FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
January 9, 2018

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Investing in Safety

In the column Creating a Safety Culture That Surpasses Compliance Goals, CEI’s Brian Kinniry says, “The goal is to win hearts when implementing a safety culture.” If you seek to transform your safety culture to the point that safe practices become second nature instead of compliance driven, this is a must-read article.

Coincidentally, NETS has just released a Cost of Collision Calculator for employers. They say, “ With this data, you’ll be able to make the business case to support investment in employee-wide safe driving programs.”

Safety is just one of the vital-to-fleet topics on the agenda at NAFA 2018 Institute & Expo, Whether you are a fleet veteran or a novice, I&E is the place to be — April 24-27 Anaheim, CA

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.

Globally Speaking — Perspectives on the Multinational Fleets

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

On Fleet Driver Management Solutions to improve your fleet’s accident rate and cut costs on collision repairs

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

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

Fleet Spectator — A 360 view of the fleet industry.

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


VIDEO: A Look at What’s New for NAFA I&E in Anaheim

NAFA I&E is happening in Anaheim in April, where over 2,000 fleet professionals will come together for three and a half days of intense networking, education and fun.



VIDEO: Known, Liked and Respected


  Dedicated Professionals Set PARS Apart
 

One thing that truly sets PARS apart is the people they hire — dedicated professionals who are known, liked and respected.


VIDEO: Big Advances in Technology

  Investing in AI and Machine Learning
 

Advances in technology and huge amounts of data have allowed Element Fleet Management to move forward in the world of AI and machine learning.





The Fleet Spot


Motivational Speaker/Comedian Jody Urquhart as Keynote Speaker at NAFA’s 2018 Institute & Expo

NAFA Fleet Management Association announced author Jody Urquhart as keynote presenter for the Association’s annual conference, the Institute & Expo (I&E).

Urquhart’s presentation, ‘This Would Be Funny If It Wasn’t Happening to Me! How to Navigate the Future With Enthusiasm and Vigor’, promises to challenge attendees and shake them from their comfort zones.

Read more.

Vehicle Tracking Solutions® and Bestpass® Partner to Offer Unique Toll Management Reconciliation and Fleet Management Within One Intuitive Platform

Vehicle Tracking Solutions (VTS) and Bestpass have partnered to form a unique and powerfully combined fleet management and toll management reconciliation platform.

Within one intuitive platform, this partnership will offer companies full visibility nationwide into all fleet, driver, and toll management operations.

This unique fleet management platform combines the power of VTS’ industry-leading and fleet management platform, Silent Passenger, and Bestpass, a nationwide toll coverage and streamlined toll management system.

Read more of the Press Release.

Change in Dates for AFLA’s 2018 Annual Corporate Fleet Conference

AFLA is excited to announce a change in dates for the 2018 Annual Corporate Fleet Conference, which will now take place October 1 – October 3, 2018 at the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, FL.

These updated dates allow AFLA to take advantage of additional networking spaces where attendees can see sponsor vehicle displays, provide a more unique ambiance for the Women in Fleet Management session, give AFLA attendees the opportunity to stay at either the JW Marriott or Ritz Carlton for the duration of the conference and remove any conflict with the Yom Kippur holiday.

To Succeed in Turbulent Times, Fleet and Procurement Need to Partner

By Mark Boada, Senior Editor

When it comes to running a fleet of vehicles, what’s the best way to save a business money: spend as little as possible on the goods and services the fleets need to operate, or to run the fleet so it operates at the lowest overall cost?

If you answered “both,” Bingo! That’s the view from the top of the industry, but it’s not always the way fleets are run.

Over the past 10 to 20 years, those in charge of purchasing have gradually gained leverage over fleet management. The reason is clear: fleet has long been seen as an overhead expense, and in an increasingly competitive world, controlling costs is one of the keys to survival.

READ MORE

On Fleet Driver Management


By Brian Kinniry, Senior Director of Strategic Services, The CEI Group, Inc.

Some fleets believe they have a full-fledged safety program when, in reality, the methods in place keep drivers compliant but never truly involve those drivers in the safety culture. Make sure your fleet is doing more than the bare minimum for compliance and create a true safety culture that engages the workforce.

So, how do you instill a safety culture for your fleet instead of a compliance-focused culture? First, we must define the terms. Compliance in this sense is a bare minimum approach that allows a fleet admin to check off certain boxes without taking the next step. But that is not a safety culture.

A safety culture is an attitude that permeates all levels of business where there is an acceptance and understanding of the role safety plays – to the point that safe practices become second nature.

READ MORE

 

Cost of Collisions Calculator


Measure your company’s cost of crashes, both on-the-job and off-the-job with NETS’ new Cost of Collisions Calculator.

Employers are in a unique position to directly influence their employees driving habits – and literally save lives. Those with robust road safety programs understand that whether an employee is involved in a crash when driving on the job or off the job, it still affects the employer. Implementing proactive safety initiatives such as defensive driver training and establishing comprehensive policies surrounding distractions, seat belts and fatigue are just a few measures employers can take to reduce employee risk behind the wheel.

With this data, you’ll be able to make the business case to support investment in employee-wide safe driving programs. They say that knowledge is power. In this case, knowledge can help you to reduce risk and save lives. What could be more powerful than that?

READ MORE

 

Stopping Hackers


The Detroit News

A new tool has been developed by University of Michigan researcher and the Mcity robotic-car testing facility to determine how vulnerable self-driving cars are to hackers who might want to take control of a self-driving car or lock its systems for ransom.

