FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
June 28, 2016

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


A Roadmap to Safety

Driver safety is ever on the minds of the professional fleet manager. In separate interviews, we asked the presidents of three fleet management companies — Tom Callahan at Donlen, Dan Frank at Wheels, and Art Liggio at Driving Dynamics, about maximizing driver safety. In his video, Callahan talks about starting with the selector; Frank, in his interview, explains the efficacy of an array of new safety technologies; and Liggio, in his video, confirms the value of full-time, dedicated driving instructors.

Our friends at International Fleet World in the UK published an article about the Brexit vote last Friday and permitted us to reprint it. While it is too soon to know precisely how the UK’s exit from the EU will affect fleets, especially since the government seemed unclear about how it would affect other areas of business, we suspect that some rocky roads lie ahead.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief


Thought Leadership

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

Fleet Asset Management – Best practices for work truck management.

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

Safety & Risk — Impactful driver safety and risk management tools and techniques.

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.

BIG Data. BIG Results. BIG Future– We look at harnessing big data to achieve big results using cutting edge technology.

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

TCO Trends – Expert View — A global look at fleet total cost of ownership trends.


callahan-tom

VIDEO: Encouraging Safety via Vehicle Selectors

When it comes to including safer vehicles in company vehicle selectors, Donlen has a helpful and actionable process in place.



VIDEO: Better Driving Instruction
liggio-art
  Dedicated, Full-Time Driving Instructors Make All the Difference
 

Driving Dynamics has assembled a group of full-time, dedicated driving instructors who are amazingly good at what they do – and that makes a huge difference.


VIDEO: Fleet Remarketing
kontos-tom
  ADESA – Kontos Kommentary
 

In the latest Kontos Kommentary, Tom Kontos, Executive Vice President, Customer Strategies and Analytics at ADESA, provides his insight and updates regarding used vehicle market conditions.





The Fleet Spot


San Diego AFLA 2016 Annual Conference — Mission:Possible

Registration is open for the AFLA 2016 Annual Conference Mission:Possible – September 18-21 in beautiful San Diego!

If you have attended a previous AFLA Conference, you will not need us to tell you what an integral part it plays in the fleet calendar of exceptional events.

Year after year AFLA offers its conference attendees an outstanding slate of educational presentations, superb speakers on vital, up-to-the-minute topics, exciting networking activities, and so much more.

The annual AFLA conference truly is one of the must-attend events in our industry. Preview the agenda and Register today!

Donlen lease vs image Donlen Makes Fleet Data Management Easy With FleetWeb Intelligence Reporting

With fleet managers feeling overwhelmed by all of the data they process and analyze, Donlen has made it easier for fleet professionals to manage and organize their data with a new robust report builder, FleetWeb Intelligence Reporting.

“Donlen’s interactive Report Builder was designed for fleet professionals to satisfy their reporting needs at all levels of their business,” said Jeff Pursell, vice president, technology products. “Reporting examples include executive summary fleet trends, exception-based driver issues, and web service subscriptions to provide immediate integration with internal systems.”

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ari-tech-innovation-center ARI Technology and Innovation Center Opens in Mount Laurel, NJ

In order to properly showcase its long history of creating technology that continues to transform the fleet management industry, ARI has just opened the ARI Technology and Innovation Center in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

Located in the same corporate center as the company’s global headquarters, the Technology and Innovation Center will be home to the company’s 200-plus member information technology team. Additionally, a state-of-the-art call center enables ARI’s highly qualified team of technicians to streamline their workflow and manage call time through the use of real time metrics and data that is visible from the one-of-a-kind Command Center.

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telogis-logo Verizon to Enhance Significantly its Connected Vehicle Business with the Acquisition of Telogis

Telogis.com

Seeking to add best-in-class Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology and services, specifically in the connected vehicle and mobile enterprise management sectors—as well as expanded distribution relationships—to its Verizon Telematics subsidiary, Verizon Communications Inc. announced it has signed an agreement to purchase Telogis, Inc., a private company based in Aliso Viejo, California.

