Behind every successful team is a strong leader making dozens of critical decisions each day. And, 48% of survey respondent ranked dispatchers as the Fleet MVPs, according to a Linxup study. This is followed by fleet managers (25%), drivers and technicians (16%) and safety managers (11%).
“Linxup surveyed 225 customers in January to see how real fleets prepare, adjust, and coach throughout their own peak seasons. What we found connects directly to a bigger picture we've been watching unfold,” according to Linxup’s blog. “Last year, Linxup surveyed 251 fleet managers about the state of fleet safety. The findings were surprising: 90% said workplace safety was extremely important, yet one-third still didn't have a formal safety program in place. Meanwhile, 51% admitted their business couldn't financially survive a serious driver-related lawsuit.”
“That gap between intention and action costs businesses. The top risks those fleet managers identified (vehicle maintenance, driver behavior, accidents, insurance costs, and lawsuits) are precisely the areas that proactive safety programs address. So why the disconnect?” the blog continues.
Key takeaways:
· While only 11% of respondents identified safety managers as MVPs, that likely means safety managers either aren't in place at many small to medium-sized fleets, or they're not getting the recognition they deserve.
· Yet, when asked to choose the metric that matters most to their business, safety ranked as No. 1 most important (at 44%), followed by efficiency (29%), speed (22%) and job completion rate (5%).
· Even with 44% ranking safety as the top metric, 2025 research from Linxup found that one-third of fleets still lack a formal safety program. And 73% of fleet managers said their drivers overestimate how safely they're actually driving compared to what telematics data shows
· 51% of fleet managers said their business couldn't financially survive a serious driver-related lawsuit.
· When a driver makes a mistake, do fleet managers prefer addressing it in the moment or waiting for a review later? According to the survey, 62% of fleet managers want real-time alerts while 38% want to review later.
· Coaching looks different depending on the industry. HVAC and plumbing fleets were most likely to prefer real-time alerts (78%), while construction fleets leaned toward post-game coaching (56%).
