Automotive Fleet Manager Job Description | What is a Fleet Manager?

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A close up of a Fleet Car in a Car Dealership

If you’re building a team at your dealership, you’ll need an Automotive Fleet Manager to handle commercial fleet sales. In this article, we will help dealers understand what fleet managers do, what they need to achieve to get the role, what to look for when hiring, and we’ll even provide a sample job description.

What Does an Automotive Fleet Manager Do?

A fleet manager at a car dealership is in charge of all business with fleet accounts—including bidding, sales, and relationship-building. Whenever possible, they may also support the new vehicle sales department of the dealership.¹This individual is a salesperson who specializes in doing business with larger entities such as government agencies, rental companies, or larger organizations purchasing bulk quantities of vehicles to use in their fleet.

This requires special knowledge since—unlike traditional vehicle sales—it involves numerous cars being purchased at any given time, with its own pricing structure and potential for vehicle customization depending on the buyer. As a result, fleet managers must have an extensive knowledge and understanding of the specific needs of these fleet customers in order to best serve them.

What Is the Job Description of an Automotive Fleet Manager?

On a day-to-day basis, an Automotive Fleet Manager will be bidding on up to dozens of vehicles at a time and need to fully understand vehicle specs in order to choose the right products to match any potential customization needs.²Additional duties include:

Maintain contact and communication with organizations and agencies who are looking to secure vehicles for their fleet.
Oversee the sale of all fleet and commercial vehicles for the dealership.
Demonstrate expertise in the fleet bidding process.
Solicit and find new fleet accounts to build a book of business. Visit prospective customers to establish new relationships.
Uphold a high-quality delivery of all fleet purchases and sales.
Supply all vehicle specifications needed for orders.
Collaborate with the new vehicle department and provide fleet car forecasts.
Ensure all payments are processed and received in a timely manner.¹
Respond to all fleet inquiries and requests.
Oversee entire fleet purchase process and vehicle acquisition logistics.³
Prepare all contracts and ensure customer satisfaction.⁴

How Can Someone Become an Automotive Fleet Manager?

To become an automotive fleet manager, there are a few required qualifications, including the following:

A high school diploma or GED
Completion of MVR, background check, drug test
Valid driver’s license
At least 1-2 years of experience in automotive sales
In-depth knowledge of commercial fleet vehicles and sales
Financing knowledge
Strong customer service skills
Adept decision maker³
Ability to set and surpass goals
Understanding of business-to-business (B2B) sales
Excellent communication skills⁴

What to Look for When Hiring an Automotive Fleet Manager

Beyond the required experience listed above, hiring managers looking to find a fleet manager for their team should seek out candidate who demonstrates the following qualities:

Language and Comprehension: Ability to clearly and effectively communicate complex ideas, strong understanding of business documents, ability to interpret rules, specs, and operational instructions. Strong written skills for reports and memos. Strong communication skills. These skills are important for a fleet manager because this individual will be communicating with high-level decision makers at various types of organizations and will need to adapt to meet their expectations and level of professionalism in meetings and all interactions that occur when doing business.
Basic Math: Ability to perform basic math, including fractions/decimals, compute ratios and percents, and interpret graphs. Ability to calculate discounts, commission, interest, proportions, and other numerical quantities. This role requires quantitative thinking skills when scaling sales at this volume to accommodate a range of needs for an organization. As a result, fleet managers need to have basic math proficiency to optimize pricing, offers, and purchasing strategies for customers.
Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Ability to make complex decisions and prioritize numerous factors.¹ Because fleet managers will need to take into consideration the various needs of diverse types of organizations and companies, it’s important that this individual is able to think strategically and reflect on the needs of each customer to come up with the best unique solution.

Partner With ACV Auctions

As you build out a robust business at your dealership, work with our team at ACV Auctions. A strong team is only part of the winning formula—the other half is having the best inventory out there. Our platform supports dealers through a full suite of services that makes it easy to feel confident when you bid on vehicles. Each vehicle on our platform comes with a report completed by our expert team and includes all the details you need to know. Reach out to us today to get started.

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