Fleet careers don’t always start behind a desk. Sometimes they start in a driveway, under a hood, or beside a piece of equipment that sparks curiosity.

For Sam Lamerato, CPFP, fleet was never just a job. It was a lifelong interest that began with building go-karts and minibikes as a kid and evolved into more than four decades of service in public sector fleet management.

Even today, long after stepping back from day-to-day operations, Lamerato still can’t pass a dump truck or street sweeper without stopping to take a closer look. Fleet, for him, has always been personal.

A Career Built From the Ground Up

Lamerato’s path into fleet started early and intentionally. With encouragement from his parents, he attended a formal institute focused on fleet management and technician training. While still in school, he joined the City of Troy, Michigan, as an intern, earning $3 an hour and learning quickly how public fleets really operate.

He entered the shop carefully, aware that many of the technicians around him had learned through experience rather than formal education. Instead of pushing change too fast, he listened, observed, and learned from the people already doing the work.

That balance between respecting experience and introducing new ideas became a hallmark of his leadership style.

Over time, Lamerato worked his way through nearly every role in the shop, from service worker to mechanic, lead mechanic, and eventually fleet manager. When the city’s fleet manager passed away unexpectedly, a nationwide search was launched to fill the role.

Lamerato was young, inexperienced by comparison, and unsure he had a chance. It was his wife who pushed him to apply.

When the call came offering him the position, he had 24 hours to decide.

He took it.

Changing Perceptions and Building Respect

When Lamerato stepped into leadership, fleet didn’t have the reputation he wanted it to have. Vehicles weren’t always ready on time, facilities were dated, and the department lacked respect across the organization.

That became his mission.

With support from leadership and a strong public works director who served as a mentor, the fleet operation began to change. A new facility was built. Processes improved. The team gained recognition. Most importantly, fleet became known as a trusted, professional operation that the city depended on.

Lamerato stayed in that role for more than 37 years.

“I told my wife, when it stops being fun, it’s time to retire,” he said. “And it stayed fun.”

Lessons That Matter in Fleet Leadership

Ask Lamerato what new fleet managers need to understand most, and his answer is simple.

Listen first.

“Don’t assume you know everything,” he said. “You don’t.”

He believes strongly in learning from others, attending conferences, seeking training, and absorbing lessons wherever they appear. Early in his career, many of those learning opportunities came out of his own pocket, but he never saw that as a loss.

It was an investment.

Lamerato also stresses the importance of spending time on the shop floor. Every morning, he greeted technicians starting their shift. Every afternoon, he did the same for the next crew. Those small interactions often revealed more than any report ever could.

He kept an open-door policy and treated conversations as confidential, knowing that trust was built one interaction at a time.

Fleet Is a Team, Not a Department

One of Lamerato’s defining beliefs is that fleet success comes from treating people like people.

He knew his technicians’ families. He understood the strain of snowstorms, late nights, weekends, and emergency callouts. He recognized that fleet work affects life beyond the shop.

Birthdays were celebrated. Photos were taken and laminated. Notes were signed by coworkers and left on toolboxes. Letters of appreciation were sent not just to employees, but to their families, thanking them for the sacrifices that made the work possible.

Fleet wasn’t “I” or “they.”

It was “we.”

“That buy-in matters,” Lamerato said. “People work harder when they feel valued.”

Avoiding Rookie Mistakes

Through his consulting work today with Public Fleet Advisors, Lamerato sees the same missteps repeated by new fleet managers.

Trying to do everything alone. Assuming expertise too quickly. Avoiding help.

His advice is to lean into the resources already available. Finance directors, purchasing managers, peers in nearby municipalities, and industry colleagues all have knowledge to share.

Building relationships across departments also matters. Introducing yourself, asking how fleet can support others, and making your presence known creates goodwill that pays off later when challenges arise.

“Don’t make enemies,” he said. “Make connections.”

Still Giving Back to Fleet

Today, Lamerato continues to work with fleets across the country through on-site consulting, audits, and training programs designed to strengthen public fleet operations. His goal is to help fleets stay ethical, competitive, and resilient, especially as outsourcing pressures grow.

What energizes him most, though, is still the people.

When a newly promoted fleet manager asks for his card or calls asking for advice, Lamerato doesn’t hesitate.

“Call me anytime,” he tells them. “Day or night.”

After a career defined by service, leadership, and genuine care, it’s clear that Sam Lamerato’s legacy in fleet isn’t just measured in years.

It’s measured in people.