By Tod Trousdell, Fleet Marketing Consultant and Partner, RobertsTrousdell Marketing and Communications
May 1, 2024
At Fleet Management Weekly, we’re huge fans of the professional fleet managers who are the core of our industry, like Joe Lukacs, Global Director of Fleet Operations for the Sherwin-Williams Company. One of the most outspoken and talented fleet managers in the business, Joe is known for speaking his mind on key issues facing fleet.
-What do you see as the biggest challenges facing fleet in 2024?
Right now, the biggest challenges I see facing fleet are the challenges of meeting regulations for carbon emissions standards, specifically for CARB. Especially when it appears OEMs have re-examined their commitment to a pure EV solution and are shifting focus more towards Hybrid technology instead of ZEVs.
-What are the biggest challenges facing your fleet at Sherwin-Williams?
Lead time is still a challenge, specifically when it comes to getting new vehicles, especially with allocations still driving the order process. As it stands, we’re just not sure – and I imagine most fleets are in the same boat – how many vehicles we’re going to get from the OEM’s and when, which we don’t really know until the last second. It’s a far cry from the way things were from before the pandemic and can make planning difficult.
-Looking at the industry today, what excites you most about fleet?
The rapid technology advancement in vehicles such as self-driving technology and AI excite me the most. As someone who’s always been a vehicle enthusiast it’s definitely where the industry is at today and headed more so every day. That said, it also causes concern when I think about their use cases going forward. It’s certainly a different world than when I got started and I’m anxious to see where things are headed in the coming years and decades.
-What about the fleet industry keeps you up at night?
As technology becomes more engrained in vehicles, there is a direct correlation to the gross increase in maintenance and accident costs. That’s unnerving, especially when it’s really hard to predict the impact (but I think it could be significant).
-How would you compare the industry before Covid vs today
The industry as a whole feels like it’s becoming less relationship-centric and more driven by the bottom line, especially given the pain points around lead times, supply chain issues and rising costs passed on to the corporation. I suppose the move to a procurement-based model for some fleets has something to do with it, and definitely FMC consolidation, which has really changed a lot of the players. it just seems like people are more focused on business than they are on other people, and that’s not necessarily a good thing.
And now, Joe Lukacs answer our Lightning Round questions…
Birthplace? Euclid, Ohio.
Family? Wife Sara, son (14), daughter (12).
Years in fleet/years at Sherwin-Williams? 9/27.
Favorite food? Pizza.
Favorite athlete and why? Mark Price – was an underdog and undersized Point Guard but an effective leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Favorite color? Red.
Favorite pastime? Wrenching on Muscle Cars and Car Shows with my son.
Favorite movie and actor? Planes, Trains and Automobiles/Tom Hanks.
Favorite sport? Basketball.
Passion? Coaching my son’s youth basketball team (I can be intense!).
Secret desire? I always wanted to become a comedian but lost interest after my first poor showing on stage.
Superpower? Being able to read people and situations very quickly.
Dog or cat? Dog – Molly, labradoodle.
Fleet Manager Spotlight is a new series in Fleet Management Weekly. Compiled by Marketing Consultant Tod Trousdell of RobertsTrousdell Communications, the series features insights from top fleet leaders on some of the industry’s most important topics.
