The Fleet Success Show

Hosted by Josh Turley, RTA Fleet, Facundo Tassara, Marc Canton

Business Management Technology

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261

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Oct 2026

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About the show

The Fleet Success Show is the #1 fleet podcast dedicated to talking about the fundamentals, standards, and best practices that empower today's fleets to achieve fleet success. Let's get into the show!

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October 22, 202647 min

Episode 251: Are Alternative Fuel Mandates Failing Public Fleets?

Bob explains how the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) impacts state fleets, why hybrid vehicles receive different compliance treatment than certain alternative fuel vehicles, and why state fleet leaders are advocating for change. They also explore the hidden costs of alternative fuel adoption, the importance of total cost of ownership, and how telematics can strengthen driver accountability, improve fuel management, and support better decision-making. Beyond the regulations, Bob shares lessons from his 28-year fleet career, including how he uses operational data to build trust with agency leadership and advocate for practical improvements that help government fleets operate more efficiently. Key Takeaways Understanding EPAct compliance: Learn how the Energy Policy Act affects state and covered fleets, including the differences between standard vehicle acquisition requirements and alternative compliance pathways. The hybrid vehicle credit debate: Explore why E85 flex-fuel vehicles can receive full acquisition credits while hybrids receive partial credits under the state fleet requirements discussed, and why Bob is advocating for a more consistent approach. Evaluating the true cost of alternative fuels: Understand how fueling infrastructure, maintenance support, vehicle availability, and resale value influence total cost of ownership. Using telematics to eliminate fleet blind spots: Discover how connecting vehicle data, asset management systems, and fuel card transactions can strengthen accountability, help prevent fraud, and improve operational visibility. Making data-driven decisions: Learn why even small changes in fleet policy and strategy can create meaningful financial impacts across large government fleets. Building credibility with leadership: Hear how fleet managers can use clear, defensible data to communicate operational needs, influence decision-makers, and advocate for practical policy changes. About the Speakers Bob Williams — Assistant Commissioner of Vehicle and Asset Management, State of Tennessee Bob Williams oversees vehicle and asset management for the State of Tennessee, including approximately 10,000 fleet assets across state agencies, excluding the Department of Transportation. His responsibilities span vehicle acquisition, maintenance administration, fueling, asset disposal, and surplus property programs. With 28 years of fleet industry experience, including more than 12 years serving Tennessee state government, Bob brings a unique combination of private-sector operations, entrepreneurship, and public-sector leadership. His background includes commercial truck leasing, business ownership, and fleet operations management. Bob is passionate about leveraging technology, strengthening driver accountability, improving cost efficiency, and advocating for practical fleet policies that support responsible use of public resources. Marc Canton — VP of Fleet Strategy, RTA Fleet | Host, The Fleet Success Show Marc Canton is the Vice President of Fleet Strategy at RTA Fleet and host of The Fleet Success Show . With experience in fleet operations and consulting, Marc brings a practical perspective to the challenges fleet leaders face, from managing costs and evaluating alternative fuel technologies to improving operational performance. Through his work at RTA, Marc helps fleet professionals navigate complex decisions, uncover opportunities for improvement, and develop strategies that support safer, more efficient, and more accountable fleet operations. About The Fleet Success Show The Fleet Success Show brings together experienced fleet professionals to share real-world insights, practical strategies, and lessons learned from across the industry. Hosted by RTA Fleet, the podcast helps fleet leaders eliminate blind spots, make better decisions, strengthen operations, and build safe, reliable fleets their communities can depend on. Build the fleet you're proud to lead. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

October 15, 202629 min

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

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. 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. 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. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

