FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
August 23, 2016

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


‘Your Decisions Drive Your Safety’

Driver behavior contributes to 94% of traffic crashes in the U.S., according to the NHTSA. While that’s a sobering statistic, it also offers hope – we know that we have the power to change our behavior.

Every October, NETS – Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, sponsors a campaign: “Drive Safety Work Week” – this year slated for October 3-7. The 2016 theme is “Drowsy, Distracted or Focused – Your Decisions Drive Your Safety.”

The toolkit to launch the campaign at your organization is free and available all year. More details are available here.

Drive Safety!

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.

On Accident Management Learn ways to save money on your fleet’s collision repair costs.

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

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

The Sustainable Fleet – Strategic approaches to bring about a smarter, cleaner fleet.

BIG Data. BIG Results. BIG Future– We look at harnessing big data to achieve big results using cutting edge technology.

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

TCO Trends – Expert View — A global look at fleet total cost of ownership trends.


dennis-rich

VIDEO: AmeriFleet Focuses on Understanding What Its Clients Need

AmeriFleet got its start in 1997 with a focus on corporate and commercial fleets, and the company has grown by hiring great employees who offer the best in customer service.



VIDEO: Being Safe, Saving Money
latzko-ken
  Safety Features are a Smart Investment
 

More and more fleets understand that the cost for safety features is minimal compared to what you could spend on a serious injury – or worse – and that’s a positive trend.


VIDEO: Telematics for All
matus-jonathan
  A Powerful, Inexpensive Telematics Solution for Small Fleets
 

Zendrive offers an inexpensive, easy-to-deploy telematics solution that offers a host of advantages for fleets large and small.





The Fleet Spot


DSWW Drive Safely Work Week™ 2016 Toolkit Launched

NETS Says to Drivers: Your Decisions Drive Your Safety

The Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) today launched a free comprehensive online toolkit to help employers plan for Drive Safely Work Week™ (DSWW). The October workplace campaign seeks to improve the safety of employees, employee family members and their communities.

The campaign theme this year is “Drowsy, Distracted or Focused—Your Decisions Drive Your Safety”

READ MORE

ARI Logo The ARI Fleet Health Card Continuously Monitors a Fleet’s Vital Signs

New tool uses power of data to identify which vehicles are costing a fleet too much

ARI has unveiled the ARI Fleet Health CardTM, the first tool of its kind to help fleet managers effectively manage costs and downtime as well as identify problematic vehicles that have the biggest impact on cost and reliability.

The ARI Fleet Health Card captures data from the fleet in real-time to measure spend, utilization/reliability, preventive maintenance and fuel to track a vehicle’s relative and comparative performance.

READ MORE

AFLA 2016 conference Fantastic Lineup of Speakers at This Year’s AFLA Conference

You can always count on an truly engaging lineup of great speakers at AFLA’s annual conference, and this year is looking better than ever!

From Navy Seal David Rutherford’s keynote focusing on “a team-oriented lifestyle that is necessary to achieve elite levels of success” to motivational consultant Susan Lund sharing “seven simple accelerators to gain buy-in and drive results.” From Bram Bluestein on “Speaking the Procurement Language” to Christine Cashen’s fun-yet-powerful presentation on “Get What You Want With What You’ve Got,” you really won’t want to miss any of the speakers in this year’s mix.

READ MORE and learn all about this year’s speakers.

DonlenGuide Developing a Best-in-Class Fleet Policy: A 5-Step Guide

Do you need help developing an effective fleet policy? Learn policy writing best practices from Donlen’s experts by downloading their new white paper!

In addition to a detailed structural guide, this free white paper includes best practices for implementing and reinforcing your fleet policy once it has been developed. To learn more about how to create a best-in-class fleet policy, or improve the one you already have, download the free white paper today.

READ MORE

The Fleet CX Toolkit

By Wendy Eichenbaum

What was originally a novelty becomes the standard by which all products, services or companies are measured, even when the original implementation was not your competitor.

Balboa Park is San Diego’s Central Park. Its Prado area, filled with museums, restaurants, and landmarks, is deserted once the sun goes down. That was until July 6, 2016. Now when you arrive at the Prado at night, you may not get a close parking spot. The Prado is filled with hundreds of people playing Pokémon Go.

Over 80 million people have downloaded Pokémon Go. Why does this matter? Pokémon Go is a mash-up of technologies: GPS, mapping, camera, and social media. And it’s this combination that revolutionizes how people can interact with their apps.

READ MORE

 
Autonomous Vehicles

Automotive News

Ford Motor Co. last week said it would put driverless cars on the road for ride-hailing and ride-sharing fleets in just five years.

