Cox Automotive is bringing its fleet businesses together.

The industry giant announced it is merging its Fleet Services and FleetNet America brands into one fleet organization, effective Jan. 1, a “strategic alignment” Cox called a major step forward in its long-term commitment to the fleet industry.

“Cox Enterprises has a 127-year legacy of innovation, transforming fragmented markets into thriving ecosystems,” Fleet Services senior vice president Patrick Brennan said. “Through Cox Automotive, we turned scattered car lots into Manheim, the world’s largest auto auction marketplace. We connected car buyers and sellers through Autotrader, revolutionizing how America shops for vehicles. With this move, our goal is to bring that same organizing power to the fleet ecosystem.”

Since Cox acquired both companies during the past five years, Fleet Services has more than doubled in size, with more than 1,500 technicians nationwide, while FleetNet America has had record volume, with 2.5 million calls and 800,000 emergency roadside events per year from its network of more than 65,000 service providers.

Kyle Ballinger, previously associate vice president of sales for Cox’s NextGear Capital, has been named vice president of fleet sales to lead the company’s go-to-market strategy for Fleet Services and FleetNet, with a focus on expanding client relationships and growing new business.

“Cox Automotive is uniquely positioned to be the organizer, connector and best-in-class provider in the fleet industry,” Ballinger said. “We’re bringing the transparency and foundation our clients need to run and grow their businesses — transforming total cost of ownership and reducing the many points of friction that come with operating a fleet.”

Cox Automotive said combining the businesses allows it to deliver a unified experience and helping them drive greater uptime through expanded service coverage across North America, including mobile, shop and captive capabilities; greater data visibility to manage uptime and control costs; a single point of contact and integrated systems; and simplified processes with one platform and one relationship for better visibility.

“Today our customers deal with thousands of vendors, with complex coordination of payments, invoicing and reporting, as well as maintenance across tires, windshields, trailers, hydraulic systems, computer systems and more … all while trying to keep their own business moving,” FleetNet vice president Alex Fraser said. “By coming together, we’ll offer a better, easier and more powerful alternative than what they have today. We’ll help them do more with less — to grow their business and take ours to the next level.”

Cox Automotive said the merging process is still in its early stages and it will announce the new combined brand in the coming months.