“With a comprehensive enterprise product portfolio and partnerships with some of the world’s leading vehicle and equipment manufacturers, Telogis brings a world-class software platform and new distribution relationships to Verizon Telematics’ already expansive suite of connected vehicle solutions for consumers and enterprise customers,” said Andrés Irlando, CEO of Verizon Telematics.

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Challenging Complexity

By Janice Sutton

We spoke with Dan Frank, president of Wheels, Inc., at the recent NAFA I&E. He talks first about the genesis and success of the company’s newly-launched reimbursement program, and follows with his views on various components of advanced driver safety technology. We questioned whether or not it could be morally or even legally incumbent upon a company to offer those available safety features on vehicles in their fleet.

Wrapping up our interview, Dan says, “The biggest issue challenging customers today is the complexity. Change is happening so rapidly in our industry. This is a 75+ year old industry, and you would think we would have it all figured out by now and it is fairly commoditized and routine. The reality is it is not. While the pace of change is challenging, it is also what makes the fleet industry so interesting, exciting and valuable to our clients.”

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The Fleet CX Toolkit

By Wendy Eichenbaum

Last month, we discussed how to construct questions for interviewing your customers. But when you talk with your customers in groups, there are additional challenges.

Some customers want to contribute to every question, while others only speak when singled out by the moderator.

While a skilled moderator can control the flow of answers, it’s often helpful to include exercises that start with small group discussions, where customers don’t compete for attention. And then bring all customers together for a discussion of findings.

One way to do this is with an exercise called “Dump and Clump.” This is a brainstorming tool that allows users to “dump” all of their ideas, and then “clump” the individual ideas together in logical groups.

READ MORE

 
Uncharted Territory

International Fleet World

Car manufacturers and suppliers have reacted to the news of the Brexit vote outcome, warning that UK PLC is “now in uncharted territory” and indicating a “period of instability for new and used car sales” as well as impacts on residual values and fuel prices.

Paul Hollick, managing director of The Miles Consultancy and chair of the Institute of Car Fleet Managers, said: “The next 12 months will be an unprecedented period for the fleet and automotive industries, which are strikingly multinational whether you’re talking about suppliers, major customers or of course the vehicle manufacturers.

“The leave vote clearly puts UK PLC into uncharted territory. Businesses like nothing less than uncertainty so my worry is that we the prolonged period of political upheaval and economic turmoil ahead will mean that businesses go into suspended animation and inward investment will be postponed or made elsewhere.”

French bank Societe Generale – parent firm of ALD Automotive, said: “After the decision of UK citizens to leave the European Union, a long period of negotiations will begin to redefine the future of the economic relationship between the UK and the European Union. Societe Generale will closely follow the progress of the discussions and their consequences in the short, medium and long term. Nevertheless, operating from a dual hub in Paris and London, the Group will adapt in time to best serve its international, European and UK customers. London will remain a major international financial center, and Societe Generale will continue its development in the UK.”

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Fleet Trends & Issues


Which Vehicles Hold Their Value Best? And Which Are Total Depreciation Disasters?

Car and Driver

What part of owning a vehicle do you suppose costs the most? Fuel? Taxes and fees? Maintenance?

Actually, what costs the most is selling your car, when you take the depreciation hit. Time marches on, miles pile up, and value slips away.

On average, vehicles lose almost half their original value within the first three years. The two ways of looking at this figure are depreciation and retained value, i.e., glass half-empty or glass half-full. A vehicle that depreciates 35 percent retains 65 percent of its original value.

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Should Your Driverless Car Hit a Pedestrian to Save Your Life?

The New York Times

People say that one day, perhaps in the not-so-distant future, they’d like to be passengers in self-driving cars that are mindful machines doing their best for the common good.

Merge politely. Watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Keep a safe space.

