Director of Fleet & Maintenance

Job Description

Job Title: Director of Fleet & Maintenance

Job Type: Full-time; On-site with travel across terminals and shop locations

Role Overview:

• The Director of Fleet & Maintenance is a senior executive responsible for fleet uptime, lifecycle economics, and maintenance leadership at a Corporate level – representing leadership across all subsidiary companies operating company‑owned tractors, trailers (including specialty equipment), and internal repair facilities.
• This role owns the system, not individual repairs. Success is measured by uptime, cost discipline, leadership effectiveness, and consistency across locations.

Core Outcomes (What this Person is Accountable For)

• Improved and predictable equipment uptime across all terminals
• Sustainable reduction in cost per mile / cost per revenue hour
• Clear, enforced repair / replace / retire decision framework
• Consistent maintenance, PM, DVIR, and warranty execution across shops
• Development (or removal) of maintenance leadership that cannot meet expectations
• Reliable fleet data that executives trust for capital and operating decisions

Key Responsibilities:

Fleet & Maintenance Leadership

• Lead and hold accountable all fleet and maintenance leadership roles
• Evaluate leadership capability and build missing roles (service writing, warranty, foremen, analysts)
• Establish clear expectations, goals, and consequences for performance

Fleet Economics & Asset Strategy

• Own lifecycle strategy for tractors, trailers, and specialty equipment
• Standardize repair vs. replace vs. retire decisions
• Partner with finance on capital planning and maintenance forecasting

Uptime, PM & Warranty Execution

• Enforce PM, DVIR, and breakdown prioritization standards
• Build a disciplined, auditable warranty recovery program
• Reduce reliance on emergency external repairs through planning and shop effectiveness

Systems, Metrics & Accountability

• Define and enforce fleet KPIs: uptime, downtime, PM compliance, shop throughput, cost metrics
• Ensure shop and fleet software is accurate, used consistently, and trusted
• Establish cadence of review with Ops, Safety, and Finance

Change Leadership

• Drive standardization across historically independent shops
• Make difficult people decisions when needed
• Lead change calmly, directly, and without ego

Experience:

• Executive-level fleet maintenance or heavy equipment leadership experience required
• Multi-shop or regional maintenance leadership background strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of maintenance operations, fleet economics, and lifecycle costing
• Experience leading operational change and enforcing accountability across decentralized environments
• Background within trucking, transportation, heavy equipment, construction, waste, or industrial fleet operations preferred
• Financially fluent with maintenance P&L oversight and cost management experience

Location: Syracuse, NY Area (will pay for relocation)

Compensation Details: This position offers a competitive base salary + performance-based bonus tied to uptime, PM compliance, warranty recovery, and fleet performance metrics.

90‑Day Scorecard

Days 1–30: Diagnose & Understand

Primary Focus: Learn before fixing

Expected Deliverables:

• Visit all major shops and fleet leadership locations
• Written assessment of:
• Leadership capability (who can grow vs. who cannot)
• Process gaps and inconsistencies
• Data reliability and blind spots
• Clear identification of missing or overloaded roles

✅ Success Looks Like:

• You receive a written, candid Fleet State‑of‑the‑Union memo
• Problems are named clearly, not softened

Days 31–60: Design the System

Primary Focus: Structure and alignment

Expected Deliverables:

• Proposed fleet & maintenance org design
• Defined KPI framework (uptime, PM, cost, throughput)
• Repair / replace / retire decision model
• 6–12 month execution roadmap

✅ Success Looks Like:

• Leadership alignment on priorities
• Clear accountability model exists for every shop

Days 61–90: Begin Execution

Primary Focus: Action with discipline

Expected Deliverables:

• Early leadership changes or capability development plans
• KPI cadence launched and reviewed
• Initial improvements or pilots in PM compliance, downtime prioritization, or warranty recovery

✅ Success Looks Like:

• Momentum is visible
• Decisions are being made without escalation to CFO
• Resistance is surfaced and addressed