With rising interest rates and ongoing supply chain challenges, HVACR contractors face increasing complexity in managing their vehicle fleets. During ACCA Strategic Partner Holman’s latest webinar, “Manage Your Company’s Vehicle Fleet Like a Pro,” Channel Sales Manager Eddie Decker provided exclusive insights on navigating vehicle acquisition, rising costs, and optimizing fleet operations in today’s challenging market.
ACCA members can access the full webinar recording here.
Highlights from “Manage Your Company’s Vehicle Fleet Like a Pro”
Tariffs create uncertainty in the vehicle supply chain
The impending tariffs are a major concern for fleet managers. “The biggest factor with the tariffs right now is the uncertainty,” Decker explained. “When will the tariffs take effect on what products and with what rates?”
These tariffs could impact fleet operations in several ways:
- New vehicles may become more expensive to acquire.
- Maintenance costs could increase if parts from affected countries face tariffs.
- Upfitting costs for shelving, racks, and other equipment will likely rise.
Holman’s recommendation for dealing with potential tariff impacts is cycling out aging fleet vehicles in the next few months. “We can help sell your old assets,” Decker noted, explaining how their remarketing options can help contractors avoid future cost increases while taking advantage of the current used vehicle market.
Interest rates have become a significant cost factor
Interest rates have risen dramatically over the past few years, becoming a key consideration in fleet costs where they were once minimal. “The higher interest rates are a relatively new factor putting an upward pressure on your fleet costs,” Decker said.
While the Federal Reserve has been holding rates steady recently, analysts project potential cuts in Q3 2025. For fleet managers, this means carefully timing vehicle acquisitions and considering how financing structures impact overall costs.
Open-ended leasing offers advantages over purchasing
Most small businesses traditionally purchase vehicles outright, but Decker highlighted why leasing might be more cost-effective, especially in today’s market:
“One of the major benefits that we’ve seen from leasing is the minimal outlay of capital, which can obviously help improve cash flow for your business,” Decker explained. Unlike traditional consumer leases, Holman’s commercial open-ended leases provide flexibility and equity ownership.
Key advantages include:
- Lower monthly payments through residual financing
- Retained equity when cycling out vehicles
- Ability to maintain newer, safer, more fuel-efficient vehicles
- Improved company image with newer, well-maintained vehicles
Decker emphasized that cycling vehicles regularly helps avoid the costly repairs and downtime associated with aging fleet assets.
Holman’s fleet management services cover the entire vehicle lifecycle
Holman Small Business Solutions supports companies with 1-100 vehicles by handling administrative fleet tasks. Their services include:
- Vehicle acquisition – “We’re brand agnostic. So it doesn’t matter which make and model you prefer, our team can go out and source any asset for you,” Decker noted. Holman can source from dealer lots and order directly from manufacturers.
- Upfitting coordination – Holman handles all vendor coordination for upfitting and decaling, delivering road-ready assets to customer locations.
- Fuel and maintenance programs – With Wex fuel cards and a network of 140,000 maintenance vendors, Holman’s programs provide expense tracking, maintenance oversight, and consolidated billing.
- Vehicle remarketing – “We’ll basically take the administrative burden of running your fleet whether that’s finding vehicles, managing them or selling them and letting you get back to your core business,” Decker explained.
ACCA members receive preferred factory order pricing and dedicated account management through our strategic partnership.
Holman is an ACCA Strategic Partner. For more information about our Strategic Partner Program, visit our website or email ACCA’s Strategic Partnerships Manager Kenzi Vizzari at kenzi.vizzari@acca.org.
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