I’m Ron Burgundy? Ranked Forbes Top 7,000,000 LinkedIn Connections | Content bruh-fessional | Weird and Sassy | Sometimes I share my guitar skillz | My mom says I’m funny… oh and Smiling is my favorite

After more than a decade in the automotive and fleet world, I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. 

And honestly, I’ve made peace with the fact that vehicles always choose the worst possible moment to breakdown. 

Today, I lead Fleet Maintenance & Safety for a 5,000+ asset fleet at Wrench Group. 

I’m all about smart, fast decision making, controlling costs, navigating accident repairs, and knowing when it’s time to repair, replace, or politely retire a vehicle that’s been around the block one too many times. 

I enjoy turning complex fleet challenges into clear, practical solutions that keep operations moving and drivers supported.

If there’s a chance to streamline a process, improve performance, or save the team a few headaches, I’m on it.

Jacob Schwer

We have cameras in all of our company vehicles, it's a non negotiable. I WISH we didn't need them, but when you're a large organization with thousands of trucks on the road, all people see is a payday. 

Last year, we had a lady try to go after us for 500k or a million dollars I don’t remember, but it was ridiculous. She claimed our vehicle backed into theirs in the parking lot. 

First off, the tab was so light it didn't even trigger an event. 

Second, when I found the clip, we were backing out, our driver noticed them, stopped and honked, then they hit us.

Third, the other party tried offering US money not to report it. 😬 

It was resolved. We protected ourselves and our employee. Without a camera, who knows. 


So, due to the fact that people are literally insane, we will continue to have cameras in our vehicles.


*** hello world, it’s been a minute. Say hi. If you want to hear more about my fleet/automotive/corporate world thoughts, experiences learnings and more insane stories, give me a follow/connect. I really love my org, and It’s my goal to share more and network with fellow fleet/safety pros out there.

#fleetmanagement

If you’re new to fleet management, buckle up.

This job is less “office professional” and more “triage nurse for a rolling circus” 

Every day is a fresh adventure you never asked for. 

You’ll log in Monday morning expecting to review PM schedules, and instead find out one of your trucks is on the side of the highway because “the engine was making a weird sound but I figured it would stop eventually.” It did not stop. It got louder. Then it made other noises.

But that’s just the warm-up.

By Wednesday, someone will file an incident report that reads like a riddle. Something like:
“Vehicle contacted object. Object was stationary. Vehicle was also stationary. Unsure how contact occurred.”

You will also be unsure. Physics will be unsure. No answers will emerge.

And by Thursday, you’ll receive three emails marked “URGENT,” none of which are even remotely urgent, while the actual urgent issue will arrive with the subject line “Quick question,” followed by a photo of a wheel that has completely removed itself from the vehicle and is living its best life 40 feet away.

Friday will bring the real plot twist: a driver insisting their van “always sounded like that,” as if the high-pitched squealing of mechanical agony is part of the original factory specifications.

But here’s the beautiful part: this madness is where new fleet managers become seasoned ones. 

You develop instincts.
You develop patience.
You develop an internal radar that detects chaos before it happens. 

You learn to handle it all with grace, or the closest approximation of grace possible while on your third coffee and your fifteenth ping of the morning.

Here are the skills they don’t list in the job description, but absolutely should:

• The ability to interpret vague driver complaints using only context clues and spiritual intuition.
• The emotional strength to open repair invoices without flinching.
• The composure to say “Tell me exactly what happened” without sounding like you’re bracing for impact.
• The mental resilience to discover brand-new, never-before-seen types of vehicle damage.
• The optimism required to believe—against all evidence—that someday, someone will report damage within 24 hours of it happening.

And somehow, through all this, the fleet moves, the work gets done, and you become the quiet hero keeping an entire operation from collapsing into logistical anarchy.

So to all the new fleet managers out there: welcome. The job is chaos, but it’s the good kind. 

The kind that turns you into a better leader, a sharper problem-solver, and someone who can handle absolutely anything.

If you can survive fleet management, you can survive pretty much anything.

#fleetmanagement #thriving

EVs are being sold as a fleet solution. Yet many of them are still an experiment.

Sure electric vehicles have their benefits. Fuel savings, slightly less maintenance, and environmental benefits that matter.

But for a large, service based fleet, the reality still looks like this:

• Lower resale, fewer configurations, and real unknowns around batteries under load
• Charging that is inconsistent where our techs actually work
• Higher accident repair costs, higher chance of total loss (even minor repairs become major)
• Fewer body shops and vendors equipped to handle EV repairs 
• Range that works on paper and falls apart on long days, not to mention route planning concerns

EVs are not a bad idea. They are just not the right idea for us… yet.

Right now, I care most about trucks starting every morning, techs getting to jobs on time, and everyone getting home safely.

Because when a tech runs out of gas, they are mildly annoyed.

When a tech runs out of charge, suddenly I lose my will to live.

We will get there when the timing is right.

Until then, I am perfectly comfortable letting someone else be the case study.

#fleetmanagement #ev

I am not interested in being a leader that avoids hard conversations.

I am not trying to fit into some stereotypical leadership mold. Cause tbh, the current mold is broken. 

- I'm not trying to make bosses happy
- I'm not in it for the bonuses or promotions
- and I refuse to play corporate politics

I'm not about that life.

I care a lot about what I do, and I care about the people I do it with. I simply refuse to put my success above the needs of others. 

If the corporate ivory tower is making decisions without communicating with those in their charge, mistakes will be made. Trust will be lost. And the whole system fails. 

There's gotta be a consistent, real talk, open feedback loop. You gotta encourage honesty rather than getting a bunch of "yes men" 

That's what I bring to the table

I'm real
I'm kind
I'm unapologetically honest 

We have roughly 35-40 fleet/safety managers in our organization and I try to stay in touch regularly with each of them, and get to know their strengths and struggles. 

