FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
April 21, 2015

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Renewed & Refreshed at NAFA I&E

Today we’re feeling renewed and inspired after a successful week at NAFA I&E in Orlando!

It was a busy but enjoyable mix of learning, meetings, on-camera interviews (and more on-camera interviews), along with a ton of fantastic networking.

And not only do we feel refreshed, our content reservoirs (and hey – we are all about content) are refreshed as well.

Check out some great new videos in this issue from new NAFA President Ruth Alfson, as well as CALSTART’s Bill Van Amberg and Frank Memolo from AFLA (and PARS).

Have a great week!

Ted Roberts
COO & Chief Content Officer


INDEX: Find All of the Fleet News and Information You Need on Newly Redesigned FleetManagementWeekly.com

All posts from the newsletter can be found on our newly redesigned web site, FleetManagementWeekly.com,

Browse these categories:

Association News — Find out what’s going on at associations of importance to the fleet community.
Fleet Trends & Issues – Check out articles about current fleet issues and trends
Fleet Safety – Read news about various aspects of fleet safety, including interviews of fleet safety leaders
Fleet Videos – Watch video clips of fleet newsmakers
Interviews – Read Fleet Management Weekly’s interviews with industry leaders.
Telematics — Learn about the latest in fleet telematics news

Read monthly columns: Fleet Marketing, Fleet Asset Management, The Mobile Employee, On Accident Management, The Fleet Customer Experience, Think Global Plan Local, The Fleet CX Toolbox, and Fleet Safety.


alfson-ruth

VIDEO: Ruth Alfson: A History of Service to NAFA

NAFA’s new president, Ruth Alfson, has a decades-long history of involvement – and she credits NAFA for helping her to succeed in her career.



VIDEO: A Game-Changer for Sustainability
vanamberg-bill
  NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program is Here!
 

NAFA’s Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program is going to be a game changer – providing tools for meeting your goals, methods for measuring progress, and a means for recognition for creating more efficient fleets with a smaller environmental footprint.


VIDEO: April 30th in Chicago
memolo-frank
  Great Topics at AFLA’s Mid-Year Forum
 

AFLA’s annual mid-year forum – on April 30th in Chicago – features great presenters on timely topics like alternative fuels, not getting lazy about safety, and understanding the many benefits of telematics.

REGISTER TODAY for AFLA’s Mid-Year Forum





The Fleet Spot


FLEXY NAFA Recognizes Outstanding Members of the Fleet Profession at FLEXY Awards Ceremony

NAFA acknowledged outstanding industry members last evening at the Association’s annual Institute and Expo (I&E) FLEXY Awards Ceremony. The Fleet Excellence Awards (FLEXYs), an annual award program dedicated to recognizing the best and brightest in fleet management, is held annually at NAFA’s I&E event.

“The Fleet Excellence Awards were designed to shine a spotlight on those who have impacted fleet management in both the corporate and public fleet segments during the previous year,” said NAFA’s Chief Executive Officer, Phillip E. Russo, CAE. “We look forward to honoring all of the finalists each year and are pleased with the continued success and appreciation of the program.”

READ MORE to find out who received the awards.

AFLA logo AFLA Announces Two Speakers for 2015

AFLA is excited to announce the selection of Greg Lindsay and Kim Lear as speakers for the 2015 AFLA Annual Conference to be held September 14-16 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tennessee.

With a theme of “The Future is Now: Transformational Ideas Shaping Our Industry,” the conference will feature innovative presentations on hot topics related to the fleet industry. Register now to secure your spot at the premiere fleet conference of the year!

READ MORE

Ultra Low_ALL VEHICLES Sales of ULEVs Reach All-Time High with Many Top Models at Record-Breaking Fleet Show

Sales of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) have reached an all-time high as fleet buyers increasingly switch to greener options. And fleet decision-makers will have an unrivalled opportunity to evaluate some of the most popular models at the record-breaking Fleet Show at Silverstone next month.

According to the latest research from the Go Ultra Low campaign, 8,573 passenger cars with CO2 emissions lower than 75g/km were registered in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 386%. Fleets have led the way, accounting for more than 68% of the market, or 6,045 new models. 

READ MORE

Tollbooth Wheels Expands Toll Management Solution to Include Canada’s 407 ETR

Wheels, Inc. has become the first company in the industry to offer a comprehensive toll management solution for one of Canada’s most iconic toll routes. 

Wheels announced that 407 ETR, which services the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, has been added to the list of tollways covered by the fleet management company’s Toll Management program. Through this American Business Award-winning service, Wheels provides up-to-date tolling equipment, robust expense reporting and full administrative support for its clients and their drivers, helping companies reduce their toll violation rates by up to 95%.

READ MORE

The Fleet Customer Experience

By Jeofrey Bean

Have you, as the experience provider, considered how a customer actually uses the Internet? The environment that competes for their attention and with your web site while they use the Internet? And exactly what they want to accomplish while using your web site compared with what your web site actually asks people to do?

One of my favorite business books is “Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability” by Steve Krug. “Don’t Make Me Think” is Krug’s overriding principal, “When I look at a web page it should be self-evident. Obvious. Self-explanatory. I should be able to ‘get it’ – what it is and how to use it – without expending any effort thinking about it.”

READ MORE

 
New Look, New Technology

PARS launched its new public website at www.parsinc.com along with its new branding.

According to PARS president Lori Rasmussen, the new website is the first step in a much broader program to utilize state-of-the-art technology in support of its broad array of value-added ancillary fleet services.  

These enhance the value of the company’s vehicle transport services for busy fleet managers who face more complex vehicle transport requirements.

