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Glossary

Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM)

The fleet industry’s highest certification that can be attained by a fleet manager. Certification requires an applicant to pass tests in eight disciplines of fleet management, including fleet information management, maintenance management, professional development, vehicle fuel management, asset management, business management, financial management, and risk management. The program is governed by NAFA.

The Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) credential—developed and administered by the NAFA Fleet Management Association—has stood for more than 35 years as the fleet industry’s most prestigious professional designation. Positioned as NAFA’s “gold-standard,” it validates a manager’s command of eight fleet-management disciplines through a rigorous, self-paced program: candidates have three years to complete eight computer-based, 50-question exams and must recertify every five years to keep the credential current. Oversight rests with an independent CAFM Commission, which continuously updates exam standards, content, and ethical requirements so the certification tracks with evolving best practices.

To earn the CAFM, professionals (or students in fleet-related programs) must show proficiency in asset, business, financial, information, maintenance, professional-development, risk, and vehicle-fuel management. NAFA offers guidebooks, e-learning, webinars, and an online community to support study, but the program remains fully self-directed. After passing all eight modules within the three-year window, designees maintain their status by logging 80 continuing-education points every five years, or—after a decade of active certification—by applying for Lifetime (Ret.) status.

Holding the CAFM signals comprehensive expertise to employers, peers, and even veteran-education benefit programs. Monster.com lists it among the top ten career-boosting certifications, and CAFM holders report an average 27 percent salary premium over non-certified counterparts. With more than 500 active designees spanning public- and private-sector fleets across multiple continents, the credential demonstrates a commitment to professional ethics and lifelong learning through NAFA’s Code of Professional Responsibility and ongoing CE requirements—underscoring why the CAFM remains the fleet profession’s benchmark for leadership and credibility.

Sources and further reading

Further Reading

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