The tool known as the Mcity Threat Identification Model, could also be used to examine the exposure extending to networks that will connect with autonomous vehicles, such as financial networks that process payments for tolls and parking, or road sensors for cameras and traffic signals.

“Today’s cars have already become computers on wheels and woefully little attention has been paid to ensuring their cybersercurity,” John Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project director, said Thursday. “Too many manufacturers of robot cars hype the supposed benefits the vehicles might someday offer, without adequately addressing the security, public policy and ethical questions the vehicles raise.”

Read the article at The Detroit News.









Fleet Trends & Issues


Norway is a Global Leader in the Push to Restrict Vehicle Emissions

San Francisco Chronicle

As a major oil exporter, it may be surprising to learn that Norway is ahead of the rest of the world with about 52 percent of the new cars sold last year being powered on new forms of fuel.

Norway offers generous incentives that make electric cars cheaper to buy and provides additional benefits once the vehicles are on the road

“I had been wanting an electric car for a long time for environmental reasons, but they were expensive,” said Zanete Anderson Lilley, a senior adviser in Norway at the World Wildlife Fund, an environmental advocacy organization. Lilley eventually bought a Kia Soul, a small five-door electric car, for about $24,600 last summer. “If it wasn’t for the subsidies, I guess most people would still choose fuel,” she added.

Read the article at San Francisco Chronicle.

Mazda Looks Ahead to Driving Safely While Having Fun

Wired

In a newly filed patent, Mazda thinks it has found a better way to end distracted driving and make driving more fun.

Mazda’s proposed system can detect when your attention wavers, knows when it’s mostly OK to look away, and when it’s really not—just might work. Especially if it can convince you—rather than scold you—to draw your eyes back to the road.

“We still believe fully in the idea that the most powerful computer in the car is an attentive driver, and that the journey is as important as the destination,” says Mazda rep Jeremy Barnes.

Read the article at Wired.

Long-Range LiDAR Makes Toyota’s New Self-Driving Car ‘See’ 200 Meters All-Around

The Verge

Toyota’s autonomous research vehicles can now “see” farther in every direction, thanks to four long-range LIDAR sensors manufactured by a Portola Valley, California-based startup called Luminar.

The Lexus LS 600hl test car now has a 200-meter range around a 360-degree perimeter, which Toyota argues makes it “one of the most perceptive automated driving test cars on the road.”

Engineers at Toyota Motor North America Research and Development improved the car’s appearance with a new rooftop weather and temperature proof panel, cleverly using available space in the sunroof compartment to minimize the overall height eliminating the “spinning bucket” LIDAR sensor that has historically characterized autonomous test vehicles.

Read the article at The Verge.

Cold Windshields Meeting Hot Water is a Very Bad Idea

Jalopnik

In this cold, snowy and icy winter, you might be tempted to put hot water on your car’s ice-coated windshield – don’t do it!

When hot water hits cold glass, the glass expands rapidly, but not evenly, causing cracks in windshields and windows. If you do not have an ice scrapper, a good way to de-ice your windshield starts with warming up the car with the vents blasting on defrost.

If your car is frozen shut and none of the doors will open, you can slowly pour warm (not boiling) water to loosen them up. You can even use a hairdryer, if you don’t have any legit de-icing agents laying around. You can prevent your car from freezing shut by rubbing simple cooking spray along the edge of your doors.

Read the article at Jalopnik.

China Aims to Lead in AI


The Detroit Bureau

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), wants to implement artificial intelligence technology in at least half of all its new cars by 2020 and becoming the world leader in AI by 2025.

The government also plans to cover 90% of its large cities and highways with a wireless network so the cars can talk to each other and the roads, with the goal of China’s automakers being seen as producing quality smart cars by 2035.

The government sees New Energy Vehicles, as a key component to improving the air quality in its largest cities and has floated the idea of banning all internal combustion engine-powered cars by 2040, which would follow the lead of Norway, which is banning them by 2030.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

 

 

Think+Execute=Win


By: Walter Bond

As we launch into the new year, Bowl games, NFL playoffs, the NBA, NCAA, and NHL seasons are all in full swing. As a former basketball player in the NBA, watching football is still my favorite. Regardless of the sport, though, these events all have something in common: impact players. We can’t talk about teamwork without understanding the role of impact players on the team.

Impact players bring us to the sport in the first place and are what keep us coming back. We are watching to see which NBA player is going to dive across the floor for a loose ball, make the key score, or block a shot at the perfect time. We don’t want to miss the moment when a college player leaps over ten people to force himself into the end zone.

At work, we can make an impact too. As a fleet professional, you must be or become an impact player for your team. Our companies need us to be a little more creative, a little more take-charge, to negotiate better, to be more resourceful. Your motto needs to be, “I will do it!”

READ MORE to learn 5 ways you can have more impact for your team!

 

Two Great Workshops from NAFA


Fleet managers often struggle with two of the more difficult tasks in this profession:
♦ Developing comprehensive fleet policies
♦ Transforming their fleets into sustainable, green operations

NAFA Fleet Management Association, the largest trade association for the fleet industry, has created two one-day, back-to-back workshops to teach fleet pros these essential skills.

♦ LAS VEGAS WORKSHOP 1: The Sustainable Fleet Certificate Workshop
February 20, 2018
♦ LAS VEGAS WORKSHOP 2: The Fleet Policy Workshop
February 21, 2018

Register now! For more information on both events click here.








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 78 years. Wheels helps you build tomorrow’s fleet today.



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