FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
November 24, 2015

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Heart & Soul

We met Claudia Smolda, VP of Human Resources at The CEI Group, several months ago and came away from that meeting with a smile and the lightest heart. In a Gallup survey last summer, CEI’s employees were found to be four times more engaged than the average US worker. That’s an awesome achievement – and when you view her video clip you’ll see how their employees are supported to give their best.

We all have much to be thankful for during this holiday season and we at Fleet Management Weekly offer our special thanks to our many friends in this industry. What a great place to be!

Enjoy this issue of Fleet Management Weekly, check out FleetManagementWeekly.com for daily updates, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones.

Janice Sutton
Executive Editor


Thought Leadership

Fleet Marketing – Guiding principles for fleet providers to improve marketing and increase sales.

Fleet Asset Management – Best practices around managing material handling equipment.

On Accident Management – Learn ways to save money on your fleet’s collision repair costs.

The Fleet Customer Experience – Identifying the practices that define the best customer experience.

Think Global. Plan Local. – Navigating the management of the world-class fleet.

The Fleet CX Toolbox – Solid steps to implementing and improving fleet customer experience.

The Sustainable Fleet – Strategic approaches to bring about a smarter, cleaner fleet.

Talent Management – Smart guidelines to help you manage the talent in your workplace.

All posts from the newsletter reside on our web site, FleetManagementWeekly.com


smolda-claudia

VIDEO: Supporting Employees to Do Their Best

The CEI Group’s Human Resources VP, Claudia Smolda, has been called “the heart and soul” of that organization – and here’s her philosophy on supporting your employees to get them to do their best.



VIDEO: The Power of Predictive Analytics
callahan-tom
  Predictive Analytics Will Give Fleet Managers a Bigger Voice
 

With more fleet managers reporting up to people who don’t know much about fleet, they’re going to need more and better data to accomplish their goals. That’s where the power of predictive analytics comes in.


VIDEO: Green Fleet Leadership
lentsch-gary-198
  Making Your Fleet Greener
 

Figuring out how green your fleet is – and how it can be even greener – is a very good way to build credibility with the leadership in your organization.





The Fleet Spot


Gary Mott 2015 Gary Mott Named President at FLD, COO Laurie Conn Retires

FLD, one of the largest privately-held automobile remarketing companies in the United States for more than 35 years, has announced the retirement of Chief Operating Officer Laurie Conn and the promotion of Gary Mott to president.

“FLD is in an enviable position to capitalize on the strength and experience of a highly capable leadership team to support the further development of our organization,” said Ron Sanders, CEO of FLD.

READ MORE

CEI personal safety Personal Safety Training Module Now Available in DriverCare

The CEI Group, Inc. (CEI), a fleet driver management company, has added a new online fleet driver safety training lesson, “Maintaining Your Personal Safety,” to its DriverCare™ application. Its focus is on how drivers can avoid and protect themselves from criminal attacks both on the road and as pedestrians after they arrive at their destinations outside the office.

READ MORE

Tatsuya Tomita Sofico Makes Senior Appointment in Japan

Automotive finance, leasing and fleet software provider, Sofico, has made a new senior management appointment at the head of its Sofico Services Japan division. Sofico, whose leasing and fleet management systems manage more than 1m vehicles around the world, has appointed Tatsuya Tomita as Representative Director, replacing Shane Curran, to head up its growing operation in Japan.

Mr Tomita has a strong background in managing services teams at software companies, having gained experience in industry specific package solutions through a variety of roles at major blue chip companies.

READ MORE

mercardo-tina Tina Mercardo, CEM, Named NAFA’s Director Of Meetings & Events

NAFA Fleet Management Association strives to provide meetings and events that consistently challenge, inform, and attract the fleet industry. The Association’s Director of Meetings & Events provide the strategies and execution that make NAFA’s seminars and conferences must-attend events year after year.

On November 9, 2015, NAFA proudly welcomed Tina Lynn Mercardo, CEM, as its new Director of Meetings & Events.

READ MORE

Think Global. Plan Local.

By Ricardo Fonzaghi, Senior Vice President International Sales, LeasePlan International

So your fleet is going global… now what? Aside from the planning that comes with taking a fleet overseas, it is very important to understand some of the cultural variances between managing a fleet in the United States and Canada versus the rest of the world.

One of the most important cultural guidelines to keep in mind is that, in North America, a car is what you drive; in the rest of the world, a car is how you “dress” – it is a symbol of status. This is a powerful tool you can use to your advantage to realize cost savings overseas.

READ MORE

 
The Fleet CX Toolkit

By Wendy Eichenbaum

Your company has decided that it’s time to go. And it’s critical to have a mobile solution. According to the latest KPCB mobile technology trends report, users consume 51% of digital media on mobile devices.