October 8, 202645 min

Episode 249 - AI, Change & the New Fleet Manager: How to Lead What’s Next

The role of the fleet manager is changing fast. Today’s fleet leaders aren’t just expected to understand vehicles and maintenance—they’re being asked to lead people, analyze data, adopt new technology, manage risk, communicate with stakeholders, and increasingly, understand how to put AI to work. In this episode of The Fleet Success Show , RTA’s Marc Canton sits down with Vadim Rodin, Director of Technical Sales at Verizon Connect, to explore what this evolution means for fleet professionals, and how leaders can successfully guide their teams through what comes next. Marc and Vadim dig into the human side of fleet technology and change management. They discuss how different generations learn, communicate, and respond to change; why explaining the “why” behind a new initiative matters; and how fleet leaders can build genuine adoption rather than simply introducing another piece of software or another process. They also explore practical applications of AI for fleet leaders. From preparing for difficult employee conversations to pressure-testing an initiative before implementation, AI can serve as a thought partner that helps managers ask better questions, anticipate failure points, and approach decisions from new perspectives. Vadim shares a four-stage approach to change management—education, encouragement, soft enforcement, and hard enforcement—and explains how peer influence, meaningful incentives, clear expectations, and accountability can help turn an organizational initiative into lasting behavior change. The conversation also examines how the fleet manager’s job itself is evolving. Technical expertise remains important, but today’s leaders increasingly need to understand technology, finance, analytics, communication, customer service, culture, risk, and storytelling. With more data available than ever, success isn’t simply about collecting information—it’s about turning that information into action and being able to clearly communicate what the fleet needs and why. Ultimately, technology alone won’t transform a fleet. The leaders who succeed will be those who can eliminate blind spots, bring order to change, engage their people, use data intelligently, and build a culture capable of adapting to what comes next. Key Takeaways The fleet manager role is becoming multidisciplinary. Today’s leaders increasingly need skills across technology, data, finance, risk, communication, culture, customer service, and people leadership—not just vehicle and maintenance expertise. AI can be a practical leadership tool. Fleet managers can use AI to prepare for difficult conversations, adapt coaching to different employees, challenge their assumptions, develop ideas, and identify potential failure points before implementing a change. Use AI to pressure-test initiatives before they fail. Instead of only asking AI what could go wrong, Marc and Vadim discuss telling it to assume an initiative has already failed and asking it to diagnose why. That shift can uncover risks and adoption problems that might otherwise be missed. Technology adoption requires behavior change. Buying software or implementing a new system doesn't automatically create value. Leaders have to connect the technology to improved processes, outcomes, and everyday behaviors. Successful change starts with education and encouragement. Vadim outlines a progression of education, encouragement, soft enforcement, and hard enforcement. Explain what is changing and why, build support, and then create clear accountability around the new expectations. Peer champions can accelerate adoption. Employees who embrace a change early can become influential advocates and coaches for their coworkers—and may reveal themselves as future leaders in the process. Different generations may require different approaches to leadership and learning. Understanding how employees prefer to learn, communicate, experiment, and find meaning in their work can help fleet leaders improve training and change adoption. Data needs context to become useful. Fleet leaders shouldn't abandon experience in favor of data. Experience helps provide the context necessary to interpret information correctly and turn it into meaningful decisions. Fleet priorities continue to evolve. The Verizon Connect research discussed in the episode points to efficiency and productivity, cost reduction, and driver safety as major priorities, while the conversation explores changing attention around sustainability and fleet data. Expect more from technology partners. Fleet leaders should ask their software and service providers for expertise, resources, integrations, training, and continuous product improvement—not simply accept the technology they were initially given. The views, opinions, and statements expressed here are solely that of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or views of Verizon Communications Inc., or its affiliates. Speaker Bios Marc Canton Marc Canton is Vice President of Fleet Strategy at RTA Fleet and host of The Fleet Success Show . In this episode, Marc brings a fleet leadership perspective to the changing responsibilities of today’s fleet manager, exploring the intersection of technology, data, workforce management, organizational culture, and change. He also connects these challenges to a larger question facing the profession: as fleet leaders are asked to do more with technology and data, how can they continue building safe, reliable, efficient operations while leading their people effectively? Vadim Rodin Vadim Rodin is Director within the Technical Sales organization at Verizon Connect. His work supports both internal teams and external customers across government, SMB, and enterprise organizations, helping them understand, implement, and get greater value from the Verizon Connect platform. In the episode, Vadim draws on his experience helping organizations implement technology and improve adoption to discuss change management, workforce dynamics, AI, leadership, and the importance of ensuring technology produces meaningful business outcomes. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

October 1, 202639 min

Episode 248: Fingerprints, Retinas, and Remote Kill Switches: What’s Really Coming to Your Next Vehicle

