ex-employees reroute your trucks 44:32 Why nobody in trucking will talk about getting hacked — and why that has to change 49:43 Every truck is now an office on wheels 51:06 The NMFTA cybersecurity conference and what's next   Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    53 min
  3. Networking Is Not Optional

    2 jun

    Networking Is Not Optional

    Fleet moves your mail, your produce, your workforce — and most people have no idea how big the industry actually is. Zā Farley, founder and CEO of Black Fleet Network, joins Chris Brandt on The Fleet to talk about community as infrastructure, why network is a verb, and how the leaders growing inside fleet are the ones expanding bandwidth, building real relationships, and refusing to stay comfortable. From representation and supplier access to mentorship, sponsorship, and the trap of 'dinosauring' yourself out — this conversation is a practical playbook for anyone who wants to be relevant in fleet a year from now.   Connect Exavious (Zā) Farley on LinkedIn Black Fleet Network Tread Deep podcast (YouTube)   Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset.   Chapters 0:00 The fleet world most people don't see 1:44 Zā's 'extraordinary ordinary guy' philosophy 3:41 From minister to teacher to fleet: an outsider-insider story 5:53 The representation gap that started Black Fleet Network 9:19 Why fresh eyes see the gaps insiders miss 13:42 Community = common unity 18:26 The cynicism creeping into the industry 21:20 Network is a verb — mentorship vs sponsorship 24:19 Diversification, reframed as bandwidth 31:51 Why 'maintaining' is a farce for fleet leaders 37:17 How fleet pros dinosaur themselves out 43:31 Fleet is the invisible ecosystem of your day 45:53 The case for micro-learning in fleet 49:46 What real support from a company looks like 54:35 Where to find Black Fleet Network   Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    1 h 3 min

  4. 19 may

    Acquire. Divest. Change Vendors - But Don’t Break the Fleet!

    When a business changes, the fleet cannot stop moving. Jennifer VrMeer, Senior Manager of Sales Operations at BD, has helped manage fleet through acquisitions, divestitures, vendor changes, driver expectations, and program redesigns - all inside a 2,500-vehicle healthcare fleet. Her rule for any major transition is simple: business as usual on day one. In this episode of The Fleet, Jen breaks down what it takes to keep drivers moving while the business changes around them. She explains why communication matters even when nothing is changing, why fleet data has to be clean before a divestiture ever appears, how to think about vendor consolidation without overcorrecting, and why staying too long with the wrong fleet management company can create a loyalty penalty instead of a loyalty bonus. This is a practical playbook for fleet leaders navigating change without breaking the program, losing driver trust, or creating unnecessary noise across the business. What you'll learn • Why the rule on day one of any fleet integration is "don't break the program" — and how to communicate change to drivers • The three things that actually matter when picking a fleet vendor (and the order they matter in) • The hidden cost of staying too long with the wrong fleet management company — and why loyalty doesn't pay off • The one RFP question most fleet leaders never ask — and the client references that actually tell you the truth • Why divestiture is harder than integration, and what to build now so you're ready when it lands • How to hit 95% driver satisfaction without trying to please everyone • The fleet metrics leaders obsess over that don't matter — and the ones they ignore that do Connect Jennifer VrMeer on LinkedIn BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) The Fleet podcast Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset. Chapters 0:00 Business as Usual on Fleet Day One 1:29 Inheriting Three Fleets at BD 2:58 The Edwards Acquisition and a New Reimbursement Model 6:22 Why Reimbursement Didn’t Work in 2020 - But Works Now 9:02 The Three Things That Matter When Picking a Fleet Vendor 12:45 The Real Cost of Vendor Sprawl 15:32 When Fleet Managers Stay Too Long 18:37 Inside Jen VrMeer’s RFP Playbook 20:56 The RFP Question Almost No One Asks 23:16 The Fleet Job Nobody Talks About: Divestiture 28:30 How to Prepare Before a Divestiture 31:09 Balancing Cost Savings and Driver Satisfaction 34:49 Why Standard Driver Surveys Aren’t Enough 37:26 The Parent Phone Call and the Ghost Driver 41:58 The Fleet Metrics That Actually Matter 47:26 Mobility Trends Fleet Leaders Should Watch 52:22 Jen VrMeer’s Advice for Fleet Leaders Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    55 min

  5. 5 may

    Does Your Fleet Fit Your Driver’s Life?

