ONE MORE, JUST LIKE BEFORE. Perhaps owing to the fact that many fleet managers report being in a "holding pattern" the past year, FLD's Q1 Fleet Manager Sentiment Index saw little change from what our collection of top fleet managers thought in our Q4 Index. With 4 of our 7 Q1 topics scoring less than 20% different from their Q4 tallies, it's safe to say that top fleet managers aren't sure what to think these days. And with the tariffs, out of control costs - and now a war in the Mideast - it's likely the only thing fleet pros know is that they don't know anything - something we are hearing often from our CAB and other top fleet managers. Of the three remaining categories that we follow, two showed a deviation of less than half a percent from Q4 2025 to Q1 2026, with only one topic - the US Economy - moving a full half a percent (up) due largely in part to a reduction in interest rates - and milder than expected inflation - towards the end of 2025.
*Chart is rated on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being most confident. Mouse over any topic to see its specific chart.*
Halfway through the year and our newest quarterly Fleet Manager Sentiment Index is showing that top fleet leaders are feeling no more confident about the state of the industry than they were at the beginning of the year. Taken in the waning days of Q2, our latest Index – as well as conversations with our Customer Advisory Board – has most fleet managers living in a perpetual state of uncertainty, with strained global affairs, rising costs and the pressure to do more with less consuming many. Hardly the kind of environment that instills confidence, but we’ve noticed an admirable resiliency that sees our customers thriving in the face of an industry that’s changing faster than at any time in its history. Safety remains a top concern, with fleets under pressure to do all they can to curb liability and risks. One change we note from last quarter is a drop in confidence driven by rising service and maintenance costs as well as an increase the time it takes to repair vehicles, downtime that is costing them money and straining their operation *Chart is rated on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being most confident. Mouse over any quarter to see its specific chart.
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