A new research study, however, indicates that what people really want to ride in is an autonomous vehicle that puts its passengers first. If its machine brain has to choose between slamming into a wall or running someone over, well, sorry, pedestrian.

READ MORE

Newest IIHS Test Stymies Automakers

The Detroit Bureau

Passenger-side small overlap test revealing new shortcomings.

Just as automakers were making progress on the latest crash tests in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s rankings, the organization has developed a new one and automakers look like they’re going to struggle.

The IIHS is mulling the possibility of adding a new front crash test. The new one is similar to one that automakers have already struggled to deal with, the small overlap crash.

READ MORE

Mitsubishi Lancer Only Continuing Model on Generation Z Used-Car Radar

Edmunds.com

When members of Generation Z go used-car shopping, the only model on their radar that’s slated for continuing production is the Mitsubishi Lancer, according to recent analysis by Edmunds.com.

It’s no surprise that young car buyers are attracted to the prices of used vehicles, and the Edmunds analysis of data from Polk confirms that this year, through April, shoppers in the 18-24 age group purchased 181,906 used cars, compared to just 27,670 new ones. That means they’re 6.5 times more likely to buy used than new.

What’s perhaps more interesting is that of the top 20 used vehicles bought by Generation Z this year, all but the Lancer are either out of production or going out, and the top three are true blasts from the past: the Daewoo Lanos, Eagle Talon and Nissan 240.

READ MORE

Is It Time for a Highway Tax?

The origins of road pricing are lost in the mists of history, but probably began thousands of years ago just after the first horse trod over the first road. Unloved by nearly all (all?) travelers, road pricing, nevertheless, has been with us ever since.

We pay tolls; many cities have congestion- or time-of-day pricing, most of them overseas. Road pricing schemes are also used to cut noise, pollution, or the number of vehicles themselves.

And while many efforts to institute road pricing of one form or another have failed because of vigorous opposition, new plans are launched all the time.

The latest is an effort by four member states of the 16-state I-95 Coalition, which includes all East Coast states as well as Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

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Big Data. Big Results. Big Future.

By: Tom Callahan, President, Donlen

If there is one thing that all fleet managers have in common, whether they have a 50-vehicle fleet or a 3,500-vehicle fleet, it’s that the amount of data they have to deal with can seem overwhelming.

And to manage this data efficiently as it relates to far-reaching corporate goals, you as a fleet professional are even more challenged. So how can you make due with such little time? We hear this question throughout the industry often, and the first thing we tell fleet professionals is that they need to understand their company’s critical goals. From there, you can identify fleet goals that will support your corporate goals.

Let’s look at four vital fleet analytics tools that will help you save time and add value to your fleet program.

READ MORE

 
European Settlement Costs for VW?

The Detroit Bureau

Senior EU official wants same compensation for European diesel owners.

Volkswagen is expected to close a deal requiring it to pay $14.7 billion to settle charges it cheated on diesel emissions tests.

Under the agreement with U.S. and California authorities, the German maker will provide owners of vehicles equipped with its 2.0-liter turbodiesel at least $5,000 in compensation, and possibly a lot more if they choose to have VW buy back one of the affected vehicles.

But the settlement only covers the nearly 500,000 2.0-liter TDI models sold in the U.S. during the 2009 to 2015 model-years – with a separate settlement to follow covering a 3.0-liter model, as well. That fact isn’t sitting well with European consumers and regulators who feel the automaker should provide compensation there, as well.

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.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location, or fleet composition.
AmeriFleet
Offering a nationwide vehicle delivery and relocation service; serving the corporate and commercial fleet industry.
Donlen
Since 1965, Donlen has been the fleet management industry’s leading provider of comprehensive, integrated financing and asset management solutions — and that spirit of innovation continues today.
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.
Driving Dynamics
Driving Dynamics was established to help corporate fleet drivers develop expert, safe driving skills using proven, advanced driving techniques.
Wheels, Inc.
First in fleet for 76 years. Wheels helps you build tomorrow’s fleet today.



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