| Video News & Views
PEOPLE & IDEAS TO WATCH | The UAW of the Future | | CAR's Chairman Emeritus, David Cole, says the UAW has undergone major changes in the past few years -- and that likely means they'll have a different focus in the future. Here's one expert's take on what it means. |
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October 20, 2011
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| Fleet Trends & Issues |
Opportunities & Successful Fleet Management |
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Registration Now Open for NTEA Work Truck Show 2012
Registration is now open for North America’s largest work truck event, The Work Truck Show® 2012. Register online at www.ntea.com to explore more than 500,000 square feet of the newest truck chassis, bodies, equipment and components from more than 550 exhibiting companies. Choose from more than 60 educational programs on industry topics. The Fleet Management Symposium will be held Monday, March 5, and Tuesday, March 6. Designed for all fleet management professionals regardless of industry, this Symposium focuses on best practices and strategies that dramatically impact your fleet and shop financial, operational and productivity performances. The Green Truck Summit , held in conjunction with the Work Truck Show, is known for offering cutting-edge solutions at the forefront of technology, and has become the leading educational forum on how the "green revolution" impacts vocational trucks. This year's Summit is scheduled for Monday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 6.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to interact with thousands of industry peers, meet with suppliers, and receive unprecedented technical and engineering support. The Work Truck Show 2012 is held at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN, March 6-8, 2012. Educational programming, including the Green Truck Summit and Fleet Management Symposium, begins March 5. Click here for more information
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| Focus On... |
Current Fleet Topics
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New Study Says Texting Doubles a Driver's Reaction Time Researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University have determined that a driver’s reaction time is doubled when distracted by reading or sending a text message. The study reveals how the texting impairment is even greater than many experts believed, and demonstrates how texting drivers are less able to react to sudden roadway hazards. In addition to the reaction-time element, researchers also measured each driver’s ability to maintain proper lane position and a constant speed. Major findings further documented the impairment of texting when compared to the controlled driving conditions. Drivers were less able to: Read more
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| Association News & Views |
Activities, Events & Success Stories |
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Twenty-Four NAFA Members And Affiliates Recognized For Sustainability Efforts Twenty-four NAFA Members and Affiliates were recognized on October 4 during the Green Fleet Conference in Grapevine, TX by receiving the inaugural Sustainability All-Star awards in honor of their outstanding work towards reducing emissions and fuel consumption. Forty recipients in all were chosen based on professional longevity, sustainability accomplishments and achievements, innovation, and overall industry involvement. The awards were presented by Government Fleet magazine. Altogether, these fleet professionals have reduced greenhouse gas emissions, created sustainability policies, and have dedicated their time and energy to ensuring the path to sustainability is clear. NAFA is a strong supporter and proponent of sustainable fleets. Sustainability All-Stars - Richard Battersby, CAFM, Director, Fleet Services – University of California, Davis
- Donna Bibbo, CAFM, Manager, Fleet & Travel – Novo Nordisk, Inc.
- Douglas Bond, Transportation Services Manager – Alameda County, California
- Gerry Calk, Fleet Officer – City of Austin, Texas
- Larry Campbell, Fleet Manager – City of Ft. Wayne, Indiana
- Dave Head, Fleet Manager – County of Sonoma, California
- Robert Howdyshell, Director Purchasing & Fleet – County of Riverside, California
- Ernie Ivy, Fleet Director – City and County of Denver, Colorado
- Keith Leech, Fleet Manager – City of Sacramento, California
- Sherry Lewis, Associate Director – UCLA
- Rick Longobart, Facilities & Fleet Manager – City of Santa Ana, California
- Dave Meisel, Director, Transportation Services – Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
- Allen Mitchell, Fleet Manager – Snohomish County, Washington
- Phil Schreiber, Fleet Manager, North America – Otis Service Center
- Steve Weir, CAFM, Director, Office of Fleet Administration – City of New York
- Wendy Dafoe, Project Manager – National Renewable Energy Lab
- Deb Frodl, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer – GE Capital Fleet Services
- Greg Glander, Strategic Planning Manager – Fleet – Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc.
