By Tod Trousdell, Fleet Marketing Consultant and Partner, RobertsTrousdell Marketing and Communications
May 15, 2024
At Fleet Management Weekly, we’re huge fans of the professional fleet managers who are the core of our industry! Especially top fleet leaders like David Hayward of ABM. A popular and well-known fleet manager, David drops in to tell us his thoughts on today’s fleet space and a little bit more about what makes him tick, his family, and even what he considers the perfect meal!
-What do you see as the biggest challenges facing fleet in 2024?
Electrification and compliance with state regulations is a challenge. As we approach the various deadlines, which seem to frequently shift, the pressure mounts. I am happy to say supply chain issues, while very much still present, have become more manageable in part because folks have become more aware and accepting of the lead times.
-What are the biggest challenges facing your fleet at ABM?
Data! With over 6,000 vehicles and 8,000 drivers we have our work cut out to ensure our fleet data remains current. It is a challenge to manage multiple suppliers, technologies, assets, and people! But therein lies some of the most rewarding aspects of the job. I am lucky to have a stellar IT team at ABM – especially the ServiceNow team – to help us tackle this challenge.
-Looking at the industry today, what excites you most about fleet?
The incredible safety technology that is helping to bring our friends and family home safely each day. It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of fleet efficiencies and cost management (and of course they are important) but to know that part of what you do has a positive impact on the lives of your colleagues really lights my fire.
-What about the fleet industry keeps you up at night?
CARB! I know many of my peers are chuckling as they read this. But never has an acronym garnered such reactions within fleet. There are many of us in the fleet industry who are informally networking ideas and sharing knowledge as the nuances of complying with CARB are uncovered. It is getting to the point where other state requirements will come into play and compliance with CARB and their equivalents will be a full-time job for some fleets.
-How would you compare the industry before Covid vs. today?
I’ll flip this one and say that my relationships with friends in the fleet industry has been the one constant pre- and post-pandemic. They were a source of strength and inspiration as we all tackled the challenges together. Peer groups met regularly to check in on one another, help each other find new opportunities in fleet, and problem solve the issues of the day. I am very grateful to organizations like NAFA and AFLA for facilitating virtual meetings and encouraging us to stay connected to one another.
And now, David Hayward answers our Lightning Round questions…
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland.
Family: Christine, Thomas (15), Charlotte (12) and George (10).
Years in fleet: 19.
Favorite food: A good old-fashioned Sunday Roast dinner. Must include Yorkshire Pudding!
Favorite musician and why: Eric Clapton. I started playing guitar around the time of his ‘Unplugged’ album and was inspired.
Favorite color: Green (I am Irish).
Favorite pastime: Music – listening, playing, singing… can’t get enough.
Favorite movie: The Commitments (Irish movie – the soundtrack is brilliant).
Passion: Relationships. I am definitely one of those people who is charged up by being social – that made the pandemic all the more difficult and why I was so thrilled to keep connections alive through FaceTime and Zoom meetings.
Superpower: Making people laugh – I am by no means a comedian, but I love to see folks happy and smiling.
Dog or cat: Dogs plural. Obi and Chip!
Fleet Pro Focus is a new bi-weekly series compiled by Marketing Consultant Tod Trousdell of RobertsTrousdell Communications who along with his partner Kathi Roberts has been helping customers in the fleet, hospitality, sports, and technology sectors for more than 23 years. He can be reached at [email protected].
