By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer

When I saw the conclusions of Gartner Group’s most recent CMO Study, I was perplexed. Digital marketing is everywhere. In 2016, no company can develop a comprehensive integrated marketing plan without digital components.

As it turns out, that was exactly the point of Gartner’s report: digital marketing is officially mainstream.

“There is little doubt that digital marketing is now mainstream,” said Yvonne Genovese, group vice president at Gartner. “Marketers no longer make a clear distinction between offline and online marketing disciplines. As customers opt for digitally-led experiences, digital marketing stops being a discrete discipline and instead becomes the context for all marketing.”

Two main factors are driving marketers’ interest in digital commerce: the need to point to tangible results from marketing investments, and the recognition that companies need more than a commerce platform to sell.

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By Mike Quimby, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Element Fleet Management

From electronic log books to evolving safety standards, there are many changes happening within the trucking industry.

Now new measures are being put in place to ensure transportation practices don’t create safety hazards for the food we (and our pets) consume. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a final rule on new requirements for the sanitary transportation of food by truck and rail. This new development requires shippers and motor carriers to ensure fleet vehicles are properly refrigerated and cleaned when transporting food.

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Safety — Without question, it’s the most important aspect of operating in the fleet space — period.

No matter who you are — or what kind of business you operate — safety is the cornerstone of success. Not just for big fleet management companies, but for the suppliers, vendors and partners who work with them on a regular basis. After all, if a fleet is going to be completely safety-focused, then it has to choose partners and vendors that operate with the same emphasis on safety as well.

But, have you ever thought about the ramifications of operating without a complete focus on safety and compliance?

And more important, have you ever considered the true costs of choosing partners or vendors without longstanding safety protocols, comprehensive training and strict adherence to compliance? Or about the many ways — both obvious and not — that your fleet can be impacted by a supplier that isn’t completely safety focused?

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The Detroit News

The biggest barrier to the adoption of self-driving cars will be legal issues, not the technology itself, according to a Delphi Automotive executive.

Jeff Owens, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President at the Gillingham, U.K.-based supplier, expects the first cars controlled totally by computer technology on city streets within five years, but for the general public it could be 10 years away.

“The first autonomous vehicles will probably be taxis,” Owens said in a telephone interview from his Detroit office.

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Truckinginfo

XL Hybrids, Inc. has introduced XL Link, a cloud-based data analytics system that measures key performance indicators, including MPG performance, and reports carbon dioxide emissions reductions in fleet gasoline-electric hybrids.

XL Link is currently measuring key performance indicators in vehicles equipped with XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive Systems for major fleets such as Boston, Yale University, AmeriPride Services, and Montgomery County, Md., according to the company.

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Detroit Free Press

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne says repeatedly automakers must consider partnerships with other automakers and tech giants like Apple and Google.

For those paying close attention over past year, reports that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is in advanced discussions with Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving car division about a technology partnership is not a complete surprise.

Marchionne, who also has courted General Motors for a mega-merger, has also met with Apple, Google and Tesla over the past year.

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Road Show

Gas is nice and cheap right now, but it’s not going to stay that way forever.

That’s why, despite the continuation of strong truck and SUV sales, automakers are still working to add electricity into the mix. Volvo’s just announced a very ambitious goal of selling one million electrified cars by 2025.

Now, “electrified” doesn’t infer that every vehicle will be a full-on, battery-electric cruiser.

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The New York Times

People should never text and drive. That’s the message from carmakers and governments, just like “drink responsibly” is the watchword of distillers, the fine print admonition you find in their ads near the image of the woman in a bikini scarfing cocktails at the volleyball net and inviting you to join the fun. Talk about mixed messages.

Of course people should never text and drive. Many of the suggestions offered in this debate have promise and merit. But while a lot of talk is devoted to stopping texting while driving, what’s really going on is that our automobiles and laws are changing to allow us to do just this: text while driving.

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Science Daily

Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens.

In 2012, 184,000 young drivers were injured in MVCs, and 23 percent of young drivers (15 — 20 years old) involved in fatal MVCs had consumed alcohol.

One policy that may reduce alcohol-use behaviors and impaired driving among young people at a population level is graduated driver licensing (GDL), which increases the driving privileges of young novice drivers as they age and gain more driving experience.

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The Detroit Bureau

Wondering what might be dragging down the mileage on your sporty new SUV or crossover? Look no further than your roof. According to a new study, roof racks may cost drivers as much as 25% more in gas usage.

Researchers in the first-of-its-kind study discovered that in in 2015, these popular add-ons were accounting for nearly 1% of all light-duty vehicle gasoline consumption.

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