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NAFA Fleet Management Association is proud to announce its 2014/2015 Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM®) graduates. Recognized as the industry standard in fleet education, the CAFM® designation identifies excellence in fleet knowledge.
“The NAFA CAFM® program is the only certification program that proves an individual’s expertise in fleet,” said NAFA Chief Executive Officer Phillip E. Russo, CAE. “Other certification programs may attest that a person has minimum basic knowledge of fleet, but CAFM® proves the person is an expert.”
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After a year of record recalls and a number of well-publicized fatalities, federal regulators and lawmakers alike apparently are ready to commit to what the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation is calling “much more muscular” enforcement.
And in a politically polarized Washington getting ready for a long presidential campaign, the issue of auto safety is spurring some unusual agreement across the aisle. That said, proposals from the Democratic and Republican camps appear to be taking very different approaches to solving the problem.
Calling for “much more muscular” enforcement, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx this week said that under new leadership, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is “going to be pretty rigorous,” emphasizing that “If companies fall short, they are going to hear from us.”
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For at least 22 hours a day most cars sit parked, sucking up their owners’ money while waiting to be driven. For most people, it’s one of their most underutilized — but most expensive — assets.
Now, some companies are devising ways to help people profit from their vehicles. Startups like RelayRides and Getaround help people rent out their cars during down time. Uber, Lyft and Sidecar connect car owners with people willing to pay for a ride. The rapid growth of these startups is transforming transportation — making it easier than ever before to get around without owning a car — and forcing automakers to devise new strategies to lure prospective buyers.
In June, Ford launched a car-sharing program that offers buyers a new way to offset the pains of ownership by tapping into what is essentially an Airbnb on wheels.
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APPLE’S widely anticipated CarPlay software is making its mainstream debut this summer in models from Hyundai and Chevrolet, but Apple is already looking ahead to leverage its potential in a way that could turn the automotive industry’s current approach to connected cars on its head.
Aimed at streamlining the welter of apps from smartphones that play on some dashboards into a more cohesive — and less distracting — arrangement, CarPlay combines iPhone-based programs, including maps, messages and music, into a single interface. It makes adroit use of Siri voice commands and familiar touch controls.
But it cannot control standard car functions, like switching FM radio stations or checking a vehicle’s engine status. To use those features, drivers will have to switch out of CarPlay.
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Bigger Still Equals Safer
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Despite smaller vehicles having five-star crash ratings, a new study suggests that bigger vehicles are still the safest in a collision.
While conventional wisdom has a way of being wrong, a new study by the University of Buffalo suggests that, when it comes to cars, one traditional belief is correct: bigger cars tend to be safer cars.
While even some of the smallest cars on the market today earn five-star crash ratings, it doesn’t necessarily reflect what happens in the real world – especially when that little car smashes into a big one or, worse, an 18-wheeler. The bottom line, according to a study presented during the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, is that bigger, more expensive vehicles tend to be the safest.
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By Ed Pierce, Founder, ITA Fleet Communications
Michael Surkan, Group Manager for Better Marketing with Analytics, recently pointed to a study of 1,700 chief marketing officers that found 59% of them have been unable to implement their planned digital marketing strategies and that 82% of CMOs felt unable to deal with the explosion of data that is being thrown at them.
The real problem uncovered in the study, however, is that CMOs are saying that they are now being judged on the revenue their marketing activities generate, NOT on the leads they find.
During my marketing career, a lead was marketing’s goal, and it was the job of sales to convert that lead into revenue. Remember the quote from Glengarry Glen Ross?
“These are the new leads. And to you they’re gold, and you don’t get them. Why? Because to give them to you would be throwing them away. They’re for closers.”
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By Keith Trumbull, VP of Material Handling Equipment, Element Fleet Management
In order to make strategic decisions when it comes to asset management, it’s imperative to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. As a fleet manager, how do you manage your material handling equipment? Do you create partnerships with select manufacturers, work with warehouse managers at individual local branches, or do you employ a different method entirely?
The most common methods are partnering with a manufacturer or having individual warehouses oversee assets. However there are also challenges associated with these two approaches that should be considered when developing a material handling equipment strategy. Some fleet managers reference the lack of visibility into overall costs, inconsistent equipment capabilities, dependence on one manufacturer’s expertise and inconsistent policies as challenges for their organization. As company executives look for continuously higher levels of performance, they are exploring new ways to operate with fewer obstacles.
“Brand independent” management is one of the newest and most popular ways to organize and operate assets. Being brand independent simply means an organization is not aligned with a specific manufacturer or brand. So why are fleet managers increasingly turning to brand independent providers?
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