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Relationships between fleets and manufacturers currently appear to be at an all-time low, according to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
It said members were reporting issues ranging from late cancelled orders, to simply not being able to get hold of representatives from major manufacturers, alongside a suspicion that large fleets were often being placed last when it came to allocating stock.
According to AFP chair Paul Hollick, there was a general perception that the issue was getting worse rather than better.
He said: "Everyone knows and understands that there are ongoing production issues affecting almost every manufacturer but no-one can comprehend why this has seemingly caused a complete breakdown in responsibility and communication.
"With a couple of possible exceptions, the story appears to be consistent for almost every manufacturer across all of our fleets.
"Placing orders is difficult because you can't get hold of the right people to do so, getting subsequent updates on those orders is often impossible and finally, these orders are often pulled at the last minute with no explanation."
Hollick said the AFP was hearing regular stories from across its membership about orders for dozens or even hundreds of vehicles being cancelled more than a year after they were first made, and within weeks of when they were due.
He said: "This leaves fleets high and dry. It's having a direct impact on businesses that need transport and, on a personal basis, potentially damages the perception of the fleet manager within their business."
Hollick said the situation was causing high degrees of ill feeling, and that there was even talk of organising boycotts of some manufacturers.
He said: "As an organisation, we don't think any form of boycott would be an effective strategy but the fact that such an idea is being raised just shows the strength of feeling.
"A refrain we hear time and again from fleets is that, once supply returns to some kind of normality, the worst-offending manufacturers will not be easily forgiven and our members will not work with them in the future where a choice exists."
Hollick added that a further point of contention was that manufacturers appeared to be giving priority to retail customers and small fleets over large scale buyers of vehicles.
He said: "Especially for certain types of more fashionable vehicle, it seems that it is easier to get hold of supply if you a private individual or if you run ten vehicles rather than if you run a thousand. This is something that makes no sense whatsoever - especially at a time when fleets are often paying something very close to retail prices.
"It's a common complaint that before the pandemic, fleet managers were pursued by manufacturer reps on a daily basis and now, they haven't heard from any in years. That's not a basis for responsible, long-term partnerships.
"Manufacturers should realise the damage they are doing and change their approach as quickly as possible."
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