In this interview, we talk with Wayne Smolda, founder and CEO of The CEI Group, Inc., on a number of topics. We wanted to get his unique perspective on the state of the fleet industry as well as how CEI is positioned to meet the fleet driver safety and accident and risk management needs of its clients.

“We want to help to significantly reduce the cost of fleet operations as well an organization’s insurance expenses,” Smolda said. “When you have fewer accidents you can drive down fleet costs, but you can also substantially drive down, at an even higher rate, the insurance costs that employers actually spend as a result of insuring the driver and paying for third party claims, worker compensation benefits and medical care.”

READ MORE

By Matthew Betz, Vice President Business Development, Fleet at Motus, LLC

“Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile” – Christy Matthewson
“What we have here, is a failure to communicate.” – ‘Captain’ in Cool Hand Luke

To hear many fleet managers talk, our drivers are a necessary evil to the luxury of our industry, like the odor that follows a fleet of automobiles. To illustrate, let me share two quotes:
“I hate drivers. You can’t trust them” – A nationally respected fleet manager
“If it wasn’t for all of the drivers and all of the cars, this wouldn’t be a bad job” – Fleet executive

While these are not my own thoughts or words, I have heard similar phrases throughout my long fleet career. Yet, without drivers and vehicles, there would be no fleet management industry. So, to try to understand this perplexing disconnect, I would like to point out a couple of key facts.

READ MORE

By Greg Neuman, Senior Manager, CEI Quality Control

With its introduction of the (nearly) all-aluminum 2015 F-150 pickup truck – one of the most popular fleet vehicles in America – Ford Motor Company may well be pointing to the preferred automotive material of the future. Why? Because aluminum is lighter than steel and auto makers are scrambling to shed vehicle weight to reach the daunting federal fuel efficiency standard of 54.5 MPG by 2025, which is less than 10 years away.

Meeting that challenge with aluminum, though, creates another challenge: it’s estimated that as few as 10% of America’s approximately 34,000 collision repair shops are qualified to do aluminum repairs. What’s more, the cost to add that capability is large — $50,000 to $100,000 according to some industry observers – and not every shop is going to choose or be able to make that kind of investment.

READ MORE to learn how critical the proper collision repair facility is to your fleet vehicle’s warranty and post-repair safety.

“There’s an app for that,” or so said the salesman offering a customer his first smartphone. With the Apple Store alone listing something north of 1 million apps, that’s pretty close to true for anything you might want, and Google not far behind for its Android system.

Manufacturers are now racing to integrate smartphone apps into the very core of their in-car entertainment systems with the likes of Ford’s Sync 3, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. In turn, software writers are looking for ways to come up with more creative apps to appeal to motorists.

A growing number of options are out there, including the wildly popular Waze, which can help drivers shift their routes to avoid traffic jams. But several others are under development that could allow you to modify your route for other reasons – including the ability to stay in touch, and to avoid bad drivers.

READ MORE

Gas prices may not be in the stratosphere at the moment, but Georgia cities and private fleets are still switching to clean fuels. The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Roadshow is set to open June 15th in Gainesville with an 8-city tour led by Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols.

The series brings together a vehicle showcase and discussion panels on the practical impact of converting fleets to clean, alternative fuels like propane, E85-ethanol, natural gas, electric (EV) and compressed natural gas (CNG). Questions on financing, safety, maintenance and fuel considerations of clean vehicle conversions will be answered by government fleet managers and private sector fleets, along with vehicle manufacturers and utilities who will highlight their success transitioning fleets, based on need and use.

READ MORE

Ryder System, Inc. has signed a natural gas vehicle (NGV) lease contract with M&B Products, a state-of-the-art eco-friendly dairy farm in Florida. M&B has signed a full service lease agreement with Ryder for three compressed natural gas (CNG) heavy duty vehicles.

The new CNG trucks will be maintained by Ryder at its Tampa, Fla. service facility, which is already engineered to meet the unique maintenance compliance requirements for natural gas.

READ MORE

That motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for drivers aged 15-19 is known, but new research to determine the impact teen drivers have on others has found that they put everyone at risk. The majority of those killed and injured in crashes involving a teen driver are people other than the driver.

Those are among the findings of new report released on Wednesday by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, a nonprofit research and education organization.

“Teen crash rates are higher than any other age group, and this data confirm that the impact of their crashes extend well beyond the teen who is behind the wheel,” Peter Kissinger, president and chief executive of the AAA Foundation, said in a statement.

READ MORE

A technological breakthrough that could virtually eliminate the drunken driving that kills 10,000 Americans each year was announced Thursday by federal officials, who said it could begin appearing in cars in five years.

The new equipment won’t require a driver to blow into a tube, like the interlock devices some states require after drunken-driving convictions. Instead, either a passive set of breath sensors or touch-sensitive contact points on a starter button or gear shift would immediately register the level of alcohol in the bloodstream.

Drivers who registered above the legal limit wouldn’t be able to start the car.

“The message today is not ‘Can we do this?’ but ‘How soon can we do this?’ ” said Mark Rosekind, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). “It is a huge step forward.”

READ MORE

By Ed Pierce, Founder, ITA Fleet Communications

News about imminent sales or mergers within the fleet industry is once again making headlines. And, conversation, speculation, concern, and anticipation rule! However, these changes ought to spur others in the industry to review their corporate strategic plans. After all, the best defense to market changes is a strong offense.

“What ifs” that were ruled out before might now come into play and require revisiting even a recent strategic planning process. With every change in status of a competitor or strategic partner, especially a company involved in your supply chain, there are new threats and new opportunities. Presumed strengths and weaknesses change, too. Consequently, your strategy, too, may need adjustment.

READ MORE

More than a year after federal regulators said they would review their procedures amid a widening General Motors ignition switch recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration admitted to past mistakes and pledged new action.

NHTSA will increase investigations, make more contact with plaintiffs’ lawyers and question assumptionsmade by its own personnel and automakers.

The changes come after internal reports that acknowledge that NHTSA’s regulators did not demand more information from GM even after it asked about air bag non-deployments and got incomplete answers or legal justifications as to why GM would not or did not have to respond.

READ MORE