Keeping fleets moving through Europe’s summer slowdown
As Europe’s main summer holiday season approaches, fleets often face productivity challenges due to staff absences, supplier disruptions and seasonal demand shifts.
TraXall International explores strategies for European fleet managers to maintain service levels, manage staffing gaps and ensure operational agility throughout these peak holiday months.
Navigating a stress-free summer for fleet managers
Europe’s summer holiday season might be a welcome break for many – sunny activity-filled days at the beach, afternoons at the pool, long lazy lunches with friends and family – and time to rest and recharge with a good book or Netflix series.
But for European fleet managers, it’s often a logistical headache – it can mean two months of operational disruption.
With key markets such as France, Germany, Spain and Italy all seeing widespread shutdowns, even well-oiled fleet operations can be impacted. From July through September, managing cross-border operations, annual leave, supplier slowdowns and shifting customer demand can all threaten service continuity, adding to the summer stress.
Taking the heat out of summer planning
Preparing for the summer fleet season is just like packing for a long-haul holiday. Pack and prepare for every eventuality – weather extremes, delays, sickness – and don’t forget to pack water, sunscreen and sunglasses!
The summer months bring a unique set of challenges for fleet managers – many of which are predictable, but still difficult to fully mitigate without careful planning.
What are these key seasonal risks – and what are the strategies to stay productive through the peak holiday period?
Here is our guide to surviving summer.
7 strategies to safeguard summer fleet performance
Despite the hurdles, summer disruption can be effectively managed.
Europe’s peak holiday season doesn’t have to mean a drop in fleet performance – or increased stress for fleet managers.
By taking a proactive approach and building agility into your operations, you can maintain high service levels throughout the summer months.
When the OOO goes on for many, here’s how fleet managers can protect productivity and maintain service levels to make summer a little less stressful.
1. Strengthen workforce planning
Staff shortages are one of the most common challenges during the summer, with many employees taking time off at the same time.
From drivers and workshop staff to admin and logistics teams, employees make use of their holiday allowances – particularly those juggling childcare over the school holidays.
Countries such as France, Italy and Spain often see a sharp drop in workforce availability in August – with some businesses closing entirely. This leads to reduced capacity, longer response times and added pressure on those still working.
Effective workforce planning starts with understanding when, and where, those gaps are likely to occur.
Fleet operators must analyse past absence trends, review scheduled leave and anticipate busy periods across different roles. Introducing staggered leave approvals can prevent teams being left short-handed, while cross-training staff ensures essential tasks can still be carried out when team members are away.
Where additional support is needed, temporary drivers or shared services from other business units can help plug the gap.
Crucially, communication is key – making sure all team members understand how their responsibilities may shift during the holiday period keeps operations running smoothly.
2. Build a resilient supplier ecosystem
Many suppliers operate on reduced capacity or close entirely during the summer months – particularly in Southern Europe, where August shutdowns and siestas are common.
Fleet managers should prepare by reviewing supplier coverage and identifying weak spots, ensuring they have access to alternative providers in the event of disruption. Confirm holiday coverage with key partners in advance and place orders for vehicles, parts or services as early as possible.
Establishing relationships with backup suppliers across different regions and negotiating flexible service level agreements can reduce the risk of delay.
A fleet management partner with deep supplier networks and European coverage can provide valuable resilience at times like these.
3. Make flexible vehicle sourcing part of your summer strategy
Summer often brings fluctuations in vehicle demand, especially in industries affected by seasonal trade. Delays in factory orders or maintenance backlogs can also affect vehicle availability.
Having flexible sourcing options in place, such as short-term rental agreements or the ability to reallocate underutilised vehicles across locations, can make a significant difference.
Real-time monitoring of vehicle usage can highlight when and where assets are needed most, enabling dynamic decision-making.
Fleet managers should look to build contingency into their sourcing strategies, ensuring they have access to vehicles when and where they’re required, even across borders.
4. Align fleet deployment with seasonal demand
Demand doesn’t disappear in the summer – it simply shifts.
Tourist hotspots and the hotel, leisure and hospitality sectors will undoubtedly experience huge spikes in delivery volumes, even in remote and rural areas. Meanwhile, drop-offs to business parks and industrial areas may tail off.
Fleets must remain responsive to these shifts in demand – reallocating drivers, adjusting routes and deploying vehicles more strategically to avoid inefficiencies – or missed opportunities. The hectic summer season can present new businesses opportunities to fulfil the seasonal demand for deliveries.
Using telematics data and forecasting tools, fleet managers can spot these trends and adjust deployment accordingly. This may mean scaling up resources in hotspots, shifting delivery windows to avoid congested roads or reassigning drivers and vehicles to better match the landscape.
Summer is also a time when road restrictions, local events, festivals and holiday traffic all contribute to delays, so flexible routing and real-time updates become even more important to maintain efficiency.
5. Combine central oversight with local insight
Managing a fleet that operates across multiple countries adds an extra layer of complexity during the summer.
National holidays, regional regulations and local road restrictions can vary widely. That’s why successful fleet operations often rely on a hybrid approach – maintaining central visibility and strategic control, while giving local teams the autonomy to act quickly and appropriately.
Local managers or in-country partners can make informed decisions on the ground, such as responding to unexpected supply issues or adapting to traffic challenges. Meanwhile, central teams can track performance, coordinate resources and maintain alignment across the wider business.
6. Leverage outsourcing to enhance flexibility
When internal teams are stretched thin, outsourcing key aspects of fleet management can provide welcome relief.
From administrative support and driver helplines to supplier management and vehicle sourcing, outsourcing enables you to scale operations without increasing the internal burden. It also brings access to specialist expertise and local market knowledge, helping you respond more quickly to emerging challenges.
A trusted fleet management partner can act as an extension of your team, helping you maintain continuity, reduce risk and keep your fleet moving, even through the most disrupted holiday period.
7. Summer health check
It is important to make sure that all vehicles are prepared for safe and efficient summer driving. Summer tyres have high tread elasticity and stiff compounds to perform best in hotter weather, in both wet and dry conditions.
Fleet managers also have a duty of care to remind their drivers keep hydrated, dress appropriately and take regular breaks.
Surviving summer
Europe’s summer slowdown doesn’t have to put the brakes on your fleet.
With forward planning, local insight and the right support in place, fleet managers can turn seasonal disruption into an opportunity to build resilience, boost responsiveness and develop new seasonal business.