By Bernie Kavanagh, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Large Fleet, WEX, Inc.

By getting machines to recognize patterns on their own, machine learning has powered massive data transformations across industries, making computing processes more efficient and affordable and making it possible for cars to drive themselves and for internet search functions to become increasingly sophisticated.

In the fleet industry, it’s already helped companies cut down on unnecessary fuel spend and to adopt technologies such as video-based driver safety systems. And thanks to new advances in Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), machine learning is now providing an entirely new level of data protection and security for B2B and cross-border payments.

These types of payments are historically complex and scattered through multiple parties. They require the movement of data along with funds and have been more complicated to track for mishaps and more vulnerable to fraudulent and unethical spending. In the past, to predict future spendings, companies had to manually track data-focused spending trends and habits. Today’s APIs allow fleet companies to monitor for suspicious behavior and fraudulent activity while also providing their employees with several options for payment.

READ MORE to learn how APIs can help fleets tackle these risks.

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

Now what do we do?

We started having these Customer Driven conversations 18 months ago, sharing many topics over that time ranging from the importance of practice to going beyond expectations to building loyalty and authenticity. I have enjoyed hearing and being part of the conversations that these topics have spawned. It is inspiring to know that these ideas have expanded beyond this column.

That said, while we may have read and talked about these topics, taking action is what makes a difference. And now seems like a good time to discuss how to integrate this information into your specific world; what works for one person or organization may not work for others.

This is where it is helpful to have someone with whom you can bounce ideas around to determine how to best incorporate them into your situation. Think about a good role model or mentor within your organization who knows you well and can help direct what ideas would work best for your personality, your role, and company culture.

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By Art Liggio, President and CEO, Driving Dynamics

Picture this scene: you, a seasoned fleet driver; are driving through the city, traveling at the posted speed-limit. You find yourself passing through busy controlled intersections—all of a sudden your cell phone rings, what is your next move?

Same scenario, but this time imagine your newly-licensed teenage son or daughter behind the wheel, driving through the city, traveling at the posted speed-limit, moving through busy controlled intersections—all of a sudden the cell phone rings, what will be your teenager’s response?

Like all parents, you hope that your teen will make the decision not to answer the call or respond to the text message. What assurances do you have that the correct decision will be made? The first step in helping your child become a safe and responsible driver is to acknowledge that you play the most important role in their success behind the wheel.

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The Detroit Bureau

Volvo’s new FL Electric 16-ton truck is designed to function in an urban environment, acting primarily as a delivery truck and will be operating first on the streets of the country’s capital, Gothenberg.

Without exhaust emissions, it can be used in indoor terminals and environmental zones. The low noise level creates opportunities for doing more work at night, thus reducing the burden on the roads during the day.

“We’re immensely proud to present the first in a range of fully electrically-powered Volvo trucks ready for regular traffic,” said Claes Nilsson, president, Volvo Trucks. “With this model we are making it possible for cities that aim for sustainable urban development to benefit from the advantages of electrified truck transports.”

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

The Washington Post

Uber has opposed changes requested by riders and regulators in the past, but will soon be adding upgrades aimed at keeping its U.S. ride-hail customers safe, including an emergency 911 feature akin to a “panic button”.

Riders will also be able to share their trip information with up to five “trusted contacts” on every trip so there are multiple sets of eyes to ensure rides go smoothly.

“In the past, Uber conducted background check reruns in jurisdictions where required,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a blog post Thursday. “Going forward, we’ll proactively rerun criminal and motor vehicle checks each year, regardless of whether there is a legal obligation to do so.”

Read the article at The Washington Post.

The New York Times

Herbert Diess, a former BMW executive who joined Volkswagen two months before the emissions scandal exploded, was named chief executive by the Volkswagen supervisory board and now must demonstrate that he can navigate the company’s well known insular, hierarchical company culture.

Being an outsider to both Volkswagen and the company’s base of Wolfsburg, can either help or deter Diess as one of his primary tasks is changing the culture to establish a stronger whistle-blower system, and ensure that employees believe they can use it.

“Culture is certainly the most difficult task for Diess,” said Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen who follows the car industry.

Read the article at The New York Times.

The Detroit News

Defining the levels of autonomy that the industry uses to integrate increasing amounts of sensors and artificial intelligence into vehicles has been the focus of the Society of Automotive Engineers, who met in Detroit last week.

“I think all of us have this heaven-and-hell scenario of what autonomous vehicle technology is going to do,” Karina Ricks, director of mobility and infrastructure for the greater Pittsburgh area, said during a panel discussion this week. “The version of hell that I see is one where we ultimately have to wall our pedestrians away from the travelways so that we can make way for autonomous vehicles.”

Read the article at The Detroit News.

International Fleet World

By John Challen

What will be the impact of autonomous vehicles? George de Boer, leader of connected car initiatives at TomTom Telematics, does some crystal ball gazing.

Management systems have become essential tools for fleet managers and operators in recent years, helping to monitor and control company vehicles and employees when behind the wheel. But with so many systems in the marketplace – and with many of them offering the same or similar benefits – it can be confusing to know which is the right one to choose for a business.

TomTom Telematics is just one of the many service providers in the fleet management sphere, but it is fully focused on the evolution of the products it currently has, as well as preparing for new user models and forms of transportation. “We are using our 16 years of experience in commercial vehicles to get data from vehicles into one platform and making it understandable and valuable for fleet managers,” explains George de Boer, currently in charge of business development for connected cars, but a veteran of the TomTom business.

“The role of the fleet manager is different for cars to commercial vehicles as the former is more about monitoring where the fleet is, how much it is costing the company and the promotion of safer driving. In passenger cars there isn’t the need to know exactly where vehicles are and when they will be at their destination – not at the moment, anyway.”

READ MORE

The Verge

As more and more autonomous vehicles are expected to hit the road in the future, engineers and startups are shifting their focus to technology that could help prevent future self-driving collisions.

Start-up companies like Renovo Auto and Affectiva highlight their work to build a self-driving car system that monitors not only driver attention, but one that can also read passenger and pedestrian facial expressions for a better understanding of the emotions inside and outside the vehicle.

“We spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to sense inanimate objects with LIDAR and cameras, and that’s super important,” Renovo CEO Chris Heiser said. “And companies like Affectiva give us a brand-new data stream to look at and help every single one of the people in our ecosystem — people who building self-driving, people who are building teleoperation, people who are building ride-hailing applications — they all want to know how people are feeling and reacting to these automated vehicles.”

Read the article at The Verge.

The Washington Post

According to an insurance company’s recent analysis of distracted driving and traffic safety, daydreaming is still the biggest cause of distracted driving crashes.

One of the best ways to keep the mind on task is to find it something else to do that offers some stimulation – simple word games and tuning into a radio program are much less distracting than a telephone conversation, even with a hands-free device.

“Talking with someone on a phone is much more distracting to a driver than even talking to someone in the car. When conversing inside the vehicle, a passenger will generally vary the conversation’s level of intensity and engagement in sync with traffic conditions the driver faces,” said Paul Atchley, a professor of psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa said.

Read the article at The Washington Post.