Vehicles are getting smarter, but what does that mean for the people driving and managing them? In Episode 248 of **The Fleet Success Show**, Marc Canton and Tony Yankovic talk about new and emerging vehicle technology, including fingerprint and retinal recognition, driver monitoring, connected diagnostics, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and remote vehicle controls. They look at both sides of the technology. Some of these features could improve safety, security, and maintenance. At the same time, they raise real questions about privacy, data ownership, cybersecurity, driver trust, and how much control a vehicle should have. For fleet leaders, these technologies are worth watching as they become more common in the vehicles entering their fleets. Key Takeaways - Biometric technology could change how drivers access and interact with vehicles. - Driver monitoring may help identify fatigue, distraction, and other safety concerns. - Connected vehicles could improve diagnostics, maintenance, and collision prevention. - More vehicle data raises questions about who owns it and who can access it. - Greater vehicle connectivity brings new cybersecurity risks for fleets. - Fleet leaders will need to balance safety and useful technology with privacy, trust, and control. Speakers Marc Canton is VP of Fleet Strategy at RTA Fleet and host of *The Fleet Success Show*. He brings hands-on fleet and transportation experience to conversations about fleet operations, technology, leadership, and strategy. Tony Yankovic is a fleet management expert and regular contributor to *The Fleet Success Show*. He brings decades of practical experience in fleet operations, safety, maintenance, and performance. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

September 24, 202622 min

Fleet Management 101: Where Fleet Belongs in Your Organization

In this episode of The Fleet Success Show , Marc, RTA’s VP of Fleet Strategy, puts Nathan’s 25 years of fleet experience to the test with a provocative question: Should one of fleet’s biggest internal customers also be its boss? Nathan spent years managing a city fleet that reported through Public Works. He had strong leadership and a positive working relationship—but still experienced some of the structural challenges that can come with the model. Marc and Nathan explore how reporting through Public Works can create real or perceived conflicts of interest. If fleet is responsible for objectively serving police, fire, utilities, Public Works, and other departments, what happens when one of those customers also sits above fleet in the organizational chart? That question can affect everything from budget allocation and vehicle replacement to maintenance priorities and fleet’s ability to advocate for resources with senior leadership. The conversation also exposes another important distinction: Is your organization managing a fleet—or simply managing fleet maintenance? Some public-sector organizations have a shop supervisor responsible for technicians and repairs but no dedicated fleet leader overseeing replacement planning, vehicle specifications, lifecycle management, budgeting, standardization, and overall fleet strategy. Without that function, major fleet decisions can become fragmented across departments—or turn into political negotiations rather than objective, data-driven decisions. Marc and Nathan make the case that fleet may be better positioned as an independent internal service: serving every department objectively, providing leadership with a clearer picture of true fleet costs and performance, and giving fleet professionals the authority and access they need to lead with confidence. But they also acknowledge that successful fleets do operate under Public Works—and they want to hear the other side. In this episode, you'll learn: Why reporting to an internal fleet customer can create real or perceived conflicts of interest How organizational structure can influence fleet budgets and resource allocation Why vehicle replacement should be a data-driven economic exercise rather than a departmental negotiation The difference between a fleet maintenance operation and a true fleet management organization How organizational independence can improve cost visibility and accountability Why direct access to senior leadership can help fleet leaders advocate for their operation How General Services, Finance, and independent fleet departments compare as potential organizational structures Does your fleet report through Public Works? Listen to the full episode and join the conversation about where fleet belongs on the organizational chart. Speaker Bios Marc Canton is Vice President of Fleet Strategy at RTA Fleet, where he helps public-sector fleet leaders improve performance, strengthen decision-making, and build more effective fleet organizations. A recognized fleet strategist and industry thought leader, Marc brings a practical, data-driven perspective to the operational, financial, and organizational challenges facing today’s fleets. As a host of The Fleet Success Show , Marc explores the strategies, processes, and leadership principles that help fleet professionals improve stakeholder satisfaction, resource efficiency, culture, and risk management, and ultimately build fleets they’re proud to lead. Nathan Schafer is a Fleet Consultant at RTA Fleet with approximately 25 years of hands-on fleet experience. He began his career as a technician before advancing into fleet management, where he managed both private-sector and government fleets. Nathan joined RTA in 2021, initially working in training before serving in several roles and ultimately moving into fleet consulting. His experience from the shop floor through fleet leadership gives him a practical understanding of the operational and organizational challenges fleet professionals face every day. Today, Nathan works with fleet organizations to evaluate their operations, identify opportunities for improvement, and apply proven fleet management practices that help them operate more effectively and build sustainable long-term success. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

September 17, 202640 min

Episode 246: The Utilization Debate: Should You Move Vehicles Between Drivers?

