4 people. 18,000 vehicles. No blown engines. How does that work?
Charles Schott is Fleet Director at Rollins, one of the largest service fleets in North America - 20 pest control brands, 4,000 vehicles refreshed every year, 90% service compliance. He's built fleet operations at global scale before: 30,000+ vehicles across 70 countries at Pfizer, armored fleet at Brinks, now Rollins.
In this episode, Chris Brandt and Charles break down what makes it all work: FLOW as the operating principle, A3 problem-solving as the discipline, acquisition integration as the stress test, and the fleet management partnership as the force multiplier.
What you'll take away:
• Why fleet leaders are asset managers first — and how that reframing changes every decision
• The 'truck rodeo' standardization play that got 20 brands aligned without a mandate
• How Rollins' 4-person team pulled off 31 secretly-staged trucks for an acquisition
• The one vehicle metric (over-temp) that nearly eliminated blown engines across 18,000 units
• The three things Charles looks for in a fleet management partner
Connect with Charles: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-schott/
The Fleet podcast: https://mission.org/the-fleet
This episode is sponsored by Element Fleet Management.
If your organization depends on a fleet of vehicles, it's time to think about your fleet as a strategic asset.
Chapters
0:00 18,000 Vehicles. 4 People. Nothing Can Sit
1:40 Charles Schott runs fleets from Pfizer to Brink
6:46 18,000 vehicles, 4 people, and the big F word: FLOW
9:04 Fleet management is air traffic control
12:30 Acquisitions: the seat at the table
14:20 31 trucks staged in secret - how Rollins pulled it off
19:52 How fleet leaders earn credibility (crumb-to-loaf rule)
25:13 A3 problem-solving across the supply chain
32:35 The truck rodeo: standardizing 20 brands without a mandate
35:26 Telematics, over-temp, and eliminating blown engines
41:03 Supply chain constraints and keeping vehicles longer
50:13 What Charles looks for in a fleet management partner
55:59 Going global: build the foundation, not the roof
59:11 Close