FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
February 21, 2017

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Combatting Inattention Blindness

Today’s issue features an excellent article from Art Liggio on how cell phone usage while driving causes “inattention blindness.” Simply stated, this refers to a person’s inability to perceive things which are in plain sight because the brain has prioritized and assigned its processing capacity elsewhere.

We’ve also got a thoughtful, inspiring article from Laura Jozwiak on The Power of Unexpected Service. In this piece, Laura talks about how a little bit of extra effort and a little bit of extra time can make all the difference in the world — in just about everything we do.

Enjoy today’s issue, and be sure to check FleetManagementWeekly.com for daily updates.

Ted Roberts
President and Chief Content Officer


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 Fleet Driver 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.

Guidance for the Multinational Fleet — An expert’s view on the global fleet.

BIG Data. BIG Results. BIG Future– Harnessing big data to achieve big results using cutting edge technology.

Customer Driven — Engage your organization to create customer loyalty, trust and superior service.

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


VIDEO: Complementary Open Safety Recalls

PARS offers some terrific complementary services for customers have heightened sensitivities around safety recalls and vehicle condition.



VIDEO: Fleets and Procurement

  What the Institute for Supply Management Has to Offer Fleet Professionals
 

As more and more fleets are reporting to the Procurement Department, the Institute for Supply Management wants to make more fleet professionals aware of its unique value proposition.


VIDEO: Advancements for AFLA
  Bill Elliott: A New Strategic Plan for AFLA
 

AFLA’s Board of Directors recently adopted a new strategic plan that focuses on growing and advancing the organization.





The Fleet Spot


Elite UPS Safe Driver Group Grows To More Than 9,300

Globe Newswire

UPS announced the induction of 1,575 drivers into its elite “Circle of Honor,” raising to 9,349 the number of drivers who have not had an avoidable accident for 25 years or more.

Nearly 10 percent of the UPS driver workforce has gone 25 years or more without a crash.

Before ever making a delivery, all UPS drivers are taught safe driving methods through the company’s defensive driving platform. The training continues throughout their careers.

READ MORE

Young Millennials Top List of Worst Behaved Drivers

AAA Newsroom

A new report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 88 percent of young millennials engaged in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel in the past 30 days, earning the top spot of worst behaved U.S. drivers.

These dangerous behaviors ― which increase crash risk ― included texting while driving, red-light running and speeding. These findings come as U.S. traffic deaths rose to 35,092 in 2015, an increase of more than 7 percent, the largest single-year increase in five decades.

READ MORE

Updating Your Safety Culture in the Age of ‘Big Data’

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.

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.

READ MORE

Lukas Neckermann to Keynote at NAFA International Fleet Academy

NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) announced that author and strategic advisor Lukas Neckermann will be the Keynote Speaker for the International Fleet Academy (IFA) on April 24 in Tampa, Florida.

“NAFA is pleased to have Lukas present at our international pre-conference event taking place the night before our annual conference,” said NAFA’s Chief Executive Officer, Phillip E. Russo, CAE. “Lukas’ presentation focuses on the ’three zeroes’ that will redefine both the automotive and fleet industries: Zero Emissions, Zero Accidents, and Zero Ownership. This is a must-attend event for all fleet professionals with an eye to the future.”

READ MORE

Safety & Risk

Every time a person drives and engages in a cell phone conversation, the driver and everyone else sharing the road with this person are at risk

By Art Liggio, President, Driving Dynamics

By now most of us have read and seen media reports regarding the troubling crash statistics related to distracted driving influenced by cell phone use. What is it about this simple activity that causes a driver’s performance capabilities to diminish? For safety professionals, it’s important to understand the physiology of how cell phone calls dramatically reduce the amount of information drivers can process to safely operate a vehicle.

Studies from major universities have concluded that when you speak on a cell phone—and this includes hands-free use, a phenomenon known as “inattention blindness” occurs. Simply stated, this is a person’s inability to perceive things which are in plain sight because the brain has prioritized and assigned its processing capacity elsewhere.

READ MORE

 
Customer Driven

What does unexpected service mean in your industry?

By Laura Jozwiak, Senior Vice President of Sales and Client Relations, Wheels, Inc.

I was recently traveling on a pretty typical flight but had an atypical experience. As we settled into our seats and turned off our cell phones, the captain greeted us. Only it wasn’t over the loud speaker, it was in person.

“Welcome to American, I’m Captain Chris. Anyone been to Colorado before? Anyone been on one of my flights before? Anyone ski? I just took up skiing a few weeks ago and believe me, you will appreciate falling into all the fresh fallen snow.” And while this exchange only lasted a few minutes, he engaged all the passengers while providing some insight into himself, his personality and interests. In just a few short minutes, we got to know Captain Chris much better.

