FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
August 4, 2015

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


The Sustainable Fleet

We’re proud to announce a new column this week, titled The Sustainable Fleet, written by ARI’s Brian Matuszewki. Brian speaks compellingly about how planning is the first step in the process of developing a sustainable fleet — check it out here.

Ed Pierce delivers yet another great fleet marketing column, all about underdog marketing and taking on the big brands. It seems David has some advantages over Goliath, after all! Read more here.

We’ve also got a really great white paper from PARS President Lori Rasmussen, all about “The Keys to Maximizing Vehicle Transport Value.”

Enjoy this issue, and be sure to check in at FleetManagementWeekly.com for daily updates.

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.


carter-kathe

VIDEO: The True Costs of Fleet

Whether fleet managers report to procurement, finance, or general services, they have a tough job – teaching the people they report to about the true costs of fleet.



VIDEO: Hot Weather Driving
summer-driving
  Safety Tip: Driving in Extreme Heat
 

Are your vehicles properly prepared for summer driving? This one second safety tip from Driving Dynamics can help reduce the risk of breakdowns caused by extreme heat.


VIDEO: Comprehensive Fleet Card Solutions
lindsay-ramel
  Fleet Card Dashboard Evolves Significantly
 

From virtual pay – to integrated data – to sophisticated account management, the dashboard for this comprehensive fleet card product from U.S. Bank just keeps evolving.





The Fleet Spot


Jeep-Cherokee-in-Ditch-Wired-300x225 Americans Concerned about Vehicle Hacking

The Detroit Bureau

The recent hacking of a Jeep Cherokee that ended with the ute running into a ditch has gotten the attention of the American motoring public and they have concerns, according to a new survey by Kelley Blue Book.

The event, which was orchestrated by Wired.com, revealed just how vulnerable today’s connected vehicles are to such technological incursions and 80% of those surveyed believe it will be a “frequent” problem in the next three years.

“Technology offers a wide range of enhanced convenience for today’s new vehicle buyers, but it also offers the increasing potential for unauthorized access and control,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

READ MORE

Scania Transport laboratory AB.
In front,  Scania R 410 4x2 Streamline with curtain semitraler.
Järna, Sweden
Photo: Peggy Bergman 2013 Platooning: The Next Level to an Autonomous Fleet

Platooning, more formally known as driver assistive truck platooning, or DATP, could be the low-hanging fruit in taking driving to the next level.

Walter Sullivan, head of Elektrobit Automotive’s newly established Silicon Valley Innovation Lab, notes that platooning will be one of the first implementations of automated truck driving, due to the promise of greater fuel economy.

Pointing out that OEMs are happy to eke out a 3% reduction in fuel each model year, “When a vehicle is driving 200,000 miles a year, if you can save 10% on fuel, that’s massive,” he says.

READ MORE

nafa-logo Register for NAFA September CAFM®/S Boot Camp by August 8th and Save $$$

Advance registration rate ends September 2nd – special incentive savings of $100 ends August 8th! Register Now

This is the forum where CAFM®/S actual or future candidates can get face-to-face instruction on some of the more difficult concepts in the course materials. Not everyone is comfortable with distance learning so it is through this forum that we help close the gap.

This is the last Boot Camp of 2015 – don’t miss it! Register now and save!

READ MORE

gaylord-opryland-resort The Pete Z Memorial Golf Scramble at AFLA

Join AFLA at Gaylord Springs Golf Links for one of the most popular events at the AFLA Annual Conference.

The Pete Z Memorial Golf Scramble provides a great opportunity to network with your colleagues during a casual round of golf. Gaylord Springs is carved from the banks of the meandering Cumberland River, with the Scottish-style layout offering holes bordered by limestone bluffs and wetlands that will make for an exciting challenge!

Pairings are filling up quickly, so if you plan to play, make sure to secure your spot as soon as possible! Transportation is provided and club rental is available, so don’t forget to include the Pete Z Memorial Golf Scramble fee in your registration to join us on the links!
Register for AFLA 2015

Already registered? Click here to add golf!

Fleet Marketing

By Ed Pierce, Principal, ITA Fleet Communications

More and more fleet providers seem to face a ‘David versus Goliath’ situation when it comes to competing for the hearts and minds of fleet decision-makers.

The fleet news headlines shout that the big are getting bigger and even threatening to swallow more. The other big fleet kahunas are looking to catch the wave of unhappy fleets who feel like Jonah in the whale.

With all this happening, the smaller, vertically-specific service providers seemingly don’t stand a chance. But, among the fleet service providers I serve, being the underdog is an advantage. They are confident competitors with focused expertise that ensures the best value for their customers. So, they are more than happy to be underestimated. Especially from a marketing perspective, digital technologies are leveling the playing field, too.

READ MORE for some ideas smaller companies can take to compete effectively with the big boys with their big marketing spends.