But the decision about the technology can be overwhelming. You hear so many terms regarding your choices: responsive design, content management system, native applications, web applications, and the list goes on. No one technology is the holy grail of solutions. So how do you determine which solution will be the best decision for your business and the best experience for your customers?

READ MORE

 
Helping Clients Meet Goals

By Janice Sutton

Whether it is called client relations, customer service or account management, if a company does not get this fundamental right, clients will start searching for a fleet management partner that does get it.

Since its founding nearly 77 years ago, Wheels, Inc. has been an industry leader in exceeding clients’ expectations, and over the years we have interviewed many members of the company’s leadership team for insight into how they do it.

Thus, we were delighted to have the opportunity to talk with Michele Zeiler, a senior account manager at Wheels, about her day-to-day role in helping her clients meet their objectives, as well as some of the issues her clients are most concerned about now.

READ MORE







Fleet Trends & Issues


Donna Setaro Brings Her Message “Slow Down, Move Over, It Is The Law” To NAFA’s I&E

It happens every day somewhere in North America. It puts the lives of those who help us in jeopardy…and it is against the law. Disregarding Move-Over laws contributes to the numbers of deaths of police and emergency responders, but that can change with education. Move-Over law advocate Donna Setaro will be a Keynote Presenter at NAFA’s 2016 Institute & Expo, offering a powerful, thought-provoking presentation.

READ MORE

The Future of the Automobile is Being Reshaped in California

Los Angeles Times

Within walking distance of Tesla Motors’ Palo Alto headquarters and across the street from Hewlett-Packard, Ford Motor Co. has set up a new Silicon Valley outpost.

With a team of 100 reporting to a former Apple engineer, the Detroit giant is researching how humans experience machines, running autonomous-vehicle driving simulations and testing software that examines how bicycles and cars interact.

READ MORE

Volvo ‘Time Machine’ Revolutionizes The Way We Won’t Drive

Forbes.com

What would you do with 26 minutes of your morning and evening commute if you were encouraged to take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road? That’s the problem drivers will have when autonomous cars take over much of the daily drive, and it’s the one that Volvo is trying to solve with Concept 26, its innovative interior platform that elegantly shifts from driving command center to your own private “third space.”

READ MORE

NETS Presented with Royal Award for Contributions to Global Road Safety

During a special ceremony on November 17, preceding the 2nd Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia, HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO presented his prestigious international road safety award to the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), a global NGO.

The award recognized the organization’s contribution to global workplace road safety. Each year, nearly 1.3 million people are killed on roads worldwide, and up to 50 million more are injured. More than one quarter of all fatal road traffic crashes are work-related, according to the World Health Organization.

READ MORE

Big Award for F-150

The Detroit Bureau

The Ford F-150 pickup has been named the Green Truck of the Year, while the Ram ProMaster City has been declared the Commercial Green Car of the Year.

You might find it difficult to use the words, “green,” and “pickup truck” in the same sentence, but manufacturers have been striving to make even the biggest vehicles on the road more environmentally friendly, as reflected in a pair of new awards.

READ MORE

 
The Fleet Customer Experience

By Jeofrey Bean

Tap the insights and experience of successful customer experience professionals to improve your fleet services.

A board of directors advises the company about its overall business strategy. A customer experience advisory board is similar, but is specific to the topic of customer experience. If your company is serious about improving its customer experience, a key step is to create an advisory board dedicated to that end.

The job of a customer experience advisory board is to identify where the existing customer experience can be improved and to recommend when a new customer experience should be created.

READ MORE

 
How Many Miles?

Fortune

Some forecasters have predicted that vehicles sales will fall in the future because urban-living millennials—and more importantly, the generation that follows them—don’t value car ownership. Instead, they younger generation will increasingly use alternatives like Uber, Lyft, and Daimler’s car-sharing service Car2go.

The advisory arm of KPMG says this shift will cause an interesting side effect—and not the death of automakers as some predict. While car ownership—and in turn, sales may decline—the number of total annual vehicle miles driven will soar.

READ MORE








Fleet Management Resources
 
AFLA – Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association
Providing the advanced forum for corporate fleet professionals to network with industry leaders.
The CEI Group Inc.
CEI is North America’s largest provider of fully integrated fleet accident management, driver safety and risk management services.
PARS
PARS' mission is to provide you with high-quality service at competitive prices for all of your transportation needs.
AmeriFleet
Offering a nationwide vehicle delivery and relocation service; serving the corporate and commercial fleet industry.
LeasePlan
LeasePlan is the world's leading high-touch service provider for vehicle leasing and fleet management.
Wheels, Inc.
First in fleet for 76 years. Wheels helps you build tomorrow’s fleet today.
ARI
Driven fleet professionals. Driving results.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location, or fleet composition.



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