Rental/Loaner Car Fleet Manager in EASTON, Maryland at PRESTON MANAGEMENT GROUP INC

Position Summary

The Rental Car Fleet Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation, profitability, utilization, maintenance, and overall management of Preston Automotive Group’s rental and service loaner vehicle fleet.

This position will manage the entire lifecycle of the fleet—from vehicle acquisition and onboarding through daily utilization, maintenance, damage management, customer rental/loaner processes, and ultimately vehicle disposition.

The Rental Car Fleet Manager will work closely with General Managers, Service Managers, Fixed Operations leadership, accounting, Black Frog Operations, and Executive Management to ensure Preston Automotive Group maintains the appropriate number and mix of vehicles while maximizing utilization and controlling expenses.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, operationally driven, customer-focused, financially disciplined, and comfortable managing a large fleet across multiple dealership locations.

Key Responsibilities

Fleet Management & Utilization

• Manage all rental and service loaner vehicles across Preston Automotive Group locations.

• Maintain an accurate master inventory of every vehicle in the fleet.

• Monitor fleet size, vehicle location, status, mileage, age, utilization, and availability.

• Establish appropriate fleet levels for each dealership based on actual customer demand.

• Maximize fleet utilization while minimizing unnecessary or idle vehicles.

• Identify underutilized vehicles and recommend transfers between locations when appropriate.

• Maintain the proper mix of cars, SUVs, trucks, and specialty vehicles based on dealership and customer needs.

• Conduct regular physical audits of fleet vehicles and reconcile results against fleet management systems.

• Establish controls to prevent vehicles from becoming lost, unaccounted for, or unnecessarily out of service.

Rental & Service Loaner Operations

• Oversee the complete rental and service loaner process.

• Ensure every vehicle leaving a dealership has the appropriate rental or loaner agreement.

• Establish and enforce consistent check-out and check-in procedures.

• Ensure customer driver's licenses, insurance information, signatures, fuel levels, mileage, and vehicle condition are properly documented.

• Ensure vehicles are returned, inspected, cleaned, fueled, and made available for the next customer as quickly as possible.

• Monitor overdue rentals and loaners and establish immediate follow-up procedures.

• Work with Service Managers and Service Advisors to prevent customers from unnecessarily remaining in loaner vehicles after their repairs have been completed.

• Ensure rental and loaner policies are consistently followed across every Preston Automotive Group location.

Financial Performance & Expense Control

• Develop and manage the annual rental/loaner fleet budget.

• Track monthly fleet operating expenses and identify opportunities for cost reduction.

• Monitor cost per vehicle and cost per rental/loaner day.

• Track rental revenue and reimbursement opportunities.

• Ensure OEM, warranty, recall, and manufacturer rental reimbursements are properly documented and collected.

• Identify missed rental revenue and reimbursement opportunities.

• Monitor depreciation, maintenance, insurance, fuel, tolls, damage, cleaning, registration, and other fleet-related expenses.

• Provide Executive Management with regular reporting on fleet profitability, utilization, and expenses.

• Develop recommendations for improving the overall financial performance of the fleet.

Vehicle Acquisition & Disposal

• Assist Executive Management in determining appropriate fleet acquisition levels.

• Coordinate the acquisition and onboarding of new fleet vehicles.

• Ensure vehicles are properly titled, registered, insured, tagged, entered into applicable systems, and ready for service.

• Monitor vehicle mileage, age, condition, market value, and depreciation.

• Develop a proactive replacement and disposal strategy.

• Identify vehicles that should be removed from fleet before excessive mileage or depreciation negatively impacts resale value.

• Coordinate with Used Vehicle Operations regarding the disposition and retail/wholesale strategy of retired fleet vehicles.

Vehicle Condition & Maintenance

• Maintain strict standards for vehicle cleanliness, appearance, safety, and mechanical condition.

• Develop preventative maintenance schedules for all fleet vehicles.

• Ensure oil changes, tire rotations, inspections, recalls, and required maintenance are completed on time.

• Minimize vehicle downtime caused by maintenance or repairs.

• Monitor open recalls and ensure recalls are completed promptly.

• Establish procedures for documenting pre-existing and new vehicle damage.

• Ensure damage is reported immediately and responsibility is properly determined.