 
The Sustainable Fleet

By Brian Matuszewski, Manager – Global Strategic Consulting, Sustainable Strategies, ARI

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” Alan Lakein

Sustainability is a priority to many businesses and organizations these days, with good reason.

Companies are feeling increasing pressure from customers, governments and the general public to enact more sustainable practices. They are also becoming increasingly aware of and interested in their overall environmental footprint. This is driving companies to consider how they can make sustainable changes to their operations. Fleets quickly come under the microscope when this happens because they are such a visible source of greenhouse gases.

Advancements in vehicle technology, communications systems and management programs provide fleet managers with more opportunities than ever before to make improvements, allowing them to optimize fleet performance, reduce emissions, and improve their bottom line. With all that is available, however, a fleet manager can quickly become overwhelmed.

READ MORE

 
Smart Transport Solutions

Changing fleet expectations, new technology, or ever-increasing pressures on profitability have made vehicle relocation more complicated than moving assets from Point A to Point B.

In an effort to raise fleet manager awareness of the evolving challenges and opportunities, this white paper, written by PARS president Lori Rasmussen, provides expert recommendations for finding new efficiencies and more savings.

Download the white paper here.







Fleet Trends & Issues


Driveway Software, Inc. Raises $10M Funding, Aims to Conquer Mobile Telematics and Use Big Data to Disrupt The Insurance Industry

Big data and Mobile Telematics Company Driveway Software, Inc. has closed a $10 million funding round led by Ervington Investments, representing prominent Russian businessman Roman Abramovich. The funds will be used to further strengthen Driveway’s position as the best in class telematics solution, create new markets for telematics solutions and grow the company’s team by attracting the smartest minds in the industry.

“Since we launched five years ago, our smartphone app, Drivewise.ly, has collected over 500,000,000 miles and rewarded more than 250,000 drivers,” said Igor Katsman, Founder of Driveway.

READ MORE

Car-Sharing Could Reduce Costs, Improve Efficiency of Cincinnati’s Vehicle Fleet

UrbanCincy.com

Now that Over-the-Rhine parking is at a premium, and the residential permit plan has been vetoed, the residents of OTR are going to have to find a way to share parking, or risk losing more of the historic neighborhood to parking lots and garages.

Sharing also presents an opportunity when it comes to modernizing the City of Cincinnati’s fleet of 2,149 vehicles.

Mayor John Cranley (D) received unanimous support for this year’s budget, which includes $110 million to make much-needed upgrades to the City’s fleet and roadways over the next six years.

READ MORE

UPS Halfway to Driving 1 Billion Miles With Clean Fuel Fleet By 2017

SustainableBrands.com

UPS logged 154 million miles in 2014 toward its goal of driving 1 billion miles with its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet by the end of 2017 — an almost threefold increase from 2013, according to the company’s 13th annual Sustainability Report.

To put this into perspective: it took 13 years for the company to drive the first 350 million miles with its alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet, but in just one year UPS was able to build dramatically on that number and is now more than halfway to its 2017 goal.

READ MORE

Can the Insurance Industry Survive Driverless Cars?

Bloomberg

A black Volkswagen Golf rolls along at 12 mph on an empty road in the heart of Virginia’s horse country. Suddenly the dashboard lights up, and there’s a warning sound. The driver ignores it.

A moment later, the VW brakes hard—all on its own—and comes to a stop a foot in front of an inflated box painted to look like the rear end of a car.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been running tests like this a few times a month at its research center in Ruckersville, Va. The objective is to vet automakers’ latest crash avoidance technologies, like the one in the Golf, to identify the most effective ones.

READ MORE

Fleet Asset Management

By Rob Cranford, material handling consultant at Element Fleet Management

There’s nothing cookie cutter about managing material handling equipment purchases.

Every warehouse and every operator is different. To identify the best solution for a particular organization, as a fleet manager you must put together various pieces of the material handling equipment puzzle. When it comes to acquiring material handling equipment, the following are key factors to consider:

READ MORE

 
Harnessing Millennial Skill Sets

Fortune

Armed with a new set of perspectives, skills and motivations, the millennial generation is gearing up to take the modern business world by storm. In fact, people between the ages of 18 and 31 this year have recently surpassed Gen X to comprise the largest share of the U.S. workforce.

Contrary to popular belief, Gen Yers are some of the most productive people around, priding themselves on working smarter, not harder—far from the lazy, self-absorbed bunch older generations often peg them as.

As an employer, you need to harness the unique millennial skill set to survive and flourish in today’s business landscape.

READ MORE

 
Think Global. Plan Local.

Global consolidation is a reality that many companies frequently face in today’s internationally focused society. As a fleet manager, you may find yourself managing a global fleet sooner than you think.

In the final part of this Q&A series, Esther Calvo Bolaño of LeasePlan International discusses emerging trends for companies at a local –and global—scale.

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.