How to Manage Company Fleets with the Odoo 18 Fleet Module
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 25, 2026
Redpine Landscaping runs a 14-vehicle fleet out of their yard in Bend, Oregon — five pickup trucks, four cargo vans, three ride-on mowers with trailers, and two compact excavators. For the first three years, fleet manager Gabe tracked everything in a shared Google Sheet. License plate renewals, insurance expirations, oil changes, fuel receipts, driver assignments — all in one sprawling spreadsheet with 47 columns that nobody fully understood. The breaking point came when the insurance on a cargo van lapsed for two weeks because the reminder sat in a tab Gabe had accidentally filtered out. The van was involved in a minor fender-bender during that gap, and Redpine had to cover $6,200 out of pocket.
That incident convinced the owners to move fleet management into Odoo 18. The Fleet module consolidates every vehicle's details — model, driver, odometer, contracts, services, fuel logs, and expenses — into a single platform with automated alerts and smart buttons. Gabe configured all 14 vehicles in one afternoon. Now, contract expiration emails arrive 30 days before any renewal is due, service history is accessible in two clicks, and the insurance lapse scenario is physically impossible because expired contracts show up in the dashboard's "Need Action" filter every time he opens the module. This guide covers how Gabe set it up.
What You Will Learn: How to navigate the Fleet dashboard (Kanban, List, Activity, Pivot views), how to register a new vehicle with full details, how to configure the Tax Info tab (fiscal data, contract values), how to use the Model tab (engine specs, emissions), how to manage vehicles using smart buttons (Odometer, Contracts, Services, Driver History, Employee), and how to use filters and stages for ongoing fleet management.
What the Fleet Module Manages
Vehicle Registry
Every vehicle in one place — model, license plate, chassis number, assigned driver, future driver, tags, category, and current location. Redpine's 14 vehicles were registered in under an hour.
Contracts & Insurance
Leasing agreements, insurance policies, rental contracts — all tracked with start dates, end dates, and automated email reminders. No more lapsed coverage or missed renewals.
Costs & Fuel Logs
Fuel receipts, repair invoices, tire replacements, toll charges — every expense is logged against a specific vehicle. Gabe runs a cost-per-vehicle report monthly to decide when to retire aging trucks.
Service & Maintenance
Scheduled oil changes, brake inspections, tire rotations — all tracked with dates, costs, and service providers. Preventive maintenance records help Gabe spot repeat issues before they become expensive breakdowns.
The Fleet Dashboard
The module opens in Kanban view by default, grouping vehicles by their status stage (Active, In Maintenance, Planned for Change, Retired). Each card shows the vehicle name, driver, location, tags, and a logo. Redpine's dashboard looks like this:
KANBAN STAGES ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ ACTIVE (11) IN MAINTENANCE (2) RETIRED (1) ───────────── ────────────────── ─────────── Ford F-150 #1 Isuzu NPR Box Truck John Deere Z930M Driver: Marco R. Driver: (none) Driver: (none) Tags: Pickup, Crew A Service: Transmission Status: Sold Location: Job Site 4 ETA: Feb 28 Ford F-150 #2 Kubota KX040 Driver: Sarah K. Driver: (none) Tags: Pickup, Crew B Service: Track replace Location: Yard ETA: Mar 5 Toyota Tacoma Driver: Gabe P. Tags: Pickup, Fleet Mgr Location: Yard ... 8 more vehicles
Available views: Kanban (default), List, Activity, and Pivot. The List view shows license plate, model, category, driver, future driver, registration date, tags, and contract renewal status in a structured table.
Dashboard Filters
| Filter | What It Shows | How Gabe Uses It |
|---|---|---|
| Accessible | Vehicles currently available for assignment | Checks before assigning a truck to a new job site |
| Cars / Bikes / Trailer Hook | Vehicles filtered by category | Separates trucks from excavators and mowers |
| Planned for Change | Vehicles scheduled for replacement | Tracks the two trucks listed for trade-in next quarter |
| Need Action | Vehicles with overdue contracts or expiring insurance | Daily check — this is where the lapsed insurance would have been caught |
| Archived | Retired or sold vehicles | Historical records for tax and depreciation audits |
Use Group By to organize the fleet by Status, Model, Brand, or Fuel Type. Save frequent searches as Favorites for one-click access.