- Thomas Miller, EV Commercial Fleet Manager – Mitsubishi Motors North America
- Todd Mouw, Director, Sales & Marketing – Roush Cleantech
- Gary Rappeport, CEO – Donlen
- Stephe Yborra, Director of Marketing & Communications – NGVAmerica
- Greg Zilberfarb, Consultant – Propane Education & Research Council
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"As a result of these negotiations, the UAW and the domestic automakers announced a total of 20,000 direct manufacturing jobs including the creation of 6,400 jobs at GM and 2,100 at Chrysler. The American auto industry is on its way back." UAW President Bob King, speaking after Ford Motor Company workers voted to accept a new four year contract.
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Janice Sutton, Editor
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Be sure and check out AutomotiveDigest.com's brand-new weekly newsletter, Used Car Market Reports. The new publication is sponsored by auto transporter United Road, and each week will feature an analysis of two used car market reports, video clips of remarketing professionals on various aspects of the used car market, and topical articles. Take a look!
Drive Safety, Janice
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Last Minute News
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Ford, GM economists foresee better 2012 for auto sales
Economists for General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. expect U.S. auto sales to increase in 2012 above the 12.5 million to 13.5 million forecast for this year. "We see growth in 2012 for one reason - vehicles are getting very, very old," Ford senior economist C. Jenny Lin said Wednesday at a gathering hosted by the National Association of Manufacturers. Read more Existing Intelligent Transportation Technologies Could Eliminate Almost All Traffic Accidents
Nearly every traffic accident caused by driver error -- up to 90 percent of all crashes -- could be eliminated if existing intelligent transportation technologies were implemented in our vehicles and roads, say experts at IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association. Read more Mexican trucks due to begin going deep into U.S.
After years of union efforts to keep them out, Mexican trucks are about to start rolling into the U.S., as allowed under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Read more
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| Places, Sites, and People for New Ideas
& Applications |
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Mark Petersen
Hourglass Management Corporation
Senior Sales Executive
An Umbrella of Services...and Solutions
A well-known and respected industry leader, Mark recently joined Hourglass Management, which has a number of fleet-minded companies under its umbrella. Mark tells us that many companies are looking for alternatives to traditional ways of managing their fleets.
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Jill Lajdziak
QEK Global Solutions, Inc.
President and CEO
QEK Global Solutions, Inc. announces the appointment of Jill Lajdziak as President and Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2011. Jill will be replacing current President and CEO Kerry Budry, who will retire from the position after the transition with Jill is complete. Jill brings over 30 years of automotive experience to QEK. This background will give her the ability to provide a high level of customer service to new and existing clients while leveraging many different Penske relationships around the globe, providing a foundation to expand the QEK customer base and services.
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Keith Richardson
Pricelock
Director of Supplier Network
Pricelock announced that Keith Richardson has joined the firm as Director of Supplier Network. Leveraging over two decades of proven success in the energy industry, Richardson will be responsible for developing supplier relationships for Marketplace, Pricelock's customized, online energy-auction platform that allows companies to conduct fast-paced, real-time auctions for natural gas and motor fuels. Prior to joining Pricelock, Richardson was Global Business Development Manager at Chemoil Energy Ltd. which included management of the Company's Risk Management Platform for energy hedging instruments.
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| Managing Your Fleet Trends, Issues & Opportunities |
New High-Tech Safety Systems Developed by Nissan
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Responding to the growing consumer demand for safer vehicles, Nissan has developed new high-tech safety systems designed to help prevent collisions or, where that's not possible, reduce the chance of injuries and fatalities. The safety technology trio includes Nissan's Acceleration Suppression for Pedal Misapplication, Multi-Sensing System with Rear Camera, and Predictive Forward Collision Warning System.
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ATA Chief Economist: No Double Dip Recession
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A panel of economic experts attending a recent ATA Management Conference and Exhibition dismissed the idea of double-dip recession in the U.S. while acknowledging economic growth will still be too slow to make a dent in unemployment numbers. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said truckload volumes fell 23% during the recession but are back up about 10%, and revenue per mile is increasing.
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| Driver Safety Management Practices, Policy, & Training |
Winter Tires Best Choice for Cold Weather Driving
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Traditional snow tires feature very wide tread gaps and work well in snow, but are loud and clunky without it. Winter tires are made for all types of winter weather and offer advantages in extremely cold weather, ice, and on dry pavement. Winter tires allow quicker stopping; better control means fewer rear-end accidents.