The answer can have significant implications for vehicle replacement planning, residual value, total cost of ownership, warranty coverage, fleet availability, and long-term capital planning . Marc Canton is joined by Sara Burnam, Scott Conlon, Drew Morrow, and Jake Johnson to examine the issue from public-sector, consulting, heavy-duty, emergency-management, and fleet-operations perspectives. The group explores why low-utilization vehicles can be just as important to identify as high-utilization assets; when reassigning vehicles can protect lifecycle economics; and why simply having two identical vehicles does not necessarily mean they belong in the same lifecycle or utilization class. They also examine the human side of utilization management. Drivers and departments can develop a sense of ownership over assigned vehicles, creating what the group calls “switching friction.” That means the mathematically optimal fleet decision may not always be the most practical one. Fleet leaders have to consider the time, political capital, operational disruption, and organizational culture required to make a change. The discussion gets especially interesting with specialized assets. Is it financially responsible to move a former patrol vehicle into an administrative role? When does the cost of removing specialized upfits outweigh the savings? Could cycling a heavy-duty truck from high-mileage highway service into lower-mileage city service extend its useful life? And should fleets deliberately maximize vehicle use while an asset is under warranty? The central takeaway is not that every fleet should constantly rotate vehicles. It’s that fleet utilization should be actively managed with data rather than allowed to become a blind spot . High-performing fleet leaders understand their expected utilization, identify meaningful outliers, evaluate the lifecycle and replacement implications, and then choose the intervention that produces the best outcome for their organization. Sometimes that means reassigning an asset. Sometimes it means creating a different utilization class or replacement cycle. And sometimes the operational friction means another strategy makes more sense. The important thing is being able to defend the decision with data. In This Episode, You'll Learn When vehicle reassignment can improve fleet utilization How utilization affects replacement timing and total cost of ownership Why high-mileage assets can negatively affect residual value How to identify and manage high- and low-utilization outliers When identical vehicles may require different lifecycle strategies Why organizational culture affects asset reassignment How “switching friction” should factor into utilization decisions When specialized vehicles should—or shouldn't—be repurposed How warranty periods can influence utilization strategy Why replacement scoring can help prioritize assets within the same class How better utilization data helps fleet leaders make defensible capital decisions Speaker Bios Marc Canton — VP of Fleet Strategy, RTA Marc Canton serves as VP of Fleet Strategy at RTA and hosts this episode of The Fleet Success Show . He works with RTA's fleet professionals to help fleet leaders examine the operational and financial decisions that affect fleet performance. In this discussion, Marc challenges the panel to move beyond “it depends” and address the economics of utilization, replacement timing, residual value, and total cost of ownership. Sara Burnam — Fleet Success Manager, RTA Sara is a Fleet Success Manager at RTA with approximately 27 years of fleet industry experience. Her perspective on utilization management is informed by firsthand experience identifying underutilized vehicles, repurposing assets, and avoiding unnecessary replacements. In this episode, she also explores the unique challenges associated with reassigning specialized vehicles such as marked police units. Scott Conlon — Fleet Consultant, RTA Scott Conlon works on RTA's fleet consulting team and brings approximately 25 years of fleet industry experience to the discussion. He challenges fleets to consider not only the economics of vehicle utilization but also lifecycle classifications, replacement scoring, organizational culture, and the time and effort required to move assets between users. Drew Morrow — Fleet Success Manager, RTA Drew Morrow is a Fleet Success Manager at RTA with 15 years of experience leading fleets. Drawing on his background in fleet operations and emergency management, Drew examines vehicle reassignment through the lenses of asset use case, operational requirements, remarketing, and the data fleet leaders need to justify utilization decisions. Jake Johnson — Fleet Success Manager, RTA Jake Johnson is a Fleet Success Manager at RTA with more than 20 years of experience on the heavy-duty commercial side of the fleet industry. His perspective highlights how utilization strategies can differ dramatically by asset type, including situations where heavy-duty vehicles move from high-mileage applications to lower-mileage duty cycles later in their lives. CTA Fleet leaders shouldn't have to make lifecycle and utilization decisions in the dark. RTA Fleet360 helps public fleet leaders bring asset, maintenance, utilization, lifecycle, and cost information together so they can identify fleet blind spots, make better decisions, and confidently stand behind those decisions. Build the fleet you're proud to lead. Learn more about RTA Fleet360 at rtafleet.com or explore RTA Fleet Consulting at fleetconsulting.com. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

