For many years, the relationship between fleets and truck manufacturers was relatively clear-cut: specify the vehicle, negotiate the deal, deliver the trucks.
That model is changing — and quickly.
According to Michael Bridge, Director – National Fleet at Volvo Group Australia, fleet customers are now drawing OEMs much further into strategic conversations that go well beyond vehicle supply.
“They’re reaching out to us and asking, ‘What else should our business be doing?’” Bridge said. “How can we partner together to trial new things, different engines, different ratios, or mix the fleet up in different areas?”
From supplier to strategic partner
Bridge says the shift reflects a broader change in how fleets are being managed — and how they’re being scrutinised.
“There used to be more focus on just selling metal and volume,” he said. “Now there’s a lot more around total cost of ownership, safety implications, remarketing and connectivity.”
As a result, fleets are no longer just asking OEMs to deliver trucks; they’re asking them to help evaluate options, assess risk and provide insight into what’s coming next.
“We’re being asked to evaluate in ways that we haven’t been asked to before,” Bridge said. “That’s why we need the right resources internally to support those conversations.”
Customers’ customers are driving the change
One of the strongest themes to emerge from Bridge’s experience is that the pressure isn’t always coming from inside fleet organisations — it’s coming from their customers.
“Our customers’ customers are asking the questions,” he said. “That’s pushing fleets to learn more, and it’s pushing us to be proactive so we can help our customers stay ahead.”
This external pressure is reshaping fleet priorities, particularly around safety, emissions, reporting and transparency. OEMs, with access to global data, engineering expertise and technology roadmaps, are increasingly seen as part of the solution.
“How can we change that conversation to be proactive?” Bridge said. “So our customers can then take that information and pass it on to their customers.”
One relationship, multiple outcomes
As fleet strategies become more complex, simplicity is becoming more valuable. Bridge says this is one reason Volvo Group Australia has moved to a multi-brand national fleet model covering Volvo, Mack and UD.
“Our key account managers are multi-branded,” he said. “Customers don’t want to deal with three different people. They want one point of contact.”
That single relationship allows deeper engagement across specification, lifecycle planning and future-proofing, rather than treating each purchase as a standalone transaction.
“It might be a Volvo in one application, a Mack in another and a UD somewhere else,” Bridge said. “The customer wants help making those decisions in a joined-up way.”
Strategy now includes decarbonisation pathways
Electrification and alternative fuels are another area where fleets are looking to OEMs for guidance rather than answers.
“It’s not always just electric that’s going to have sustainability benefits,” Bridge said. “It might be HVO or a different fuel source.”
Rather than chasing a single solution, fleets are increasingly asking OEMs to help them understand which pathway fits which part of their operation — and how those choices affect cost, infrastructure and long-term planning.
“That’s part of being proactive,” Bridge said. “Helping customers see what options make sense for their business, not just what’s new.”
A deeper role, by necessity
For Bridge, the creation of the Director – National Fleet role is a direct response to this shift in expectations.
“Our business is getting bigger. The customers are wanting more from us, and we’re wanting to give them more,” he said. “This role is about supporting our key account managers and making sure we’re pulling the right levers across the business for our customers.”
For fleet buyers, Fleet Managers and Procurement teams, the message is clear: OEMs are no longer just vendors. They are becoming part of the strategic framework that shapes how fleets operate, report and evolve.
And for OEMs, the challenge is keeping pace with fleets that are no longer just buying trucks — they’re building strategies.
