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The Fleet Operator Podcast

Real operators on the money side of running a fleet.

Candid conversations with the entrepreneurs building independent rental fleets — how they finance vehicles, which cars actually make money, and what the numbers taught them along the way.

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5 episodes Presented by FleetPilot

Colton of Krew Rentals on The Fleet Operator Podcast

LatestEpisode 5 — Why he built a rental fleet of Mercedes Sprinter vans, with Colton of Krew Rentals.

Episodes

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Episode 5 — Colton of Krew Rentals

Episode 5Oct 2, 202630 min

Turo’s Best-Kept Secret: Why He Built a Fleet of Sprinter Vans

Colton · Krew Rentals · 15-vehicle fleet in Minneapolis

Colton built his rental fleet around one vehicle most hosts ignore: the Mercedes Sprinter van. A single van helped carry his auction business through COVID — and eventually led him to sell that company and scale rentals full time. He breaks down the economics, barriers to entry, and competitive advantages of specializing in large passenger vans, and his plan to take the model to more cities.

In this episode

Why Sprinter vans can rent for $250 a day in peak season
How Mercedes diesel engines run for hundreds of thousands of miles
Insurance and liability for 15-passenger vans
Why he prefers Sprinters over Ford Transits
How he structures partnerships with vehicle investors
Using Turo while growing direct bookings

Watch episode Open on YouTube ↗ Krew Rentals ↗

Episode 4 — Joe Campisano and Steve of Unhinged Exotics

Episode 4Sep 23, 202633 min

He Built a 30-Car Rental Fleet—Now He’s Building a Country Club for Car Lovers

Joe Campisano & Steve · Unhinged Exotics · 30-car fleet in New Jersey

Joe Campisano started renting out his BMW M4 because he was struggling to make the payment. Four years later, Unhinged Exotics is a 30-car rental fleet — and Joe and his friend Steve are launching Unhinged Drive Society, a membership-based country club for car lovers in Toms River, New Jersey, with exotic cars, a private clubhouse, detailing, and member events.

In this episode

How one BMW rental grew into a 30-car fleet
Why Joe moved beyond financing vehicles on personal credit
Using outside investors to expand the fleet
Their three-tier membership model
Creating year-round demand in a seasonal market
Why Joe says cars helped save his life

Watch episode Open on YouTube ↗ Unhinged Exotics ↗

Episode 3 — Jimmi McCard, the “Turo King”

Episode 3Sep 17, 202629 min

How the “Turo King” Used One Private Lender to Grow to 42 Cars

Jimmi McCard · the “Turo King” · 42-car fleet

Jimmi McCard grew a 42-car Turo fleet without quitting his day job — and without traditional bank financing. One private lender financed 32 of his vehicles on a structure borrowed from real estate hard-money loans: a payment-free first month to get each car rental-ready, then 12 equal monthly payments. 25 of those loans are already paid off, and he keeps ownership of the vehicles and their future cash flow.

In this episode

Why traditional banks were unlikely to finance his strategy
How he buys vehicles for 30–70 cents on the dollar
How the 13-month private-credit arrangement is structured
Why one lender was willing to finance 32 vehicles
Why he prefers private credit over the traditional co-hosting model
Finding deal flow with Facebook Marketplace techniques

Watch episode Open on YouTube ↗ Follow Jimmi ↗

Episode 2 — George Vincent Jr. of Tag Rentals

Episode 2Sep 9, 202628 min

How He Built a 17-Car Rental Fleet and Expanded Beyond Turo

George Vincent Jr. · Tag Rentals · 17-car fleet near Atlanta’s airport

George Vincent Jr. started with one Jeep Grand Cherokee on Turo in 2020. Six years later he runs a 17-car fleet near Atlanta’s airport and is expanding into private rentals, co-hosting, and passenger vans — with a plan to reach 50 vehicles. His biggest lesson: pay attention to the numbers, verify everything, and never take the easy money if you want to build a lasting rental business.

In this episode

Why he avoids brand-new cars, and how he evaluates vehicle profitability
Expanding into private rentals with Wheelbase — and why Turo should never be your only plan
Building a profitable co-hosting program
Using utilization data to generate thousands in additional revenue
The $80,000 Porsche rental that became a nine-month insurance ordeal
Why looking profitable doesn’t always mean you’re making money

Watch episode Open on YouTube ↗ Tag Rentals ↗

Episode 1 — Alex Stevens, former Navy fighter pilot and fleet owner

Episode 1Aug 13, 202639 min

Fighter Pilot to 72 Vehicle Fleet

Alex Stevens · former Navy fighter pilot · ~72 vehicles in Phoenix

After COVID disrupted his race-car business, Alex Stevens listed his first vehicle on Turo in January 2021. Today his Phoenix-based fleet runs roughly 72 vehicles across Turo, Wheelbase, Outdoorsy, and direct rentals — cars, RVs, and more than 30 co-hosted vehicles for eight owners. He shares the unfiltered reality of building a large independent fleet, and why he’s now right-sizing it around a smaller number of proven models.

In this episode

Why financing is the biggest obstacle as you scale
The difference between revenue, cash flow, and high-quality profit
Why chasing maximum utilization can hurt your bottom line
Evaluating vehicles with data from roughly 15,000 trips
The expensive risk-management lesson from a stolen vehicle
How FleetPilot became the financial source of truth for his business

Watch episode Open on YouTube ↗

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