Then Uber said it would start ferrying passengers with autonomous Ford sedans and Volvo SUVs in a matter of weeks.

In between, General Motors, Tesla, Google, Nissan Motor and possibly Apple are among those aiming to roll out self-driving vehicles as well.

It has become a race in which every contender is aiming for a different finish line.

READ MORE

 
Going Electric

The Car Connection

Skeptics sometimes doubt whether electric vehicles will catch on.

They compare them to gas-powered cars, trucks, and SUVs, bemoaning the fact that EVs have shorter driving ranges and higher sticker prices. However, a new study shows that the biggest obstacle standing between EVs and mainstream consumers may really be a lack of information.

The study was carried out by a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It reveals that 87 percent of vehicles registered in the U.S. could be magically converted to electricity overnight, and the country would be just fine.

READ MORE








Fleet Trends & Issues


NAFA Sharply Critical of EPA/NHTSA GHG Phase 2 Standards

NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) issued strong criticism of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Phase 2 Standards.

The rule announced on August 16 significantly increases engine stringency levels for over-the-road segments and for vocational applications. NAFA asserted the stringency of these changes jeopardizes fleet managers’ budgets and ability to replace vehicles.

“The parameters of the Phase 2 rules do not take into account the realities of fleet operations,” said NAFA’s Chief Executive Officer Phillip E. Russo, CAE. ”The federal government has overestimated the impact of the new standards by assuming a more robust and fuller adoption of the standards by fleets over a shorter period of time.”

READ MORE

Looking For a Deal on a Used Car? Think Small

The Detroit Bureau

Everyone is looking for a good deal, especially when it involves buying a car. Used car prices are on the rise, but there is one type of vehicle that offers a chance at that oft-chased good deal: small cars.

Prices for subcompact cars are bucking the pricing trend for used cars, according to Edmunds.com. They are down 6.3% while overall prices for previously owned vehicles are up 2.7% for the second quarter of the year.

It’s not just the Chevy Sonics, Ford Fiestas and Honda Fits that are taking hits, compact and midsize car prices are down as well. A combination of hot-selling new cars and low gas prices are doing in the pricing on smaller vehicles.

READ MORE

Tesla Owner in Autopilot Crash Won’t Sue, But Car Insurer Might

Automotive News

A Texas man said the Autopilot mode on his Tesla Model S sent him off the road and into a guardrail, bloodying his nose and shaking his confidence in the technology.

He doesn’t plan to sue the electric-car maker, but his insurance company might. Mark Molthan, the driver, readily admits that he was not paying full attention.

Trusting that Autopilot could handle the route as it had done before, he reached into the glove box to get a cloth and was cleaning the dashboard seconds before the collision, he said.

READ MORE

Safety First: Six Top 2016 Cars for Teenage Drivers

NY Daily News

For teenage drivers and drivers-in-the-making, few things are as mentally consuming as their first car and the innumerable freedoms they’re certain it will bring.

The parents of those burgeoning motorists are giving it some thought as well, though more along the lines of: How much money am I willing to spend on a vehicle sure destined for an untimely end?

And, what car is going to keep my child safe?

READ MORE

Cash or Plastic?

The New York Times

Volkswagen owners in the United States will receive about $20,000 per car as compensation for the company’s diesel deception. Volkswagen owners in Europe at most get a software update and a short length of plastic tubing.

The startling gap in treatment is the result of European laws that shield corporations from class-action suits brought by unhappy consumers.

Now a group of online legal start-ups wants to change the status quo.

READ MORE

 
Safety & Risk

Do you want to do something important? Something powerful, that will save lives and reduce your crash rates?

By Art Liggio, President, Driving Dynamics

For those of you who do not know me too well, I am incredibly mighty and powerful. As a matter of fact, I can state unequivocally I can outperform most people simply with the use of one finger—no not that finger! I’m talking about the all-powerful index finger on my left hand.

Just to be clear, you do know that this article is related to driver safety, right? OK, then I’ll move the story along and reveal the secret of my super powers.

READ MORE

 
Lincoln Leads the Pack

The Detroit News

Consumer satisfaction with cars is on the rise, and customers are most satisfied with Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln brand, according to a survey by the Ann Arbor-based American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Lincoln led the pack with a score of 87 out of 100, which was 5 percent higher than its 2015 approval rating. Honda ranked second with an 8 percent gain to 86, while Toyota and BMW each rose 4 percent, putting them in a tie for third place at 85.

READ MORE








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



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