September 10, 202632 min

Episode 245: Your Fleet Is Losing Money Without a Chargeback System

In this episode of The Fleet Success Show , RTA Fleet’s Marc Canton and Marc Knight break down fleet cost allocation, chargebacks, and billing, and explain why these financial practices are about much more than moving money between accounts. A properly structured fleet chargeback system helps recover the full cost of operating the fleet, including costs that are easy to overlook. Fuel, for example, costs more than the price paid at the pump. Managing fuel sites, ordering fuel, maintaining infrastructure, and administering the program all contribute to its true cost. The same principle applies to parts, labor, administration, vehicle replacement, and other fleet services. But cost recovery is only part of the equation. Marc and Marc explain how chargebacks can create greater cost visibility, transparency, and accountability across an organization. When departments can see the financial impact of underutilized vehicles, preventable accidents, missed maintenance, and other operating decisions, fleet costs become a tool for changing behavior, not simply an accounting exercise. The conversation also explores the critical difference between cost allocation, chargebacks, and billing . You'll hear why traditional monthly reports can create financial blind spots, how a structured billing workflow creates a more traceable process, and why fleet and finance teams need to agree on customers, account structures, rates, transaction rules, and cost-recovery methodology. In this episode, you'll learn: What fleet cost allocation is and how it supports chargeback rate development Why fleets need to understand both direct and indirect operating costs How a chargeback system helps fleets recover the true cost of services Why chargebacks can improve vehicle utilization and influence stakeholder behavior How to determine which costs should be fixed versus directly charged Why fleet billing requires more than running a month-end report How billing workflows can improve financial visibility and transaction traceability Why fleet and finance teams should work together when designing a chargeback program What to consider when determining customers, account structures, rates, and billing frequency How stronger fleet financial data can help leaders make better decisions and confidently explain their operation Whether you're operating an internal service fund, enterprise fund, public-sector fleet, or another organization that needs to accurately recover fleet costs, this episode provides a practical framework for building a more transparent and defensible approach to fleet finance. About the Speakers 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 helps fleet professionals apply proven fleet-management principles to improve operations, make better decisions, and build safe, reliable, and accountable fleets. Marc Knight — RTA Fleet Marc Knight brings extensive experience in fleet cost allocation, chargeback methodology, billing, and fleet financial management. His work includes helping organizations translate fleet operating costs into practical rates and billing processes that support cost recovery, accountability, and better financial visibility. Build a Fleet You’re Proud to Lead Fleet leaders shouldn't have to operate with financial blind spots. Clear, defensible fleet data makes it easier to understand where money is going, explain costs to stakeholders, make better budgeting decisions, and confidently stand behind your operation. RTA Fleet360 brings fleet operations, maintenance, budgeting, lifecycle planning, reporting, and accountability into a purpose-built fleet management system designed for public-sector and in-house fleets. Learn more about RTA Fleet360 at rtafleet.com. Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

September 3, 202647 min

Episode 244: From Commodore 64 to Ask Ron360: Marc Knight on 35 Years of Building Fleet Software

What happens when a guy who wanted to be a city planner ends up running a food distributor's delivery trucks, gets mentored by two of the most influential minds in fleet consulting, and spends the next three decades building the software that public fleets run on? You get this episode. Marc Canton sits down with Marc Knight, who works on RTA's product, roadmap, and enterprise team, for a career-spanning conversation that covers how AI is closing the fleet analyst gap, why dashboards only tell you what already happened, what managed competition actually means for public fleets, and how RTA's new billing module is taking manual ERP reconciliation off fleet managers' plates. In this episode: How Marc Knight backed into fleet through a food distributor's delivery routing problem Getting mentored by fleet legends Paul Lauria and Chip Taggart at the start of managed competition consulting What "managed competition" means and why public fleets still use it today Why AI may finally solve the industry's toughest staffing gap: skilled fleet analysts Why dashboards are a rearview mirror and what a forward-looking alternative looks like The parallels between building RTA Fleet360 today and building the first web-based fleet system 20 years ago Why AI should be a tool that helps you decide, not the thing that decides for you A first look at how RTA's new billing module automates ERP chargebacks with an AI-supported rules engine Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

