Sustainable fleet management: Vehicle selection application

This study investigates the increasing importance of optimizing decision-making processes for commercial road transport enterprises during the integration (purchase) of new vehicles into their fleets. The rapid digitalization experienced globally in the logistics sector compels businesses and their environments to make decisions among a multitude of options.In this context, computer-aided Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods such as PROMETHEE and FUCOM offer decision-makers the opportunity to systematically evaluate new vehicle procurement in fleet management within economic, environmental, and sustainability frameworks.The research contributes to the literature by examining strategic decisions within fleet management, particularly in Turkey's dynamic and volatile economic structure, where decision-makers utilize subjective and numerical-based systems to perform multi-dimensional comparisons against alternative criteria to achieve the optimum selection. This approach addresses perational continuity, cost control, efficiency, and sustainability performance holistically, considering not only the short-term but also the long-term impacts of the decisions.The current trend of addressing and implementing environmental and energy policies with a sustainable strategy has necessitated the minimization of the negative environmental effects of fossil fuels. This has brought social and environmental assessment dimensions to the forefront, alongside economic considerations. The study emphasizes that this approach enables the reduction of the global environmental footprint. In this context, the selection of greener, fossil fuel-free vehicles aims to address vehicle selection problems in the literature using the PROMETHEE and FUCOM decision support systems.Consequently, the study aims to examine the impacts on operational continuity and cost performance through a holistic approach, ensuring businesses make clearer strategic decisions, especially within Turkey's dynamic and volatile economic structure. Specifically, fleet management considered within a sustainable environment today emphasizes the importance of evaluating vehicle selection not just economically, but also within a sustainable framework. This work aims to comprehensively address the economic and social dimensions, in addition to environmental factors, in the selection of commercial vehicles.This thesis seeks to fill the gaps in the literature regarding the integration of fleet management, sustainable transportation, and decision support systems, and to present a practical, innovative decision-making model for the logistics sector.