Sentiment Index
News + Insights
Quarterly Fleet Insights · Q3 2026
Fleet Manager Sentiment Index
How concerned are today’s fleet leaders? Every quarter, FLD’s panel of top fleet managers rates 7 topics from 1 (least concerned) to 5 (most concerned).
Topic by topic
Q3 2026 scores and the change from Q2 2026. Every chart uses the same 1–5 scale, with a line at the midpoint.
Fuel Cost
Fuel CostHow concerned are you about fuel costs for your fleet over the coming months?3.90 / 5
up 0.20 from Q2 2026
Vehicle Availability
Vehicle AvailabilityHow concerned are you about getting the new and replacement vehicles you need, when you need them?1.90 / 5
down 1.10 from Q2 2026
Supply Chain
Supply ChainHow concerned are you about the supply of parts, upfits and equipment needed to keep your vehicles on the road?2.70 / 5
up 0.70 from Q2 2026
US Economy
US EconomyHow concerned are you about the direction of the US economy and its effect on your fleet budget?2.90 / 5
down 0.70 from Q2 2026
Maintenance
MaintenanceHow concerned are you about keeping maintenance and repair costs and turnaround times under control?4.00 / 5
up 0.10 from Q2 2026
Safety
SafetyHow concerned are you about your fleet’s driver safety and accident prevention?2.20 / 5
no change from Q2 2026
Talent
TalentHow concerned are you about hiring and keeping the drivers, technicians and fleet staff you need?3.30 / 5
down 0.10 from Q2 2026
All scores
| Topic | Q2 2025 | Q3 2025 | Q4 2025 | Q1 2026 | Q2 2026 | Q3 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | 2.50 | 3.00 | 2.20 | 2.30 | 3.70 | 3.90 |
| Vehicle Availability | 1.75 | 2.90 | 3.10 | 3.60 | 3.00 | 1.90 |
| Supply Chain | 1.90 | 1.70 | 1.75 | 1.90 | 2.00 | 2.70 |
| US Economy | 3.25 | 2.90 | 3.50 | 3.00 | 3.60 | 2.90 |
| Maintenance | 3.00 | 2.70 | 3.40 | 3.10 | 3.90 | 4.00 |
| Safety | 3.00 | 2.70 | 2.75 | 2.70 | 2.20 | 2.20 |
| Talent | 3.50 | 3.10 | 3.40 | 3.50 | 3.40 | 3.30 |
| Overall average | 2.70 | 2.71 | 2.87 | 2.87 | 3.11 | 2.99 |
What fleet managers are telling us
Fleet managers push on in world of unknowns. Our Q3 Fleet Manager Sentiment Index is in and it appears top fleet managers have become adept at living in a world of unknowns. Whether it’s uncertainty from world affairs, back and forth fuel prices or an economy that’s anyone’s guess, it seems fleet managers just keep chugging along. Evidence by the fact their feelings on our basket of 7 key topics remains unwavering and little changed throughout 2026. As it stands, the fleet managers we poll quarterly continue to show little concern when it comes to acquiring vehicles (1.9 out of 5) and operating safely (2.2), but are increasingly concerned about their ability to maintain vehicles (4.0 out of 5) and find and retain talent (3.3). Of course, with Middle East tensions continuing to run hot, fuel prices remain a top concern (3.9). See the full results – and compare them to previous quarters – below.