August 27, 202632 min

Episode 243: Every Work Order Should End With an Inspection

Should every fleet maintenance work order end with an inspection? Yes—but that doesn’t mean every vehicle needs a full preventive maintenance inspection every time it enters the shop. In Episode 243 of The Fleet Success Show , host Marc Canton talks with Drew Morrow, Fleet Success Manager at RTA Fleet , about why an appropriate inspection should be part of every fleet work order—and how documented inspection standards can help fleets catch problems earlier, improve quality control, mitigate risk, and return safer, more reliable assets to service. The principle is simple: If a vehicle is already in your shop, take the opportunity to look at it. In This Episode, You’ll Learn Why every fleet work order should include an appropriate inspection How to determine the right inspection scope based on the asset and repair Why technicians shouldn't develop “blinders” around the original work order complaint How inspection checklists create consistent expectations for technicians Why QA/QC matters when vehicles return from outside maintenance vendors How documented inspections and maintenance records support risk mitigation Why PM compliance and asset history should influence inspection decisions How inspections can improve fleet availability and stakeholder confidence Why fleet leaders should view inspections as part of their responsibility for vehicle safety and stewardship Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast

August 20, 202638 min

Episode 242: Rethinking the Modern Motor Pool

Every motor pool eventually hits the same wall: you either buy enough vehicles to cover your busiest day, or you accept that some days you'll come up short. On this episode of The Fleet Success Show, host Marc Canton (VP of Product and Consulting at RTA Fleet) sits down with Sebastian Reszka, who leads public sector sales at Uber, to talk about a third option: using Uber for Business as a flex layer on top of your existing motor pool. Sebastian explains what Uber for Business actually offers government and education fleets, how billing, vehicle-class restrictions, time windows, and destination controls work, and why Uber aims to roll a new program out in under a week. Marc and Sebastian also get into RTA's 80/20 rule of thumb for motor pool sizing, real public-sector rollouts (GSA, Long Beach, Portland), and whether micro-mobility (yes, scooters) is coming to fleet programs next. Timestamps 00:00 Cold open 00:17 Welcome and introductions 01:27 Sebastian's path to Uber's public sector team 04:27 What Uber for Business actually offers fleets 05:43 What is a "motor pool," for anyone new to the term 07:45 The "virtual fleet" concept: augmenting, not replacing 09:02 RTA's 80/20 rule of thumb for motor pool sizing 10:26 How a rollout actually works 12:22 Is the driver included? Clearing up a common assumption 14:54 The managed vs. unmanaged travel program analogy 16:05 Program controls: billing, vehicle class, time, destination 17:15 The data advantage over expense reimbursement 20:24 The "second most common expense line item" joke 21:25 Monthly invoicing and tax exemption for public agencies 22:16 Where Uber for Business is available (70+ countries) 24:11 Why public-sector interest is accelerating 25:05 Real rollouts: GSA, Long Beach, and Portland 26:29 Why universities are one of the fastest-growing segments 27:47 Could scooters and micro-mobility be next? 30:12 Marc's advice: pilot it, don't dictate it 32:07 "Be the service provider, not the fleet czar" 33:42 Why Uber wants to meet fleet software where it already lives 35:22 How fast a program can actually launch 35:48 How to get in touch with Sebastian's team Got a question for Marc or Sebastian, or an idea for a future episode? Email podcast@rtafleet.com. RTA Fleet360 helps public fleet leaders eliminate fleet blind spots with software built specifically for how public fleets operate. Learn more at rtafleet.com. #FleetManagement #PublicFleet #MotorPool #UberForBusiness #GovernmentFleet #FleetSuccessShow Looking to take the next step to fleet success? 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: https://rtafleet.com/resources/fleet-success-playbook?utm_source=simplecast&utm_medium=footer_notes&utm_campaign=podcast