FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
July 25, 2017

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Constant Change

The fleet industry, like most industries these days, is changing at a rapid pace. It’s always a moving target, but we all need to keep up!

Today’s third video, with Tilak Kasturi from Predii, details an AI Platform that was built to understand fleet data – something that could bring about some exciting changes to this industry.

We’ve also got a great article from The Verge on how Autonomous Driving Will Bring Forced Obsolescence to Cars. That will still be an interesting change, and one that will certainly affect this industry.

Finally, if you’re a fleet service provider looking to market to fleet professionals, then please consider our Content Marketing & Advertising options. We’re gentle on your fleet marketing budget and we will work with you to tailor just the right program. You can get more information here, and don’t hesitate to email me directly.

Ted Roberts
President & Chief Content Officer


Thought Leadership

Fleet Marketing – Guiding principles for fleet providers to improve marketing and increase sales.

Fleet Asset Management – Best practices for work truck management.

Globally Speaking — Perspectives on the Multinational Fleets

Customer Driven — Engage your organization to create customer loyalty, trust, and superior service

On Fleet Driver Management Solutions to improve your fleet’s accident rate and cut costs on collision repairs

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

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

BIG Data. BIG Results. BIG Future– Harnessing big data to achieve big results using cutting edge technology.

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


VIDEO: Driving Dynamics, Under New Ownership, Positions for Growth

Driving Dynamics, in business for 30 years, has announced a change of ownership. Here to speak about the new leadership and future direction of the company is Art Liggio, President and CEO.



VIDEO: Customer Service

  A Lifeline to Fleet Customers
 

The Fleet Partnership Solutions group at Element Fleet is key to providing amazing customer service.


VIDEO: Fleet Data and AI
  An AI Platform Built to Understand Fleet Data
 

Predii has built an AI platform that’s geared to specifically understand fleet data, and fleets and FMCs that have been collecting data for some time are positioned to reap the benefits.





The Fleet Spot


Center for Transportation Safety Added to Driving Dynamics Portfolio, Vinciguerra Named COO

Driving Dynamics Inc. today announced a strategic alliance agreement with Element Fleet Management. Under the agreement, Driving Dynamics now operates the Center for Transportation Safety (CTS) LLC. As a Driving Dynamics subsidiary, CTS provides safety training for drivers of all classes of vehicles to reduce organizational risk and educational training to qualify drivers for their Commercial Drivers Licenses.

With this move, Tony Vinciguerra, with more than three decades of industry expertise, has joined Driving Dynamics’ executive leadership team and been named as its new chief operating officer (COO).

READ MORE

WIFM at AFLA Conference: Kathleen Nalty — ‘Outsmart Your Unconscious Bias’

AFLA is excited to announce Women In Fleet Management (WIFM), will once again hold their annual session and reception at this year’s Annual Corporate Fleet Conference (AFLA 2017), on Sunday, September 17th, at the M Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

Kathleen Nalty will be the keynote speaker at WIFM’s session: ‘Outsmart Your Unconscious Bias.’ Despite our best intentions, research shows we all have it – unconscious, unintentional bias. The key is to learn how to recognize our own unconscious biases as well as practical ways to interrupt those biases so we can make better decisions and serve customers and clients more effectively.

READ MORE

All Above Average Drivers: Raise Your Hand. Really?

By Art Liggio, President and CEO, Driving Dynamics

Each year Driving Dynamics trains thousands of drivers across North America through its one day, behind-the-wheel advanced safety courses.

During the group discussions our instructors normally ask trainees to ‘raise their hand if they feel they’re above average drivers. Invariably, the vast majority do raise their hands backed up by comments such as: “Well yes, I’m an excellent driver. I haven’t had a ticket since I was a teenager.” “You bet I am, I haven’t had an accident or a fender bender in over 20 years.”

These interesting anecdotes go on and on, but do most people actually believe they are above average drivers?

READ MORE

Element to Integrate Data Provided by OnStar into its Xcelerate Fleet Management Platform

Element Fleet Management customers now have the option to integrate data provided by OnStar directly into the Xcelerate platform and other analytics offerings to gather fleet location, usage and vehicle diagnostic insights from properly equipped General Motors Fleet vehicles.

With more than 1 million vehicles managed in North America, Element becomes the largest fleet management company to incorporate data provided by OnStar to help its customers improve productivity, safety and costs.

READ MORE

Innovative Telematics Solutions

By Janice Sutton

We recently interviewed Kfir Lavi, Senior Vice President at ERM Advanced Telematics, and asked him to give us an overview of the company and a view of the telematics solutions they are offering their fleet management service providers.

Among the topics Lavi addresses are ERM’s driver behavior monitoring, their unique tracking devices, vehicle diagnostic solutions, wireless connectivity, and at the top of many of our minds, cybersecurity.