    Fleet strategy only works if drivers actually use it. EV rollouts. Safety tech. Policy changes. Vendor consolidation. Every major fleet initiative eventually comes down to the same question: will drivers buy in? Michael Acosta helps manage more than 1,300 vehicles across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil for UCB with a two-person team. And his belief is simple: the biggest lever in fleet is not the tech, the policy, or the vendor. It is whether drivers actually love the program you have built. In this episode, Michael breaks down what really drives adoption - from vehicle choice and personal-use perks to hybrids, feedback loops, and the anonymous message board that revealed what drivers were never going to say in a survey. Chapters: 0:00 Inside a Global Pharma Fleet 2:44 Why Driver Buy-In Decides Every Fleet Outcome 4:28 What Two People Actually Do in a Day 7:02 Translating US Driving Realities to a European HQ 9:52 What to Look for in a Global Fleet Partner 14:08 A Young Voice in a Veteran-Heavy Industry 18:00 How Tech Is Changing Fleet Management 20:54 Telematics, Privacy, and the Data Tension 24:57 Why Fleet Runs on the Honor System 26:54 What Actually Keeps Drivers Happy 29:42 EVs, Choice, and Translating Global Targets 41:08 The Anonymous Message Board That Changed the Rollout 48:03 Selling Fleet’s Importance Inside Your Own Company 51:57 Where Fleet Is Going Next   This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset. Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    55 min

  6. 21 abr

    How 4 People Run 18,000 Vehicles

    4 people. 18,000 vehicles. No blown engines. How does that work? Charles Schott is Fleet Director at Rollins, one of the largest service fleets in North America - 20 pest control brands, 4,000 vehicles refreshed every year, 90% service compliance. He's built fleet operations at global scale before: 30,000+ vehicles across 70 countries at Pfizer, armored fleet at Brinks, now Rollins. In this episode, Chris Brandt and Charles break down what makes it all work: FLOW as the operating principle, A3 problem-solving as the discipline, acquisition integration as the stress test, and the fleet management partnership as the force multiplier. What you'll take away: • Why fleet leaders are asset managers first — and how that reframing changes every decision • The 'truck rodeo' standardization play that got 20 brands aligned without a mandate • How Rollins' 4-person team pulled off 31 secretly-staged trucks for an acquisition • The one vehicle metric (over-temp) that nearly eliminated blown engines across 18,000 units • The three things Charles looks for in a fleet management partner Connect with Charles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-schott/ The Fleet podcast: https://mission.org/the-fleet   Chapters: 0:00 18,000 Vehicles. 4 People. Nothing Can Sit 1:40 Charles Schott runs fleets from Pfizer to Brink 6:46 18,000 vehicles, 4 people, and the big F word: FLOW 9:04 Fleet management is air traffic control 12:30 Acquisitions: the seat at the table 14:20 31 trucks staged in secret - how Rollins pulled it off 19:52 How fleet leaders earn credibility (crumb-to-loaf rule) 25:13 A3 problem-solving across the supply chain 32:35 The truck rodeo: standardizing 20 brands without a mandate 35:26 Telematics, over-temp, and eliminating blown engines 41:03 Supply chain constraints and keeping vehicles longer 50:13 What Charles looks for in a fleet management partner 55:59 Going global: build the foundation, not the roof 59:11 Close   This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset. Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    59 min
  7. Driver Data: Your Defense or Your Risk?

    7 abr

    Driver Data: Your Defense or Your Risk?