Registering a New Vehicle
Click New from the Fleet dashboard. The vehicle form has four sections:
General Information
Fill in the core identity of the vehicle:
| Field | Redpine Example |
|---|---|
| Model | Ford F-150 XLT 2024 |
| License Plate | OR-7829-FL |
| Tags | Pickup, Crew A, Tow Package |
| Driver | Marco Reyes |
| Driver Address | 1420 Butler Market Rd, Bend, OR |
| Mobility Card | Fuel Card #4488 |
| Future Driver | Tyler Haynes (starts April 1) |
| Assignment Date | 2025-04-01 (blank means available now) |
| Company | Redpine Landscaping LLC |
| Category | Pickup Truck |
| Fleet Manager | Gabe Patterson |
| Chassis Number | 1FTEW1E57NFA84321 |
| Location | Main Yard — Bend |
Tax Info Tab
Contains fiscal and financial data for the vehicle:
| Section | Fields | Redpine Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fiscality | Horsepower Taxation, Disallowed Expenses Rate | Rate: 15%, Start: Jan 2024 |
| Contract | First Contract Date | 2024-01-15 |
| Catalog Value / Purchase Value | $52,400 / $48,750 | |
| Residual Value | $28,000 (estimated trade-in after 5 years) |
Model Tab
Technical specifications of the vehicle:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Model Year | 2024 |
| Color | Oxford White |
| Power | 400 hp |
| Horsepower | 14 CV (fiscal) |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline |
| CO2 Emissions | 394 g/km |
| CO2 Standard | WLTP |
Notes Tab
Free-text area for any additional information. Gabe adds notes like "Aftermarket bed liner installed Jan 2024. Class IV trailer hitch rated to 13,000 lbs. Preferred for hardscape material transport." This context helps the scheduling team assign the right truck to the right job.
Smart Buttons: Managing a Vehicle Day-to-Day
After saving the vehicle, five smart buttons appear at the top of the form. Each one links to a specific management area:
Odometer
Tracks mileage over time. Gabe logs odometer readings monthly to calculate fuel efficiency, estimate tire wear, and schedule oil changes (every 7,500 miles for the F-150s). The history shows each reading with its date for trend analysis.
Contracts
Links to insurance policies, leasing agreements, and rental contracts. Each contract shows start/end dates, recurring costs, and status. Odoo sends email reminders before expiry — the feature that would have prevented Redpine's $6,200 insurance gap.
Services
Maintenance and repair records: oil changes, brake jobs, tire replacements, and body work. Each entry tracks the date, cost, service provider, and description. Gabe spotted that one van needed brake pads replaced every 4 months — turned out the driver was riding the brakes on hills.
Driver History
A complete log of every employee who has been assigned the vehicle, with dates. Useful for accountability, audits, and understanding usage patterns. Redpine's F-150 #1 has been through 3 drivers in 2 years — each reassignment is recorded automatically.
Employee
Links directly to the employee record of the current driver. Gabe uses this to check driver's license expiry, emergency contacts, and any HR notes before assigning a vehicle to a new crew member.
Managing Stages
Kanban stages organize your fleet by operational status. Hover over any stage title to access the settings icon, which lets you Fold, Edit, Delete, Archive, or Unarchive that stage. Redpine uses four custom stages:
Stage | Vehicles | Description --------------------|----------|-------------------------------------------- Active | 11 | In daily operation, assigned to drivers In Maintenance | 2 | At shop or dealer for scheduled/unscheduled work Planned for Change | 0 | Flagged for trade-in or replacement Retired | 1 | Sold, totaled, or permanently decommissioned
To add a vehicle to a stage quickly, click the + icon next to the stage name, type the vehicle model, and click Add. To add an entirely new stage, click + Stage at the right end of the Kanban board.
Best Practices
Check "Need Action" Daily
This filter catches expired contracts, overdue services, and vehicles without assigned drivers. Gabe makes it his first click every morning. If anything appears here, it gets handled before the crew heads out.
Log Odometer Readings Consistently
Mileage data drives everything — fuel efficiency calculations, service intervals, depreciation estimates, and lease compliance. Redpine drivers log their odometer every Monday morning. Inconsistent logging makes the data unreliable and defeats the purpose of tracking.
Use Tags for Quick Filtering
Redpine tags every vehicle with its crew assignment (Crew A, Crew B, Crew C), equipment type (Pickup, Van, Excavator), and capability (Tow Package, 4WD). This lets Gabe filter instantly when he needs, say, all 4WD trucks available for a mountain job site.
Set Up Contract Expiry Reminders
Configure email notifications on every contract to trigger 30 days before expiration. This is the single most important setting that prevents coverage gaps. After the $6,200 incident, Gabe also set a second reminder at 14 days as a safety net.
Summary
Key Takeaways: The Odoo 18 Fleet module replaces spreadsheets and scattered documents with a centralized vehicle management platform. Register each vehicle with its model, license plate, chassis number, driver, and location. Use the Tax Info tab for fiscal data and contract values. Use the Model tab for engine specifications, fuel type, and emissions. Five smart buttons — Odometer, Contracts, Services, Driver History, and Employee — give you quick access to every operational aspect of a vehicle. The Kanban dashboard with custom stages, filters (especially "Need Action"), and Group By options lets you monitor fleet health at a glance. Set contract expiry reminders, log odometer readings consistently, and use tags for quick filtering to keep your fleet running efficiently.