Fleet management is more than just vehicles and logistics; it’s about the people behind the operations who keep things moving. Work Truck’s The Fleet Journey series aims to spotlight these professionals, showcasing their unique paths, experiences, and insights.

Through these stories, we uncover the challenges fleet managers face, the innovations they’re driving, and the lessons they’ve learned. Each profile serves as an opportunity to share knowledge, inspire growth, and foster community among fleet professionals.

Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned leader, you’ll find valuable takeaways in these profiles — ideas to improve operations, motivation to tackle challenges, and even a few fun anecdotes to remind us why we love what we do.

Most importantly, The Fleet Journey is about creating connections. By sharing our stories, we build a stronger, more collaborative fleet community that thrives together.

From Dashboard Data to Fleet Director

This time we got to know Wayne Corum, Director of Facilities & Fleet for the City of Richardson, Texas. His journey into fleet management began with a fascination for data and has since grown into a mission to modernize and optimize fleet operations.

Q: What first sparked your interest in fleet management, and how did you start your career in this field?
As a Management Analyst in the City Manager’s Office at the City of Fort Worth, Texas, I had a project to build a dashboard for fleet metrics. The amount of available data intrigued me. The previous fleet manager (whose official title was Director of Equipment Services) retired. 

The original transition plan was for the current assistant director to be the interim while the city posted the position and recruited a replacement for the Director of Equipment Services. The retiring director suggested that I become the acting assistant director to the City Manager. 

A week before the transition plan was executed, the current assistant director was hired as the new Fleet Manager for another city (Charlotte, N.C.). The City Manager decided to make me the acting director at that time in February 2006. I served in that role for nine months. 

The Assistant City Manager position that Equipment Services reported to was vacant. So, the city wanted to fill that role before filling the Director of Equipment Services position. Therefore, the recruitment took nine months to fill both positions. I enjoyed the role so much that I applied for the permanent position when the Director of Equipment Services position was posted. 

In November 2006, I was selected to fill the position permanently. Interestingly, one of the other finalists for the position is a familiar name: Bob Stanton. We became friends during the interview process and are still friends today.

I continued in that role for 11 years until I went to Verizon to help manage their fleet of 25,000 vehicles in July 2017. After six years in the private sector, I returned to government fleet in my new role as Director of Facilities & Fleet for the City of Richardson, Texas, (a Dallas suburb) where I have been since December 2023.

Q: What’s been a defining moment or turning point in your career as a fleet manager?
Working with my fuel manager to create a national fuel cooperative contract was a defining moment. This impacted my career because of the breadth and uniqueness of the contract.  

The City of Fort Worth had partnered with 17 other government entities in North Texas (school districts, counties, municipalities, etc.) to create a fuel contract that would combine our usage levels to create a stronger negotiation position to drive down fuel costs.  

We had so much success with the regional contract that we decided to take it to another level. We worked with a national cooperative contract organization to bid the contract nationwide (the first and only national fuel contract).  

We had fleets in Florida and California that participated in the contract. Also, the contract garnered the interest of two large state fleets, Arkansas, and Texas. The even larger usage levels gave us more leverage to negotiate down to an OPUS minus price.

In addition, the State of Texas asked our staff to assist with consolidating the fuel operations for all their various decentralized departments throughout the state. We saved the state of Texas a significant amount of money through consolidating their fueling operations.

Q: What do you enjoy most about working in fleet management? What keeps you motivated day-to-day?
The unique challenges present themselves, either technical, financial, or managerial.

Q: Can you share a lesson or piece of advice you’ve learned along the way that’s been invaluable in your fleet journey?
Trust but verify. Allow your team to experience successes and failures but verify for accuracy. Reward or correct to develop your staff.

Q: As a fleet manager, how do you balance your own development with managing and supporting your team’s growth?
Be a lifelong learner. I do not subscribe to the idea that “I have arrived.” There are always new things to learn and teach.

Q: What’s a personal value or belief that influences how you lead and manage your fleet?
Servant leadership.

Q: What are the biggest challenges you currently face in your fleet operations? How are you tackling them?
I took over a fleet operation a year ago that was about 15 years behind technology. We’re working to establish a new culture, hire new senior leadership, develop new processes, and acquire new technology to get this fleet operation caught up. Fortunately, we have some great frontline staff in place already.

Q: What’s a recent win or innovative idea your fleet has implemented that you’re proud of?
Establishing a new service contract that will streamline sublet repairs.

Q: What are the most valuable skills or qualities you look for in new members of your fleet team?
Experience, coachability, and efficiency.

Q: How are you using technology to streamline fleet operations, and what advancements are you most excited about?
We’re moving operations from a green screen mainframe system to a web-based fleet management information system.

Q: What’s one goal or vision you have for your fleet’s future, and how are you working toward it?
To become a 100 Best Fleet andLeading Government Fleet.

Q: Outside of fleet management, what’s an accomplishment you’re especially proud of?
With my wife's help, we raised two exceptional but very different kids — one an athlete and one a performer.

Q: If you could have lunch with any figure from history or current times, who would it be and why?
Jesus Christ. He is God.

Q: What’s the most interesting place you’ve visited, and what made it memorable?
The Cayman Islands. Playing with stingrays and walking on the floor of the bay made it unforgettable.

Q: Feel free to share any other fun facts or personal insights about yourself that the fleet community might enjoy!
My wife and I love to travel. After we retire, she wants to travel to Australia, and I want to travel to the Holy Land.

Share YOUR Fleet Journey

Fleet management is more than just vehicles and logistics, it’s about the people behind the operations who keep things moving. Work Truck’s The Fleet Journey series aims to spotlight these professionals, showcasing their unique paths, experiences, and insights.

Through these stories, we uncover the challenges fleet managers face, the innovations they’re driving, and the lessons they’ve learned. Each profile serves as an opportunity to share knowledge, inspire growth, and foster community among fleet professionals.

Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned leader, you’ll find valuable takeaways in these profiles—ideas to improve operations, motivation to tackle challenges, and even a few fun anecdotes to remind us why we love what we do.

Most importantly, The Fleet Journey is about creating connections. By sharing our stories, we build a stronger, more collaborative fleet community that thrives together.

Do you have a story to share about your fleet journey? Take our brief survey for a chance to be featured in our Fleet Journey series. Let’s connect and inspire one another to grow and thrive in the fleet management industry!