    Fleet safety isn’t just accidents - it’s what your data says you did about them. In this episode, Brian Kinniry - Director of Safety and Collision Product Management at Element Fleet Management - reveals how the shift from reactive to proactive safety programs is transforming fleet operations. With nuclear verdicts reaching seven and eight figures, traditional "train after the accident" approaches leave companies exposed to catastrophic legal and financial risk. Brian shares real fleet data showing how connected technology and telematics are helping companies identify risk before incidents happen - including why incident rates actually increase when you deploy cameras (and why that's a good thing), and how a single cargo van training module reduced preventable incidents by 35%. This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management. If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it’s time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset.   Chapters: 0:00 Ignoring Driver Behavior Is a Risk 1:22 From Safety Program to Legal Risk 3:58 What Negligence Looks Like in Court 6:58 Why Documentation Is Failing Fleets 9:38 The Shift From Reactive to Proactive Safety 12:08 The WWII Lesson for Fleets 13:42 Why Incident Rates Go UP With Cameras 16:02 How Driver Data Prevents Bigger Accidents 18:18 Why Every Fleet Needs a Different Strategy 21:12 How Safety Data Changes Hiring Decisions 24:28 Are You Increasing Risk Without Knowing It? 28:18 The Training That Reduced Crashes by 35% 31:32 Why Micro-Targeted Training Works 36:32 ADAS, EVs, and the False Sense of Security 43:28 What Fleets Still Get Wrong And What To Do Now 51:10 Brian Kinniry: Advice for Fleet Leaders   Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    51 min
  8. Physical AI Is Coming for Fleet Operations

    24 mar

    Physical AI Is Coming for Fleet Operations

    Physical AI is rewriting what's possible for autonomous fleets, and the infrastructure decisions you make today determine your competitive position in 2035. Colin Dhillon, futurist and advisor to NuPort Robotics, joins Chris Brandt on The Fleet to explain why fleet leaders who start building autonomous capability now gain compounding advantages over those who wait for "perfect" solutions. Neural networks have eliminated the need for human-written code in autonomous vehicles, learning from sensor data in real time instead. Lights-out factories are producing a million phones with zero humans. The truck cabin itself could disappear, replaced by humanoids that handle the last remaining manual task like placing safety cones. This conversation breaks down how Physical AI (the convergence of neural networks, autonomous systems, and real-world operations) is reshaping fleet economics faster than most leaders realize, and what separates organizations positioning for the future from those still optimizing yesterday's operations.   Chapters: 0:00 Why “Robots Taking Jobs” Was Wrong - Until Now 2:10 Colin’s Journey from Car Design to Physical AI 4:18 What Is Physical AI? 7:24 80s Robots vs Today’s Neural Networks 9:48 Lights-Out Manufacturing for Fleets 12:38 30 Humanoids on Stage - Training Compressed from Weeks to Hours 15:22 How Autonomous Systems Change Fleet Labor Models 16:32 Why Colin Went from Fighting Regulation to Calling for It 18:46 The Infrastructure Problem - Why Autonomy Fails in the Real World 24:52 Why True 5G (and 6G) Matters for Fleet Autonomy 30:07 Why Fleets Will Be the First to Fully Adopt Autonomy 30:42 The Cone Problem - Autonomy’s Last Human Barrier 35:16 94% of Accidents Are Human Error - The Case for Physical AI 36:47 The Truck Cabin Might Disappear Entirely 42:44 How Zero-Marginal-Cost Operations Change Everything 48:47 About Kulbir Colin Singh Dhillon -- The Fleet podcast is brought to you by Element. To learn more about how Element can move your fleet forward, visit elementfleet.com Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    50 min
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The #1 podcast for fleet managers and their teams. From electrification and autonomous vehicles to safety, sustainability, and global supply chains, host Chris Brandt brings you the people, trends, and technologies shaping the future of fleet management today.

Ficha técnica

  • Canal
    Mission HQ
  • Creado por
    Mission
  • Años en activo
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodios
    46
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Derechos de autor
    © 2025 Mission.org
  • Sitio web del podcast
    The Fleet

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