FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
March 3, 2015

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Fleet Asset Management Explained

If your responsibilities include managing material handling equipment, you will want to follow Keith Trumbull’s superb monthly Fleet Asset Management column in Fleet Management Weekly. Vice president of material handling equipment at Element Fleet Management, Keith is an expert on strategically managing these key fleet assets.

His past columns have taken us from the basics of material handling to the latest trends in the equipment, to getting a grip on costs. This month, Keith helps us understand the differences between leasing and owning assets and the advantages/disadvantages of both methods in his column– Financial Decision-Making: Leasing Versus Buying Material Handling Equipment. It is outstanding and well worth a read if you manage any type of assets.

Janice Sutton


INDEX: Find All of the Fleet News and Information You Need on Newly Redesigned FleetManagementWeekly.com

Browse these categories:

Association News — Find out what’s going on at associations of importance to the fleet community.
Fleet Trends & Issues – Check out articles about current fleet issues and trends
Fleet Safety – Read news about various aspects of fleet safety, including interviews of fleet safety leaders
Fleet Videos – Watch video clips of fleet newsmakers
Interviews – Read Fleet Management Weekly’s interviews with industry leaders.
Telematics — Learn about the latest in fleet telematics news

Read monthly columns: Fleet Marketing, Fleet Asset Management, The Mobile Employee, On Accident Management, The Fleet Customer Experience, Think Global Plan Local, and Fleet Safety.


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VIDEO: NAFA's International Fleet Academy Keeps Evolving

Global fleet management has gone from an exotic concept to something fleet managers are making happen — despite all of its complexities — and NAFA’s IFA is an important part of the equation.



VIDEO: Less Speeding, More Safety
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  A 95% Reduction in All Speeding for Your Fleet?
 

A powerful combination of in-cab real-time verbal mentoring with accurate real-time speed limit reporting can lead to a 95% reduction of all speeding in your fleet. And less speeding means more safety.


Click here to watch video
VIDEO: April in Orlando
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  Win Free Registration to NAFA I&E in Orlando!
 

Why are YOU excited about I&E? Check out this video from NAFA’s CEO, Phil Russo, for information about how you can share your excitement for I&E 2015 for a chance to win a free conference registration!


Click here to read more



The Fleet Spot


Paul Kasbar Paul Kasbar Joins Element Fleet Management as Regional Director of Sales

Element Fleet Management is pleased to welcome Paul Kasbar as regional director of sales for the West region.

Kasbar brings more than 25 years of fleet management and U.S. sales experience to the role. He most recently served as regional sales manager at Mobileye, a manufacturer of advanced driver assistance systems focused on collision avoidance.

READ MORE

Sean OMalley CEI Names Sean P. O’Malley Midwest Sales Manager

The CEI Group, Inc. (CEI), a provider of automotive fleet accident, safety and risk management services, announced the appointment of Sean O’Malley as Midwest regional sales manager.

Mr. O’Malley comes to CEI after nine years at ARI, an automotive fleet leasing and management services company, where he was a district sales manager. ARI is also a distributor of CEI’s fleet services.

READ MORE

Ben Langley Driving Dynamics Inc. Names Ben Langley Director, Training Services

Driving Dynamics, Inc., a provider of advanced performance driver safety training and fleet risk management services, announced the appointment of Ben Langley to the director of training services position.

Ben joined Driving Dynamics in 2013 as a consultant, serving as the editor of The Driver Advantage safe driving e-newsletter. During that time he also worked closely with the company’s leadership team helping to improve existing services, research and develop new programs and support business development efforts.

READ MORE

leaseplan LeasePlan Leverages New Expertise to Expand Sales Footprint

Fleet management provider, LeasePlan USA, announces record growth and expansion of the client acquisition sales team. In 2014, LeasePlan USA saw significant growth, which led to several organizational developments.

LeasePlan recently appointed fleet sales veteran, Joseph Danca, to the newly created position of national sales vice president under Brian Barber, senior vice president sales. LeasePlan has also hired two new additions to the company’s sales staff, Bill Bauza and Tina Massey (Orwick).

READ MORE

Fleet Marketing

By Ed Pierce, ITA Fleet Communications

Feedback is an important tool for marketers. However, like in music, it can be misused and abused unless controlled.

Marketers all know that the marketing process demands a closed loop: market research helps a company determine user needs and pain, corporate and promotional messaging promotes benefits and value inherent in its brand and product attributes, and market research confirms the effectiveness of the communication.

Problems usually arise in that last step when the company decides to take shortcuts or to muddy the waters by mixing in multiple objectives. Consider these examples:

READ MORE

 
Fleet Asset Management

By Keith Trumbull

There are benefits to either leasing or owning a piece of equipment, depending upon your objectives, and it’s imperative for decision makers to perform a cost analysis to help identify which method is best for your needs.

Last month we shared the seven factors to analyze for a better understanding of your organization’s asset costs. This month we’re diving into the differences between leasing and owning assets. There are advantages and disadvantages of each depending on your organization’s specific needs. Prior to making the decision to lease or own an asset, it is important to accurately compare costs.

