The Fleet Success Show

Episode 223: Outsourcing in Fleet: How to Know What to Sublet, When, and Why

Episode Summary

Outsourcing in fleet is more than a staffing Band-Aid. Learn how to decide what to sublet, how to manage vendor relationships, and how to track outsourced work for maximum performance and accountability.

Episode Notes

In this episode of The Fleet Success Show, RTA VP of Product, Marc Canton. sits down with Jake Johnson, former fleet maintenance supervisor and current RTA Fleet Success Manager, to break down one of the most critical and misunderstood topics in fleet: outsourcing.

Whether you're a government fleet manager with limited resources, a trucking fleet with scale, or just trying to figure out how to do more with fewer techs, you’re probably outsourcing more than you think—and leaving data and dollars on the table if you're not managing it properly.

Jake brings his 20+ years of hands-on and leadership experience in trucking fleets to share how to decide what to send out, how to build strong vendor relationships, and how to track outsourced work like you would your own shop.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t outsource blindly: Use VMRS codes to evaluate where you’re spending the most time and money to decide what to outsource... and what to train for instead.
• Tooling and training determine viability: If your team lacks the tools or training, and it’s not cost-effective to invest—send it out.
• Vendor performance must be tracked: Track vendor jobs like in-house work, with proper work orders, status updates, and SLAs for turnaround and comeback rates.
• Use outsourcing to protect your tech bandwidth: Don’t send out the big, expensive job if small ones can be sublet faster and cheaper, freeing your shop for higher-value work.
• Relationships matter: Vendor partnerships should be built on honesty, clarity, and expectations. Think long-term and treat vendors like part of your team.

Speaker Bios

Jake Johnson

Fleet Success Manager at RTA, Jake spent two decades working his way up from diesel tech to service manager to fleet leader in trucking operations. He now helps fleets across the country optimize everything from shop staffing to outsourced vendor networks.

Marc Canton

VP of Product & Consulting at RTA, Marc is a fleet operations veteran and co-host of The Fleet Success Show. He blends hands-on consulting experience with strategic leadership across public and private sector fleets.