THE future of fleet managers lies in the boardroom, not in the transport depot, as companies adapt to major cultural changes. With the cost of operating company cars second only to wages, high-powered executives are required to oversee fleets, and companies' survival could even depend on making the right fleet decisions.

Roy Grute, managing director of Autolink, a fleet management consultancy, said: 'Companies can have so much information at their fingertips about their fleet, but they need a person to bring it under control. Some companies have huge amounts of data from fuel cards, but don't know how to use it. 'The role of the fleet manager really should be elevated to boardroom level, because in some cases, unless you have someone whose sole job it is to look after the fleet, you can lose large amounts of money.'

Speaking at The Future of the Company Car briefing organised by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Grute said fleet managers had to take a long hard look at the future of their fleets. Firms must ask whether providing cars for staff is the right solution to their transport needs, balancing demand for perk cars as part of benefit packages with the need for essential car users to be provided with transport.