Accordingly, when fleet managers cited their greatest concerns for 2012, 26 percent said meeting their organizations' cost-savings goals was their greatest concern, an increase of three percent since last year's survey, followed by driver safety (23 percent) and workforce productivity (19 percent).

"Whether identifying ways to reduce maintenance spend or fine-tune vehicle replacement strategies, we continue to experience a high demand from customers on how best to optimize their fleets and drive out cost," said Mark Hayes, chief marketing officer of GE Capital Fleet Services.

According to the survey, in the next 12 months 57 percent of fleet managers will have incorporated alternative fuel vehicles into their fleets. Fewer fleet managers than a year ago said they do not currently have plans to incorporate alternative fuel vehicles over the next 12 months (30 percent today down from 34 percent).

Other key findings from the survey include:

• Analytics: Thirty-eight percent use analytics tools to identify ways to improve operational efficiencies and 24 percent note analytics have assisted their purchasing decisions.

• Vehicle replacement: Only 7 percent of respondents do not have plans to pursue a vehicle replacement program in the next 12 months.

• Leasing versus owning: Forty-eight percent said the majority of the fleet they manage is leased, equal to the percentage whose fleets are owned by their company.

Source: GE Capital, Fleet Services