Newly appointed CEO Jeffrey Schlesinger will lead LeasePlan USA as it sets its sights on the future

LeasePlan USA announces Jeffrey Schlesinger as the company’s new president and chief executive officer. He comes to LeasePlan with 30 years of financial services experience, the last eight years in fleet industry leadership.

Schlesinger joins LeasePlan as the company releases strong annual results for 2016, marked by a 7 percent year-on-year increase in underlying net result. LeasePlan has also announced plans to unlock the full potential of the global group and deliver more value for customers.

“It’s a new day at LeasePlan USA, and I’m so excited to be a part of this family and lead this transformation,” said Schlesinger.

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By Kevin Reilly, Editorial Communications Manager, The CEI Group, Inc.

As more fleets upgrade their safety programs with emerging technologies, particularly telematics and prescriptive analytics services, it is important for fleet managers to consider how these technologies will fit into and shape their safety culture.

The difference between predictive and prescriptive analytics is the ability to take the actionable data and prescribe appropriate courses of action to rectify driving behavior to prevent a collision.

Knowing how these big data technologies function, as well as their varied reporting options, is the first step. Next, is the need to set realistic short- and long-term goals.

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By Mike Cieri, MSIR, Vice President of Mardac Consultants

Communicating with an angry person is one of the most difficult business challenges a manager can face.

Whether the angry person is a fellow employee, a client, or an outside third party, being on the receiving end of heightened emotions is stressful.

When face-to-face with a hostile person, the natural human response is to respond in kind—to match the level of agitation. In most professional situations, however, this is not an effective strategy. If you match hostility with hostility, the cycle will only perpetuate itself. The key to breaking this cycle is to establish mutual understanding. By finding a common understanding, you can unlock the conflict and begin to build communication step by step.

The most extreme and challenging situation is when individuals or groups are not only needy, but also highly emotional. You must be willing to hear the other person’s concerns. Once an emotionally charged person sees that you are listening and concerned, the anger will likely begin to dissipate. With the anger out of the way, you can shift the discussion to a resolution of the issues.

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The Detroit Bureau

Fresh off another victory for the new Chevrolet Bolt EV – which was named the car of the year by syndicated TV show Motor Week – General Motors is exploring options for adding still more battery-electric models to its line-up.

While company officials are vague about both the details, numerous sources say that GM wants to maintain the lead it established by introducing the Bolt, the world’s first long-range, mainstream-priced battery-car.

The electric crossover has garnered a series of awards since its launch late last year, including North American Car of the Year.

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The Huffington Post

For the commute-weary driver, autonomous technology represents a sexy splurge, but not for fleet operations, full autonomy represents the singular business imperative of the 21st century.

When a nondescript tractor trailer trundled 120 miles down a Colorado highway completely unmanned last year, safely reaching a shipping warehouse with a cargo of 45,000 cans of beer, the experiment in autonomous freight movement was largely crowded out by flashier headlines by the big rig’s smaller cousin: the driverless car.

But while autonomous cars may be provocative, autonomous trucks are practical―and promise to be radically transformative for an industry struggling to balance hiring demands with liability, labor and safety regulations.

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The New York Times

One of the oldest automakers in the United States is making a billion-dollar bet that one day, owning a car may not be a necessity of American life.

Ford Motor announced on Friday its plans to invest $1 billion over the next five years in Argo AI, an artificial intelligence start-up formed in December that is focused on developing autonomous vehicle technology.

The move is Ford’s biggest effort to move into self-driving car research. Argo AI will develop the technology exclusively for Ford at first, and then plans to license its technology to others.

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Wired

Everyone could probably use some top-line safety tech on the road—the glossy features that keep cars in their lane, out of blind spot trouble, and from smashing into a suddenly stopped truck up ahead.

But Dodge’s newest update rolls out the latest in safety to those whose job is, well, safety: cops.

The carmaker just announced its latest Charger Pursuit—one of the most popular vehicles for US law enforcement agencies—will come ready to spot (and foil) ambushes from the back, thanks to a rear-facing camera and radar system.

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The New York Times

There are many reasons for the steady success of the three major American automakers in recent years, but none are bigger than the surging sales of full-size pickup trucks.

The combination of low gas prices and a need by businesses to replace older trucks has stimulated demand, especially for full-size pickups, more than 90 percent of which are made by the three Detroit companies.

But President Trump’s proposed border tax on imported vehicles could throw a wrench in the profit machine, particularly for G.M. and Fiat Chrysler, which build a large percentage of their pickups in Mexico.

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By Henry Miller

Tackling fuel-related fraud remains a serious matter for U.S. fleet managers, but it’s also a large priority for fuel providers like Shell.

Thanks to independent research from Shell, we now know that over half of U.S. fleet managers consider fuel-related fraud a major issue for their business. But it’s not only managers who see fuel-related fraud as a cause for concern—nearly half of their fleet drivers agree.

The Shell Fleet Navigator™ Card offers improved fleet management and insight, while increasing savings. And it’s all thanks to unprecedented control and customization over the information you receive. It delivers the ultimate flexibility to help your fleet drive smarter and improve your bottom line along the way.

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To learn more about how Shell Fleet Navigator puts you in control of savings and security, call 888-212-8916 or visit www.shell.us/fleetnavigator for more information.

Digital Trends

At the Consumer Electronics Show this year, most of the talk from automakers was about autonomous cars.

That’s not surprising, given the CES audience and the rapid development of self-driving technology. Depending on the automaker, the promises of completely self-driving cars ranged from imminent to cautious, but all agreed that completely or mostly autonomous cars would hit our roadways in the next 10 years.

There are always exceptions, but most cars you see on the road are less than 20 years old.

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