I'm not perfect at it, but I do my best. 

I'm confident that if you ask any of our fleet/safety personnel about me, you'll hear positive feedback. 

That's not me being cocky, I just know my people and I've been able to build trust with them. They know their voice matters just as much as mine

These folks in the trenches every day are smarter than me, many have more experience than me in a variety of areas. Why would I NOT lean on their expertise? 

Sure, we can't please everyone. And I get that leadership isn’t about being "liked"

But shouldn't we at least try? 

I'm not perfect, but I do believe I have the potential to elevate Wrench Group because of who I am as a person.

Hey so quick PSA… eating & driving do not mix well 

especially if it involves a fork, spaghetti and/or meatballs, 

oh and definitely not when going around corners. That’s a no no. You will indeed ruin your pasta/hit a tree. 

Thank you. 🙏🏼 

#protip #besafenotstupid

If you’re looking for marketing genius, go follow Morris-Jenkins 

They have a friggin ice cream truck. It’s beautiful and brilliant. And it’s free! 

I find their social media strategy to be one of the more refined ones. 

They’ve got humor, testimonials, videos, memes, educational, and they get their techs involved which is always cool to see. 

It’s beautiful. And I don’t think they get enough attention for their hard work building such an awesome brand. 

I don’t know the marketing people there, but I love them. And I’ve been a fan for years, even before joining Wrench. 

Any other underrating brands you follow? I wanna know about them

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Brake lights don’t tell us the full story… 

Whether you slam em or lightly tap them, the brightness is the same. 

Because they tell us so little, safe driving habits become even more important.

If you wanna avoid collisions, do this

1. Keep a safe following distance.
With only one brightness to work with, space becomes your reaction time. It is the buffer that turns a surprise into a manageable slowdown (Hint - you need way more space than you think)

2. Avoid harsh braking whenever possible.
Smooth braking helps everyone behind you stay in control and reduces unnecessary ripple effects through traffic. (How? See point # 1) 

3. For the love of Moses, put that cell phone down. It’s never that important. Mount it, use bluetooth but don’t touch it. And eyes on the road, not the radio. 

Follow those 3 pieces of advise and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a safer driver. 

Make sense? 

#fleetmanagement #safety

This is how oversimplified math turns into bad business advice 

This is LinkedIn math, not fleet math.

Comparing total rent paid vs purchase price (while ignoring repairs, downtime, insurance, depreciation, financing, and cash flow) is how bad decisions get justified with clean numbers.

Renting isn’t “wasted money.” Especially if it’s only $2500 per month, what a steal! 

It’s paying for flexibility, risk transfer, and guaranteed uptime. Ownership only wins when utilization is high and risk is acceptable.

If your rent‑vs‑buy analysis fits in a post, it’s probably incomplete.

Real world operational math > social media math

#fleetmanagement #hottake

The #1 Work Truck Upfit Creator | Helping 6,000+ fleet managers & upfit pros avoid costly truck mistakes and build smarter, safer, more profitable fleets.

𝗛𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱'𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

Contractor renting a dump truck at $2,500/month for a "temp" gig.

18 months later: still renting.

Let's do the math:

→ 18 × $2,500 = $45,000 down the drain
→ Comparable used dump truck = $35K–$45K
→ Equity after renting = zip

Paid premium to own nothing.

Now look, renting makes sense sometimes:

→ One-shot specialty hauls
→ Trialing a new service line without full commit
→ Peak season overflow

But "temporary" has a way of becoming permanent. And every month you rent, you're funding someone else's asset.

The rule I tell fleet managers:

If you're renting the same gear for more than 6 months, crunch the buy vs. rent numbers. You might already be bleeding cash.

Renting = flexibility. Owning = equity.

What gear are you renting that screams "buy me"?

Great interview Meghann McNally 👏🏼 

It’s a fantastic group to be a part of. Talent is everywhere.

From national expansion to local execution, scaling home services requires alignment across brand, performance, and customer experience.

Our CMO, Meghann McNally, shares how Wrench Group is navigating that balance in this interview at ICR Conference 2026 with Exec Edge.

Watch here: https://bit.ly/4ag2GE1
#WrenchGroup #WrenchLife #HomeServices

Open article: Wrench Group CMO Meghann McNally on Scaling Home Services: ICR Conference 2026 – ExecEdge by executives-edge.com

Wrench Group CMO Meghann McNally on Scaling Home Services: ICR Conference 2026 – ExecEdge

Wisconsin Public Service

Operations Supervisor

Alliant Energy

Working with customers, contractors, and government agencies to engineer safe and reliable gas and electric distribution and services.

Engineering Technician - Journeyman

Journeyman Maintenance Technician Mechanical - ASME Section IX Welder, WI Structural SMAW/FCAW Certification, pump repair, rigging and mobile crane operation, etc.

Mechanical Maintenance Mechanic - Journeyman 

Utility Operations Supervisor (Fan of Good People + Writer) × Beekeeper = Me

Well, well, well. For starters, I'm flattered that you made it this far in my profile.

Prepare to be underwhelmed!

I'm on LinkedIn because I enjoy supporting good people at different stages in their careers and lives.

I also like to add as much humor as appropriate.  This world is tough enough, why not laugh.

Sometimes I post about the most random things like donkey milk and Lee Greenwood.

If you truly want to know more about me or what I actually do for a living, please send me a connection request or a DM.  I'm not going to butter you up and then kick you in the nethers with a pitch.

Since you made it this far down the rabbit hole, I really am a below average Beekeeper.

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Jacob Schwer

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The Battle

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Matt Gaboda 🐝

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