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Cars.com: Curtain Airbags Offered on Most Three-Row Vehicles
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Cars.com audited the market's 47 models of SUVs, minivans and wagons with three rows of seats available and found most have curtain airbags that span all three rows. Six models stop their curtains at the second row. There currently are no crash tests for third rows, and IIHS doesn't plan to conduct third-row testing anytime soon.
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| Manufacturer Developments Design, Production, & Services |
New Consumer Study Says Hyundai Tops in Corporate Loyalty
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A new consumer study says the Kia Forte leads the industry in terms of owner loyalty. With a loyalty rate of 49.6%, Hyundai is now tops in corporate loyalty, edging out GM and Ford. GM came in second at 48.1%. Ford was third but took six of the Top 10 spots in terms of loyalty to specific products.
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Problems Arise with VW, Suzuki Partnership
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The 2009 comprehensive partnership between Volkswagen and Suzuki has hit troubled waters. Both automakers have expressed dissatisfaction, making it seem wiser for the two sides to agree to separate and unwind their shareholdings in each other. But a better idea may be to make up and move forward with implementing the original deal.
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| Driving Green Initiatives, Actions, & Implementations |
Survey Finds EVs May be Tough Sell
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A survey by the Deloitte consulting firm of 13,000-plus consumers in 17 countries found that real-world electric vehicles may not be an easy sell. Among its findings: India is most receptive to EVs while Japan is least receptive, 65% of U.S. consumers expect to pay no price premium for an EV, and only 63% of U.S. drivers are satisfied with a range of 297 miles. Most consumers surveyed expect a battery recharging time of less than 2 hours.
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Businesses Plan for the Future with EV Charging Stations
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Fewer than 15,000 all-electric cars are currently on U.S. roads, but the number of vehicle charging stations is growing fast. Many business owners are investing in electric vehicle charging stations to be ready for the future and to offer EV owners the convenience of recharging while they shop.
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| The Intelligent Vehicle Telematics, Telecommunications, &
Technology |
The Future Connection of Cars to the Internet
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Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T's Emerging Devices business, spoke at a wireless industry gathering in San Diego, CA, on the connection of cars to the Internet. He estimated 100% of new vehicles will be connected in three to five years. This will change the economics of the car business.
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TRW Stands for Safety
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While many suppliers are developing their own methods of offering consumers various means of staying connected while driving, TRW has no plans to be one of them. TRW is a $14.4 billion supplier dedicated to airbags, seatbelts, brakes and other safety technologies and takes a dim view of drivers who use cell phones or send text messages while they are behind the wheel.
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| Fleet Vehicle Remarketing Marketing Strategies, Channels,
& Sales Data |
Wholesale Prices Still Down, but the Trend Could be Softening
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Wholesale vehicle values saw another decrease last week on a week-over-week basis, but pricing moved in a positive direction overall, according to Black Book’s Ricky Beggs. He said the overall change in prices was the most moderate decline the market has seen in more than four months.
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Raising Sales Penetration Numbers on Tough Dealer Customers
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Three groups of tough car shopping customers are making up to 40% of Safe-Guard’s F&I product customers – cash buyers, high-mileage used car buyers, and lease customers. Training director Luis Garcia offered tips on raising sales-penetration averages that dig into the intricacies of marketing service plans, finance options, roadside assistance, available credit card purchases, and pay-as-you-go leasing plans.
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Fleet & Asset Management USA 2011
Hotel Melia'
Atlanta, GA
November 16-17, 2011
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LA Auto Show
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles, CA
November 18-27, 2011
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Natural Gas Vehicle Infrastructure Conference & Exposition
Omni Houston Hotel
Houston, TX
January 24-25, 2012
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Green Truck Summit 2012
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
March 5-6, 2012
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The Work Truck Show 2012
Indiana Convention Center
Indianapolis, IN
March 6-8, 2012
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Stats and Smart Charts
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Compact and Large Truck Market Share – 1991 to 2011
[Click to enlarge graphic]
 - Compact pickups, now called Midsize as they got bigger, were presumed left for dead by Detroit 3
- GM hasn’t said anything definitive lately about fate of Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon nameplates, as assembly plant in Shreveport, LA scheduled to close
- GM has all but said new midsize pickup is coming
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