But he didn’t stop there.

READ MORE

 
Fleet Spectator

What fleet managers need to know about the upcoming FASB accounting rule changes

By Mark Boada, Senior Editor

New rules for how publicly traded companies account for fleet vehicle operating leases start to take effect this year, but it appears that other than complying with the paperwork requirements, the general consensus among both fleet leasing companies and accounting firms is that they won’t change the way core fleet decisions are made.

The real aim of the new rule isn’t to change the way fleets do business, but to provide full disclosure to investors about how much money fleet operators owe by putting both sides of the lease on a company’s balance sheet. To clarify, I offer this little bit of review.

READ MORE









Fleet Trends & Issues


Why Buying Used Cars Could Put Your Safety at Risk

CNN Tech

Charles Henderson sold his car several years ago, but he still knows exactly where it is, and can control it from his phone.

The IBM researcher leading X-Force Red, the firm’s security testing group, wasn’t researching car security when he discovered a major privacy issue. He simply sold his car.

“The car is really smart, but it’s not smart enough to know who its owner is, so it’s not smart enough to know it’s been resold,” Henderson told CNNTech. “There’s nothing on the dashboard that tells you ‘the following people have access to the car.'”

READ MORE

GM, Lyft Deploying “Thousands” of Self-Driving Bolts in 2018

The Detroit Bureau

General Motors will catapult to the top of the autonomous vehicle class in 2018 when it deploys “thousands” of self-driving EVs with its ride-sharing partner Lyft Inc., according to Reuters.

If it happens, it will be the largest test fleet of fully autonomous vehicles by a major automaker. Currently, Waymo, working in concert with Fiat Chrysler, is testing about 60 self-driving vehicles in four states.

Most automakers have been pointing to 2020 as the time when they’ll have vehicles ready for autonomous driving tests on America’s roadways.

READ MORE

Human Foibles Complicate Era of Autonomous Cars

Detroit Free Press

Remember those old “Star Trek” episodes where the supremely logical Mr. Spock argued with the all-too-human Bones McCoy and James T. Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise?

Longtime highway safety engineer James Hedlund envisions something like those culture clashes taking place on our roads and highways once autonomous vehicles (AVs) share the roads with drivers behind the wheel of traditional cars and trucks.

In a new report done for the Governors Highway Safety Association, the 22-year veteran of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that the development of autonomous vehicle technology is racing way ahead of safety concerns that are not being addressed.

READ MORE

It’s Not Record Oil Speculation That’ll Drive Prices

Bloomberg

Speculators have piled back into oil since OPEC announced output cuts in November. But don’t be fooled into thinking that means prices are set to soar.

As my Bloomberg News colleague Alex Longley pointed out last week, hedge funds and money managers have placed record trades on an oil rally. Net long positions of so-called oil speculators reached an unprecedented 852,794 contracts across both Brent and WTI in the week ending Feb. 3.

With each contract representing 1,000 barrels of oil, that equates to bets worth eight times as much as the world consumes each day that prices will rise.

READ MORE

Vehicle Platooning

CNN Money

Tailgating will take on new meaning on U.S. highways this year.

Peloton, a start-up that partially automates tractor-trailers, is partnering with truck fleet management company Omnitracs to deliver its technology to U.S. roads this year. The companies are working on what’s called “platooning,” in which several trucks drive in close proximity to each other in a bid to leverage aerodynamics and save fuel.

The lead truck sets the pace and the other vehicles are programmed to match its speed. As the first tractor-trailer brakes and accelerates, the others follow suit. Drivers are still present in all of the trucks, but those in the back of the pack have to worry only about steering.

READ MORE

 
Accidents and Insurance

The New York Times

Many drivers who cause accidents expect to see an increase in their auto insurance premiums. But even those who are deemed not culpable could end up paying more for coverage, a report from a consumer group finds.

The Consumer Federation of America sought online price quotes from five of the largest auto insurers in 10 cities to see what happens to premiums after drivers are in accidents.

The study found that based on the quotes, drivers in New York City and Baltimore tend to pay the most after being involved in accidents that they did not cause.

READ MORE

 
Slot Car Technology

Wards Auto

As the drive to encourage electric-vehicle ownership gathers momentum, so does the desire to install automated recharging systems such as devices built into roads that top up batteries as the EVs drive over them.

Dynamic inductive charging technology has been tested in a range of scenarios globally. One system now is operating on a live transport route, on roads in two towns in South Korea.

High installation costs coupled with the relatively slow uptake of EVs are the main factors hindering wider installation of this technology, despite proof of its practicality and functionality.

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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