Insights to take you into 2026 from your fleet experts:
- Adam Morrison, CEO Interleasing
- Dr Steve Nuttall, Director Fifth Quadrant Market Research
- Tracey Capper, Head of Sustainability, MMS Group (Interleasing’s parent company)
- Birgitte Snelson, Head of Procurement, MMS Group (Interleasing’s parent company)
Fleet management priorities for 2026
If your organisation is feeling the squeeze going into 2026, you’re not alone.
Businesses in Australia today operate in an increasingly complex environment. Geopolitical tensions, inflation, interest rate uncertainty and a sharp rise in vehicle prices put immense financial pressure on organisations in Australia. At the same time, they have to prepare for organisation-wide transformation to comply with businesses new mandatory climate-related financial reporting requirements, while also managing ever-increasing customer expectations.
The question is no longer “How do we manage a fleet?” but “how do we turn fleet mobility into a lever for value, resilience and compliance advantage?”
It’s a fine balancing act. The key to navigating 2026 successfully starts with understanding which aspects will shape the landscape – and preparing for them strategically.
Here are four priorities that will define the year ahead, according to industry experts.
1. Sustainability comes into (sharper) focus
Mandatory sustainability reports are due in 2026 for Group 1 entities, and Group 2 need to start preparing now for their 2027 deadline.
CFOs will be putting the spotlight on their fleet, as they represent a significant portion of their organisation’s carbon emissions source.
Tools like emissions log books, digital work diaries and telematics will become essential tools for collecting and tracking emissions data and to help meet compliance mandates. But it’s not just your fleet that will be under the microscope.
"Mandatory reporting has broader impacts across the business,” suggests Tracey Capper, Head of Sustainability, MMS “Businesses need to be working across finance, risk, strategy, business change, as well as sustainability. It's not sustainability-led, it's a business-wide change."
Many will also be thinking about the social element of ESG, according to Tracey Capper.
“As we're so focused on mandatory climate-related financial reporting, how do we make sure we don't lose sight of the other things that as a business we believe in and are also responsible for? For our organisation, this includes modern slavery risk management, inclusion, accessibility and reconciliation.”
2. A shift in the fleet management paradigm
In 2025, organisations were asking, “how do we spend less?”
Steve Nuttall, Director at Fifth Quadrant, proposes that in 2026 the question will shift to “how do we create real business value?” He suggests this will lead to organisations making a fundamental shift in how they think about their fleet.
“You have a strategic choice to make: do you want to have teams and divisions that are operationally focused on just cost minimisation, or do you want to enable them to become strategic contributors focused on value creation?”
Adam Morrison, CEO at Interleasing, says this starts with reframing what your fleet means to the business.
“Organisations will start thinking about it more as human movement rather than a fleet of cars. They're going to have to start reviewing fleet optimisation – how many cars do we actually need? If we don't need them, how do we transport people and what's our policy? How do we get cost and carbon footprint control over that?”
Viewing your fleet as a strategic asset can help you develop innovative mobility solutions, such as shared vehicle platforms or last-mile delivery services, which can generate new revenue and enhance customer experience.
Those approaching sustainability reporting and ESG as a strategic opportunity will unlock new competitive advantages for their organisation – from new revenue streams and customer trust to more strategic partnerships and a stronger brand reputation.
3.Strategic supplier partnerships deepen
Vehicle shortages during and post COVID taught organisations the importance of supply chain resilience. In 2025, the rise of AI and the need to track and report Scope 3 emissions across complex supply chains exacerbated the need for strategic supplier partnerships.
“As data flows get more complicated and harder to manage, supplier relationships won’t be a set and forget arrangement,” says Birgitte Snelson, Head of Procurement at MMS. “Businesses will need to do more due diligence and partner with their suppliers to ensure strategic alignment.”
In the years to come cyber security due diligence, data sovereignty verification, modern slavery compliance, and multi-tier supply chain mapping will become standard requirements.
But the upsides of strategic supplier partnerships go well beyond compliance. They can foster co-innovation, enabling you to develop new products or services that meet evolving market demands and sustainability targets. Plus, a resilient supply chain will ensure minimal disruptions if a port closes due to a cyclone or if new tariffs negatively impact the market.
4. AI enters the Australian fleet office
Automation and AI are already transforming fleet operations around the world.
“In China, AI agent systems are now doing autonomous fleet routing, dispatch and logistics without human intervention,” says Nuttall. “The Europeans are investing quite heavily in agentic AI platforms for urban micro mobility optimisation. And I've seen interesting things in the Indian startup space around agentic AI for fleet as well.”
He says it’s not a matter of when, but how fast Australia will follow.
And while many fleet managers are worried about the impact of the technology, Nuttall says it presents an exciting opportunity for professionals in a complex and challenging environment.
AI and machine learning will help organisations reduce costs and, importantly, enable fleet managers to offer value-added services such as predictive maintenance, dynamic routing, and real-time performance optimisation, creating new revenue opportunities.
“We will see the emergence of the strategic fleet manager who can deal with all the critical aspects of managing a fleet – operational disruption, issues around emission compliance, regulation and reputation – because AI has freed them of the repetitive admin tasks,” he suggests.
How you can prepare - Your action plan for 2026
Understanding the trends that will shape the future is important, as it can serve as the catalyst for change within your organisation. Here’s how you can address them strategically and stay steps ahead of the competition.
Fleet managers: Position yourself as sustainability champions by using technology to track and report emissions, building up dashboards and making smart, data-driven decisions. You also have an opportunity to use insights to build stronger strategic supplier relationships, while giving the organisation greater visibility over emissions. That’s why investing in AI literacy now will be critical to help you become a strategic value creator.
Procurement: If you haven’t already, start building strategic partnerships today and include cyber security verification, supply chain resilience and Scope 3 emissions tracking in your due diligence checklist. Competitive pricing will not get you through the next disruption – but a resilient supply chain will.
Finance: Invest in integrated data systems that allow your teams to accurately and easily track emissions. Consider modelling EV lifecycle scenarios including second-hand market impacts and start thinking about your fleet as a strategic enabler of corporate sustainability goals, rather than a cost centre.
By investing in integrated data systems, AI literacy, and resilient supplier partnerships, you can transform your fleet functions into competitive advantages, driving business growth and sustainability.
What will a high-performing fleet-enabled organisation look like in 2026?
While 2026 will bring increased complexity, it will also offer opportunities for those who start preparing and thinking strategically now.
Investing in the right systems, developing AI literacy, and building resilient supplier partnerships will help transform your fleet functions from cost centres into competitive advantages. And treating mandatory climate-related financial reporting as a catalyst for business transformation, rather than a compliance burden will help you drive more positive business outcomes.
"We're moving into an era where fleet professionals can genuinely influence their organisation's strategic direction and sustainability outcomes,” Adam Morrison says. “That's an incredible opportunity to shape the future."
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