3 challenges that fleet managers face daily

From managing costs to maintaining vehicles, tracking drivers to planning efficient routes, fleet managers arrive at work each day with a long list of responsibilities to manage in dynamic operational environments.

Recently, a group of 543 fleet professionals participated in the 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report to share their challenges and successes in fleet management. Based on their answers, we gained valuable insights into the difference a business makes when implementing fleet management solutions.

Through the results, clear patterns emerged identifying three major challenges fleet managers face in reducing costs, remaining compliant and managing worker safety.

Challenge #1: Reducing ever-increasing costs

Increasing costs have been a persistent challenge for fleets. This year, 77% of respondents named increasing costs as their top challenge—marking the fifth consecutive year that costs ranked at the top of the list. 

According to respondents, the highest-impact costs fleet managers are concerned about include:

• Fuel: Although the Energy Information Administration found the actual cost of fuel has remained relatively steady over the past three years, dips and spikes of 10 or 20 cents carry wide impacts when spread over many vehicles driving many miles. Inefficient vehicle use can also increase fuel spend.
• Accidents: With the cost of everything, including medical bills, vehicle parts and labor for repairs, rising alongside inflation, accidents are quickly becoming more expensive. 
• Labor: Ineffective use of employees’ time leads to low productivity, further inflating labor costs.
• Maintenance: It’s not just the cost of maintaining vehicles, but the cost of not maintaining vehicles that adds up for fleets.
• Insurance: Premiums not only become more expensive each year, but they are rising even more rapidly than other costs, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

While cost challenges are constant, survey results show GPS fleet tracking technology is helping reduce costs in these areas.

In fact, fleets using this technology are saving even more compared to last year. Savings on labor increased from 9% to 16% this year, while accident cost savings increased from 7% to 22% and fuel savings nearly doubled from 9% to 16% this year. Maintenance and insurance premium savings are new to the 2025 report, but both marked similar savings at 16% and 13%, respectively.

And it’s not just GPS technology that helps fleet managers manage costs. Other beneficial technologies include:

• Field service management: 56% saw an improvement in operational efficiency and 24% could schedule more jobs per tech/driver.
• Dashcams: 34% of respondents saw a decrease in insurance premiums, and 42% said it helped them reduce accident costs.
• Asset tracking: 64% saw improved asset/equipment/trailer utilization, a 6% year-over-year increase.

While all these technologies carry expenses, a growing number of survey respondents—33% in 2025, up 6% year-over-year—see a return on investment on fleet management technology in just one year.

Calculate your fleet ROI here

Challenge #2: Meeting regulatory requirements and creating a greener fleet

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles essentially push for more of a company’s heavy-duty fleet to produce zero emissions. The new rules put pressure on fleet managers to focus on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions for their fleets, primarily through the electrification of vehicles.

For fleets looking to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), fleet technology can help them identify vehicle candidates for replacement, create a charging plan, track and compare total cost of ownership and determine true EV range. 

28% of U.S. respondents said GPS fleet tracking helps them identify applications and routes for potential EV utilization. For those already operating EVs, respondents say fleet technology helps achieve EV-related goals, including:

• Improved visibility of EV vehicles (35%)
• Improved efficiency/management of daily operations (35%)
• Improved maintenance costs (30%)
• Identification of applications and routes for potential EV utilization (28%)
• Improved sustainability (28%)
• Improved battery status visibility (19%)

Finally, fleet management software can help with other regulatory hurdles, like managing compliance with safety regulations such as hours-of-service requirements, electronic logging device rules and daily vehicle inspection reports.

See how to meet Department of Transportation regulations with compliance management solutions.

Challenge #3: Supporting safety on the road

Keeping your team safe is a top priority for any fleet manager or business owner. Transportation incidents are the leading cause of death and injury among workers in the U.S.—and have been for years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Promoting safe driving behavior is paramount because bad driving behaviors increase the risk of crashes. Unsafe behaviors can also lead to higher fuel consumption, larger insurance premiums and increased vehicle wear and tear, shortening the lifespan of vehicles and leading to higher repair costs and downtime expenses.

But fleet management software is making a difference in safety programs. The report found that reduced accident and insurance costs demonstrate fleets are making progress on their safety goals and helping employees return home safely each day. It also found that respondents:

• Said GPS is extremely or very beneficial for an improved focus on driver safety (57%)
• Used video to achieve their goal to improve driver safety (75%)
• Report video is extremely or very beneficial for reducing the number of accidents (47%)

In-cab video and dashcams have been particularly helpful in tracking driver behavior, creating awareness of risky behavior and fostering more impactful coaching. Intelligent AI dash cams detect road hazards, send alerts to drivers who exhibit behaviors like speeding, distracted driving, tailgating or drowsiness and remind them to wear seatbelts.

Outcomes fleet managers have already achieved with in-cab video solutions include:

• Increasing awareness of distracted driving incidents (61%)
• Improving driver coaching sessions (60%)
• Increasing driver seatbelt usage (50%)
• Reducing the number of vehicle accidents (47%)
• Reducing speeding events (47%)
• Reducing tailgating events (38%)

Even better: Video telematics can help protect companies and their drivers from false claims, which is also attractive to insurance carriers, as avoiding litigation significantly reduces their costs.

Integrated video in action

When B.A.M. Trucking onboarded integrated video and GPS fleet tracking, their insurance carrier reduced their premiums by $200,000. But the savings didn’t stop there. After a motorist contacted the company saying that one of their drivers hit her, their dashcam footage found that she purposely stopped in front of the truck. When they sent her the video, she dropped the suit. 

“She tried to sue us three different times, but with the video from Verizon Connect that we sent her, they dropped it each time,” the company owner said.

While fleets are seeing a reduction in dangerous driving behaviors and insurance and accident costs, until fleets achieve zero crashes, there is always room for improvement—and fleet management software is there to support it. 

Discover more fleet management technology trends to advance your fleet

The 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report provides insights from fleet managers and mobility experts that can impact fleet operation efficiency, decrease fleet costs, and contribute to a healthy bottom line. Download the new 2025 Fleet Technology Trends Report here. 

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