“The power isn’t in the volume of data — it’s in the clarity and the actionability.”
Andy Graham
Andy Graham has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of fleet management and technology — from the days of magnetic tapes and Access databases, to today’s cloud-based, AI-enabled platforms serving millions of vehicles. In the latest Fleet News Group podcast, Andy joins Marc Sibbald for a deep dive into the technology journey the fleet industry has taken over the last three decades — and what comes next.
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
“When I started in tech in 1994, there was no email in corporate. We had to collect a magnetic tape from a taxi driver every morning, delivered from London to Carlisle, just to reconcile bank transactions,” says Andy. “Now, we’re pushing real-time safety alerts from vehicle inspections to risk teams across the country in seconds. It’s a different world.”
Andy’s fleet journey began by chance in 1999 at Eden Vehicle Rentals — a small business in Cumbria owned by NAB, which also owned Custom Fleet. It was there he first encountered the uniquely complex challenges of managing a fleet at scale: fragmented data, manual compliance, and error-prone processes with no audit trail.
“Fleet is incredibly complex,” Andy explains. “You’ve got leasing, novated, operating, rental, subscription — each with different products, services and compliance needs. People underestimate that complexity.”
Big shifts, bigger expectations
Andy traces several technology milestones that reshaped the industry: the move from green screen systems to graphical interfaces in the early 2000s; the adoption of cloud-based integration; the rise of telematics and mobility platforms; and the exponential growth in data now delivered through 4G networks and in-cab devices.
“The real shift came when clients started demanding more. They were interacting with banks and retailers through dashboards and real-time data — they expected the same from their fleet provider,” Andy says. “Spreadsheets were no longer enough.”
At SG Fleet, Andy helped build one of the country’s most advanced platforms, with more than 300,000 vehicles under management. “We focused on surfacing insights quickly. How many vehicles are due for servicing? Which contracts are about to blow out? That’s what matters. Not big data. Actionable data.”
The holy grail: one source of truth
The podcast also explores the industry’s persistent challenge of integration — managing legacy systems, merging acquisitions, and building a ‘single pane of glass’ for staff and customers alike.
“The system should never dictate how you run your business. It’s people, process, systems — in that order,” says Andy. “Integration fails when no one owns the outcome.”
He describes a vision of tech-enabled fleet operations where compliance and safety are managed in real-time — with pre-start inspections, alerts, and live dashboards replacing clipboards and post-incident reporting.
“Safety and compliance is no longer retrospective. You snap a photo in the cab, and within seconds, someone can intervene. That’s life-saving.”
What’s next?
Looking to the future, Andy sees promise in AI, electrification, and subscription models — but warns that leadership, not just systems, will determine who adapts.
“Everyone’s asking, how do we do more with less? That’s where Evolve comes in,” he says. “We take high-friction processes and automate them — across over a million vehicles now. The idea is simple. It’s the execution that matters.”
🎙️ Don’t miss the full episode
Hear the full conversation with Andy Graham on the Fleet News Group Podcast.
Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