READ MORE 

 
The Fleet CX Toolkit

By Wendy Eichenbaum

Metrics are extremely important for every aspect of your company, not just sustainability. It allows you to measure the effectiveness of your procurement process, telematics data collection, and even your customer experience. You should measure every one of your goals. If not, you’ll never know when your company is succeeding or failing to achieve business objectives.

Last week, NAFA Fleet Management Association, in conjunction with CALSTART, unveiled their Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program at the NAFA 2015 Institute & Expo. Earlier, Phillip E. Russo, CAE, NAFA’s CEO, discussed this program in an exclusive interview with Fleet Management Weekly.

In this interview, Russo stressed, “NAFA has a tremendous opportunity to…positively impact the future of this planet …by teaching fleets how to be sustainable. And by measuring those results.”

READ MORE







Fleet Trends & Issues


Big Oil Is About to Lose Control of the Auto Industry

While the U.S. pats itself on the back for the riches flowing from fracking wells, an upheaval in clean energy is quietly loosening the oil industry’s grip on the automotive industry.

Presentations by analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) last week picked away at the idea that supply alone is behind the plunge in crude prices to $50 a barrel. The presentation also shows that low-pollution cars are gaining ground, weakening the link between oil and driving.

The result: Future transport is likely to look a lot different than what the major oil companies are fueling now. Instead of biofuels such as ethanol and green diesel making the internal-combustion engine fit into a world with greenhouse gas limits, wholesale new solutions are coming fast. “Where we are is in an age of plenty,” said Michael Liebreich, BNEF’s founder. “We have cheap oil, cheap gas, cheap renewables. You do have an abundance of supply in a way you haven’t had for decades. We also are in an age of competition.”

READ MORE and check out some great info graphics on Bloomberg.com

Truck Fleet Safety: 7 Tips to Avoid Rear End Collisions

If you operate a commercial truck fleet, you probably know that one of the most frequent accidents in your vehicle operation is a rear end collision. In many cases these accidents are the result of “following too close,” where there was not enough stopping distance available.

It’s not always the fault of the driver, as in many cases, another vehicle or motorcycle will try to slip in front of the truck without realizing the distance the truck needs to stop in.

So how much distance IS needed?

READ MORE

GE to Sell Fleet Management Unit by 2018

General Electric will sell off its fleet management and automotive financing business units by 2018 under a strategic plan to focus on its core businesses and shed most of its finance and banking businesses, the company has announced.

GE expects to recoup $35 billion by breaking up the GE Capital lending unit and selling off most of its components. GE announced a deal to sell off $26.5 billion worth of real estate holdings on April 10.

READ MORE

GE Capital Fleet Services Introduces BrightWorks Insights Analytics Platform

GE Capital Fleet Services introduced BrightWorks* Insights, an advanced fleet analytics platform. The BrightWorks Insights platform is GE Capital Fleet Services’ core engine for bringing together data from drivers, vehicles, fleet services, and third parties to enable companies to make smarter fleet management decisions.

“Improved data and analytics technologies are driving change in fleet management. Fleet vehicles and management services are more connected than ever,” said Kristi Webb, CEO of GE Capital Fleet Services. “When you combine our BrightWorks advanced analytics with deep fleet expertise, customers have the information they need to make smarter decisions for their businesses.”

READ MORE

Evaluating Fleet Sustainability

NAFA Fleet Management Association, in conjunction with CALSTART, unveiled a four-tier rating system that evaluates fleets based on their environmental performance against world-leading goals, the first of its kind. The program was designed to bring clarity, definition, and recognition to what sustainability means for fleets. The program is set to become an industry standard for recognizing concrete improvements in reducing emissions, increasing fuel efficiency, and reducing fuel use.

“With this new program, fleets will be able to measure, manage and improve. Fleets start at any level of activity – the point is to start down the path: first by base lining where they are, then by validating their progress, and finally, by benchmarking themselves against rigorous standards and the actions of their peers,” said Bill Van Amburg, CALSTART Senior Vice President. “It is the new measure of fleet sustainability.”

READ MORE

 
Bundling Risk, Saving Money

Fleet management provider, LeasePlan USA, launches a new solution to help clients save by bundling risk management services. “Through 3D Coverage, companies can choose the level of risk and safety management that’s best for their fleet,” said Jon Toups, LeasePlan’s chief sales and marketing officer.

“As companies increase their commitment to safety,” Toups added, “they see benefits to their bottom line with fewer accidents and lower insurance premiums. But more importantly, the 3D Coverage solution offers a balanced approach to protect drivers while behind the wheel of a company vehicle.”

READ MORE about 3D Coverage

 
Driver Assistance

No one has come up with a foolproof system for autonomous driving but driver assistance programs that help motorists control their vehicles are becoming more sophisticated all the time.

Cornell and Stanford University researchers have developed a system that anticipates what a driver is going to do a few seconds before it happens using cameras and a new computer algorithm. Testing shows errors can be eliminated before they happen.

READ MORE







Fleet Management Resources 
AmeriFleet
Offering a nationwide vehicle delivery and relocation service; serving the corporate and commercial fleet industry.
GPS Insight
GPS Insight offers GPS tracking solutions to meet your organization's unique requirements and challenges.
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.
LeasePlan
LeasePlan is the world's leading high-touch service provider for vehicle leasing and fleet management.
The CEI Group Inc.
North America's largest accident management and fleet driver safety company.
Element
Customizing global fleet management to achieve your goals.
NAFA
NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location, or fleet composition.
Verizon Networkfleet
Verizon Networkfleet offers GPS fleet management solutions to help small to medium-sized businesses, enterprises, and government agencies better manage vehicles and assets. For a demo visit www.networkfleet.com/demo.