The Fleet Success Show

Episode 232: Women in Fleet: Shae Davies - 30 Years, 3 Firsts, 0 Apologies

Episode Summary

Shae Davies, Fleet Manager for the City of Aurora, Colorado, joins host Facundo Tassara for the debut episode of the Women in Fleet series on the Fleet Success Show. Shae has nearly 30 years in public fleet, starting as an apprentice mechanic with the City of Seattle and working her way into leadership through grit, skill, and a willingness to be the first.

Episode Notes

What does it actually take to break into a male-dominated industry, get passed over because of excuses, and still rise to manage a fleet of nearly 3,800 assets?

Shae Davies, Fleet Manager for the City of Aurora, Colorado, joins host Facundo Tassara for the debut episode of the Women in Fleet series on the Fleet Success Show. Shae has nearly 30 years in public fleet, starting as an apprentice mechanic with the City of Seattle and working her way into leadership through grit, skill, and a willingness to be the first.

In this episode, Shae and Facundo cover:

• How a fight with her dad led to a 30-year career in the trades
• What it means to be the first woman in the room, and what it costs
• The real story behind managing an aging, underfunded fleet of 3,800 assets
• How she is building an executive-level capital risk narrative to change budget decisions
• Why fleet managers need to stop being a line item and start being a business partner
• The mechanic labor shortage and why wages are going to get very uncomfortable
• Her hot take on language, respect, and how we talk about women in the trades
• QR codes on fleet assets and the untapped opportunity to tell your agency's story

Whether you are a fleet manager, a fleet director, a tradesperson, or someone thinking about entering the industry, this conversation will challenge the way you think about fleet, leadership, and what the next generation of this workforce needs.

Subscribe for more episodes of the Fleet Success Show and the full Women in Fleet series.

Chapters: 

0:00 – Intro to Women in Fleet 

1:48 – Shae's background and 30 years in fleet 

3:19 – The fight with her dad that started it all 

5:17 – Getting hired and entering public fleet 

6:28 – From mechanic to leadership 

10:13 – Being passed over and having to be the first 

13:49 – Navigating bias and building resilience 

17:30 – Hot take: stop calling women "females" 

22:05 – Shae's photo in the US Capitol building 

25:37 – Managing 3,800 assets at the City of Aurora 

28:52 – Telling the executive story to drive capital investment 

32:17 – 230 underutilized vehicles and what the data shows 

33:46 – QR codes on fleet assets as community storytelling tools 

38:18 – The number one thing impacting fleet today 

41:33 – Advice for women thinking about entering fleet 

44:38 – Fleet as a business partner, not a department 

50:09 – The future of mechanic wages and the labor shortage 

55:33 – Closing thoughts and upcoming Women in Fleet guests

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