• Coordinate body shop and mechanical repairs when necessary.

• Track damage claims from beginning through final resolution.

• Ensure vehicles are professionally cleaned and customer-ready before being placed back into service.

Customer Experience

• Ensure the rental/loaner experience reflects Preston Automotive Group's customer service standards.

• Maintain clean, safe, reliable, and presentable vehicles.

• Develop simple and efficient customer check-in and check-out procedures.

• Address escalated customer concerns involving rental or loaner vehicles.

• Work closely with dealership leadership to ensure transportation availability supports customer retention and service department growth.

Leadership & Accountability

• Manage and provide direction to employees involved in rental, loaner, fleet, dispatching, cleaning, and transportation operations as assigned.

• Establish clear expectations and accountability standards.

• Create appropriate staffing schedules based on operational needs.

• Train employees on rental procedures, vehicle inspections, documentation, customer service, and damage reporting.

• Communicate regularly with General Managers, Service Managers, and Executive Management.

• Hold locations accountable for following Preston Automotive Group fleet policies and procedures.

• Identify operational problems and implement corrective action quickly.

Technology & Systems

The Rental Car Fleet Manager will be expected to effectively utilize Preston Automotive Group's rental, dealership, and fleet management technology, including applicable systems such as:

• TSD

• Dealerware

• CDK

• OEM rental reimbursement systems

• GPS/fleet tracking technology

• Electronic vehicle inspection tools

• Microsoft Excel and reporting/dashboard tools

The Fleet Manager will continuously evaluate technology and processes that can improve fleet utilization, customer experience, reporting, and profitability.

Key Performance Indicators

Performance will be measured using clearly defined KPIs, including:

• Fleet utilization percentage

• Average rental/loaner days per vehicle

• Fleet size versus actual demand

• Cost per rental day

• Revenue per available vehicle

• Rental revenue collected

• OEM/warranty rental reimbursement collected

• Vehicle downtime

• Percentage of fleet available for customer use

• Maintenance compliance

• Open recall compliance

• Damage frequency and damage recovery

• Average mileage at fleet disposal

• Fleet depreciation

• Vehicle turnaround time after return

• Customer satisfaction

• Percentage of rental/loaner agreements properly documented

• Overdue vehicle percentage

• Fleet expense versus budget

Daily Operational Expectations

The Rental Car Fleet Manager should have real-time visibility into:

• Total vehicles in fleet

• Vehicles currently rented/loaned

• Vehicles available

• Vehicles overdue

• Vehicles awaiting cleaning

• Vehicles awaiting maintenance

• Vehicles awaiting body repair

• Vehicles with open recalls

• Vehicles approaching mileage or age limits

• Vehicles scheduled for disposal

• Unreported or unresolved damage

• Location-level fleet utilization

No vehicle should exist in the fleet without a clearly identified location, driver/customer, status, mileage, and next action.

Qualifications

• Previous rental car, fleet management, automotive dealership, transportation, or similar operational management experience preferred.

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz, Avis/Budget, dealership rental, or large fleet management experience is highly desirable.

• Proven ability to manage a high-volume, multi-location operation.

• Strong understanding of fleet utilization and expense management.

• Strong analytical and financial management skills.

• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities.

• Strong leadership and communication skills.

• Ability to hold multiple locations and employees accountable.

• Strong customer service background.

• Proficient with Microsoft Excel and operational reporting.

• Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record.

• Ability and willingness to travel between Preston Automotive Group locations as required.

Leadership Characteristics

The successful Rental Car Fleet Manager will demonstrate:

• Urgency

• Attention to Detail

• Accountability

• Organization

• Financial Discipline

• Problem Solving

• Customer Focus

• Teamwork

• Communication

• Continuous Improvement

This individual must be willing to take complete ownership of the fleet operation and continuously look for opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce costs, increase utilization, and improve the customer experience.

Preston Automotive Group Expectations

The Rental Car Fleet Manager is expected to operate according to Preston Automotive Group's standards and OnePAG values:

Integrity | Urgency | Attention to Detail | Teamwork | Community | Personal Growth

The goal of this position is simple: have the right vehicle, at the right location, for the right customer, at the right time—while maximizing utilization, controlling expenses, protecting company assets, and delivering an outstanding customer experience.