READ MORE

 
The Future is Now

The annual conference of the Automotive Fleet and Leasing Association (AFLA) will be held September 14-16, 2015 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee. The theme for this year’s conference is The Future is Now – Transformational Ideas Shaping Our Industry. AFLA is thrilled to bring its annual conference to Nashville for the first time.

The Gaylord Opryland Resort offers guests all the excitement and energy of Music City under one spectacular roof. READ MORE







Fleet Trends & Issues


2015 Vehicle Dependability Study: In-Vehicle Technology Significantly Impacts Owner Satisfaction

According to the J.D. Power 2015 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, usability issues associated with in-vehicle technology increasingly influences vehicle owners’ perception of vehicle dependability. In the study, redesigned for 2015, Bluetooth connectivity and built-in voice-recognition systems are the two most frequently reported problems.

“Technology issues with vehicles are viewed as significant problems by owners, and they typically don’t go away after the honeymoon period of vehicle ownership is over,” said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive at J.D. Power. “Furthermore, indications from our upcoming 2015 Tech Choice StudySM show that consumer expectations on advanced technology capabilities are growing. Owners clearly want the latest technology in their vehicles, and they are particularly critical when it doesn’t work.”

READ MORE

Consumer Reports names its 2015 Top Picks

The Consumer Reports’ 2015 Top Picks list highlights our choices for the standout models in 10 popular car categories. These vehicles are the best of the best, and we consider all of them to be smart buys.

Our 2015 picks include models from six automakers and seven brands. Subaru has the strongest showing this year, with three models making the cut. This accomplishment is impressive, given the small product portfolio.

READ MORE

ARI to Exhibit at the Annual NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis

ARI will once again exhibit at the annual NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 2-6. ARI’s team of specialized truck and supply chain specialists will be on hand in Booth #2435 to discuss all of the challenges that come with managing a complex vocational fleet as well as the latest industry trends.

In addition, during the show’s Green Truck Summit, ARI Vice President of Product Development Tony Candeloro will participate in a breakout session exploring how telematics can help fleet managers better manage their fleets by providing information on vehicle routing, vehicle performance and productivity, driver behavior, maintenance management and more. The session will take place March 3 at 2:30 p.m. and will also feature Sean Stenson, a national sales manager for Verizon Networkfleet.

READ MORE

Donlen Releases Enhancements to its Vehicle Information Center

In an effort to provide fleet technology solutions that help customers manage their fleets more efficiently, Donlen has streamlined VIC so customers can access tasks quicker through new action buttons.

“With the newest enhancements to VIC, customers will now be able to work even more efficiently, and their tasks and requests for services will reach their Account Manager quicker,” said Jim Kachidurian, Senior Vice President Customer Experience. “The added benefit customers will see is a decreased turn-around time to complete their requests.”

READ MORE 

Recalls and Repairs

U.S. car buyers would have to get most repairs subject to a recall performed before registering their vehicles under legislation being introduced by two Democratic senators concerned that too many defects are ignored.

The bill by Senators Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut would require state motor-vehicle departments to inform car owners of any incomplete recall repairs when mailing out renewal forms, and would deny registrations in many cases until recalls are completed.

READ MORE

 
A Nationwide Ban?

Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Colorado Democrat, has proposed a nationwide ban on the automated cameras used to enforce traffic laws – which he contends is used primarily for generating revenue for cash-strapped communities.

Congressman Perlmutter isn’t alone. Lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle have joined forces to call for a traffic camera ban in Tennessee, while a judge in Ft. Lauderdale this week ruled the technology violates Florida law.

READ MORE

 
Competing for the Dashboard

When Google hosted a boot camp here this month for its Android operating system, there were some new faces in the room: auto manufacturers.

They made the trip to learn about Android Auto, a new dashboard system meant to let a smartphone power a car’s center screen. Tasks as varied as navigation, communication and music apps, all constantly talking to the cloud. And to the driver.

A similar scene is playing out just a few miles down the road at Apple, where a rival system, CarPlay, has been developed for iPhone users. READ MORE







Fleet Management Resources 
AmeriFleet
Offering a nationwide vehicle delivery and relocation service; serving the corporate and commercial fleet industry.
GPS Insight
GPS Insight offers GPS tracking solutions to meet your organization's unique requirements and challenges.
PARS
PARS' mission is to provide you with high-quality service at competitive prices for all of your transportation needs.
ARI
Driven fleet professionals. Driving results.
LeasePlan
LeasePlan is the world's leading high-touch service provider for vehicle leasing and fleet management.
The CEI Group Inc.
North America's largest accident management and fleet driver safety company.
Element
Customizing global fleet management to achieve your goals.
NAFA
NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location, or fleet composition.
Verizon Networkfleet
Verizon Networkfleet offers GPS fleet management solutions to help small to medium-sized businesses, enterprises, and government agencies better manage vehicles and assets. For a demo visit www.networkfleet.com/demo.