When you’re interviewing for a fleet manager position, you know immediately how well they understand the industry. It’s in the words they use. You hear it in the confidence they show when answering questions. You can see from their resume whether they’ve been in fleet management positions before.
But soft skills don’t often find their way onto a resume or into the interview room. These are those skills that are harder to define, like “being a problem solver”. These less technical skills determine a fleet manager’s long-term success.
Here are 5 skills you should always look for when hiring a fleet manager.
1. Growth Mindset
This soft skill involves being of the mindset that there’s always something new to learn, even when bad things happen. There’s always room for improvement. We can always do better.
In transportation, hiring a fleet manager with a growth mindset is the difference between keeping things status quo as the industry changes around your trucking company or adapting to change.
This kind of manager works with you to plan for future growth as a company. They’re always looking for ways to do things better and more efficiently.
2. Being a Team Player
No delivery is ever made because of the efforts of one person. The supply chain in fleet management involves many moving pieces. It includes suppliers, warehouse personnel, front desk, drivers and more.
Getting things from here to there depends on a fleet manager’s ability to not only work well with others. They need to recognize how each person contributes to the success of the fleet.
3. Accountability
It’s inevitable: sometimes things don’t go as planned. An accountable fleet manager takes responsibility for their part in any delays or mishaps.
They don’t throw the blame around or toss people under the bus. But they also expect those who report to them to show the same accountability.
An accountable manager gets to the bottom of what happened so everyone can do better going forward.
4. Interpersonal Skills
In trucking, there’s no room for miscommunication. Look for a fleet manager who understands how important communication is. They should demonstrate that they can clearly communicate in person, on the phone, and through modern technology.
Poor follow-up with clients leads to tense customer relationships that eventually go sour. A trucking manager with strong inter-personal skills responds quickly and keeps all parties informed. That leads to happier long-term clients.
A person with has interpersonal skills is less likely to jump to conclusions. They don’t let anger get the best of them. They tend not to exhibit other behaviors that can lead to serious mistakes.
5. Forward-Thinking
When you’re hiring a fleet manager you need to know they can see past the day-to-day operations. They need to manage now. But they also need to plan for what’s happening tomorrow, next week, or a year from now.
A forward-thinking fleet manager can use this soft skill to predict fleet needs based on upcoming initiatives and regulatory changes. They assess risk and plan for the unexpected. Because of this skill, they can act faster with risks or events may arise.
If you’re wondering how to assess risk and plan for your fleet, it’s time to explore truck insurance options. We can help. Our truck insurance agents can help you get great coverage at a great rate – we like to make insurance easy and help businesses save money on their truck insurance. All you have to do to get started with some quotes is fill out our online quote form or give us a call today.