Webfleet Survey: Fleet Management on the Verge of AI Boom

These are some of the findings of a new global study on the occasion of Webfleet's 25th anniversary, one of the leading providers of fleet management solutions and part of Bridgestone. 1,800 fleet managers in 15 countries were surveyed to shed light on the environment of fleet digitization, with fleet decision-makers defined as fleet managers or business owners with at least seven vehicles. The results show that fleets plan to increase their investments in digital fleet solutions in the future and point to a significant planned adoption of AI and EV technologies.

“The global trend toward digital solutions, including AI, shows where the future of fleet management is headed,” said Jan-Maarten de Vries, President of Fleet Management Solutions at Bridgestone Mobility Solutions. “Our study confirms that digital fleet solutions play a critical role in enhancing fleet efficiency, cost control, and improving driver and vehicle safety. Investments in these technologies certainly pay off and will continue to rise.”

Large majority of fleet managers want to invest more in digitization

• 91% of fleet managers plan to increase their investments in digital fleet solutions over the next five years. 
• More than half of fleet managers (52%) cited efficiency gains and lower operating costs as compelling reasons for investing in digital solutions.
• 49% of fleet managers cited improved driver and vehicle safety as one of the reasons for investing in fleet management technologies.

Greatest Influence on Fleet Management by AI and Electric Vehicles

AI, machine learning, and electric vehicles are cited as the most important factors for the future of fleet management.

• 32% of surveyed fleet managers stated that AI and machine learning will have the greatest influence on fleet management in the coming years, while 30% mentioned electric vehicles in that context.
• 23% of fleet managers are already using AI today, and 35% plan to do so within the next five years. Almost all respondents confirm that AI will have a significant impact on fleet management in the future. 62% of respondents expect AI to optimize route planning and logistics, 56% believe it will improve driver safety, and 55% think it will enhance predictive maintenance and asset management.
• Only 21% of fleet managers expressed concerns about how AI will change their daily work, with the greatest concerns being about process integration (53%) and data protection and security (49%).

Fleet managers confirm that electric vehicles are the future for commercial fleets and that the use of electric vehicles will increase in the coming years:

• 85% of fleet managers expect the number of electric and hybrid vehicles in their fleet to change in the next five years.
• Among those who say their vehicle mix will change, it is expected that the proportion of electric and hybrid vehicles will nearly double – from the current 37% to 63% of the fleet by 2029.

Opinion of Fleet Managers in Germany

As part of the global Webfleet study, a total of 150 fleet managers in Germany were surveyed.

• 91% of the surveyed German fleet managers plan to increase their investments in digital fleet solutions in the next five years.
• Almost half of the respondents (49%) stated that efficiency gains and lower operating costs are reasons for investing in digital solutions. 45% of fleet managers also mentioned improving driver and vehicle safety as a reason for investing in fleet management technologies.
• Real-time position tracking is the most frequently used technology by the German respondents to manage their fleet (64%), with 61% using vehicle diagnostics and predictive maintenance.
• 27% of fleet managers say that AI and machine learning will have the greatest impact on fleet management in the coming years, closely followed by electric vehicles (23%).
• 20% of the surveyed German fleet managers currently use AI in their fleet management, with 35% planning to do so in the next 5 years. Almost all respondents confirm that AI will have a significant impact on fleet management in the future.
• The key technologies that German fleet managers want to invest in include driving behavior analysis (31%), fully automated reporting (30%), and compliance management (29%).
• The concept and potential of autonomous driving and driverless mobility offer exciting prospects for fleet managers. In general, optimism about the timing of using at least one autonomous vehicle in the fleet is relatively high: 24% of German fleet managers believe this will happen in the next five years.
• 18% of the surveyed fleet managers in Germany said they are concerned about how AI will change their daily work, with the largest concern by far being data protection and data security (71%).
• In Germany, only 38% of fleet managers have experienced resistance from drivers when introducing digital solutions, which they try to overcome through comprehensive training and support.
• German fleet managers also expect the use of electric vehicles to increase in the coming years: currently, German fleets consist of 58% combustion vehicles and 35% purely electric or hybrid vehicles. 83% expect this ratio in the vehicle mix to reverse in the next 5 years, with the share of electric and hybrid vehicles in the fleet rising from the current 35% to 57% by 2029.