Lavi says, “ERM is a provider of device-based telematics solutions. Over the years, we have developed an extensive portfolio of innovative solutions that support a growing range of telematics and fleet management services.

We create partnerships with fleet management service providers, who in turn, develop applications for their customers on our Starlink platform. We are based in Israel, and we have been in this business for over 30 years. Today, we have partners in more than 65 countries. Our devices have been installed in more than 1.5m vehicles worldwide.”

READ THE INTERVIEW

 
The Fleet CX Toolkit

By Wendy Eichenbaum

In July 2016, Pokémon Go exploded on the scene. Within 2 months, over 80 million people had downloaded the game. Businesses attracted customers using in-game features. And though augmented reality (AR) was invented in 1968, millions of people tried AR for the first time. AR is a technology that layers computer-generated elements on top of real world experiences. In the case of Pokémon, Pokémon characters moved around a real map or a camera screen.

A year later, what are the effects of the Pokémon craze? On the surface, it might not be easy to detect. Daily users have by dropped 80%. There is no string of “copy-cat” Pokémon games. And a majority of people do not know the difference between augmented reality and its counterpart virtual reality (VR). VR is a computer-generated simulation of real life that completely immerses users.

However, just below the surface, there has been a profound change. We no longer marvel at the benefits of AR; instead, we expect it.

READ MORE

 
Ignite Your Selling Potential

By Susan A. Lund, President of MR3

Selling is a lot like driving. People have beliefs that shape their behavior. We have beliefs about driving and beliefs about selling.

When we have false beliefs people spin their wheels. They become busy with activity, but not productivity. Sound familiar?

As we discussed, beliefs are what we know to be true, however when we don’t have the facts, sometimes we adopt beliefs that are not true. What I call false beliefs. Since beliefs shape our behaviors and thoughts, when we have false beliefs, people internalize those false beliefs with the words, “I can’t.” When that happens, you limit your selling potential.

Let’s talk about another false belief that will limit your selling potential and success.

READ MORE









Fleet Trends & Issues


Driverless Vehicles Go Remote Control

Media Post

In somewhat of a twist on the forward motion of the development of self-driving vehicles, there seems to be a movement in vehicles that use a driver, but via remote control.

An electric, self-driving truck has been unveiled by a Swedish tech company with the intent of creating 200 of the remote-controlled vehicles.

The ˜T-Pod’ is 23 feet long and has an operating weight of 20 tons, smaller than normal heavy trucks. It’s controlled by an operator, but also has the ability to take advantage of a self-driving system, according to Einride, the company making the vehicles.

READ MORE

American Motorists Overwhelmingly Favor Stricter Mileage Rules, Finds New Study

The Detroit Bureau

Nearly eight of 10 Americans – including 68% of Republicans – favor the strict Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards set to phase in between now and 2025, according to a new study by the Consumer Federation of America.

The non-profit group published the results of its findings as the Trump Administration prepares to reopen a review of the mileage regulations enacted under President Barack Obama. CFA officials also countered auto industry claims that the CAFE rules are too expensive, arguing that motorists would save more than $900 on fuel over a five-year period, or nearly three times more than high-mileage technology would add to the price of the typical vehicle.

READ MORE

Deer Caught in the Headlights? Your Car May Soon See Them

The New York Times

One morning in early June, Jim LaPointe was driving on the outskirts of this Michigan city when a deer bounded across the road in front of his Ford Fusion.

Mr. LaPointe braked and avoided hitting the doe, but was caught off guard by what happened next.

“All of a sudden I see this little blip dart out, and it’s the little one running after the mother,” Mr. LaPointe said. He slammed on the brakes and the youngster evidently scooted away. “I didn’t see any fur on the bumper, so I guess I didn’t hit him, but it was close.”

READ MORE

Lyft Says, ‘Me Too!’ and Dives Into the Self-Driving Game

Wired

Conventional wisdom on self-driving used to go like this: A smart tech company, like Google’s Waymo, writes the self-driving software. A smart chip company, like Nvidia, provides the computing power. A smart automotive supplier, like Delphi, brings the car parts. A smart carmaker, like GM, furnishes the cars – and everything runs on the platform created by a smart ride-hailing company, like Uber or Lyft.

This line of thinking explains why players in this industry are partnering up like their survival depends on it. In the stage production that is getting you from A to B in a robocar, everyone plays a role.

READ MORE

Autonomous Vehicles

The Verge

The concept of built-in obsolescence should be familiar to anyone that has ever bought a piece of advanced consumer electronics.

Back in the early 2000s, a brand new gaming PC would be out of date faster than its owner could notify all his or her friends of the acquisition. Over the past decade, smartphones have taken over as the devices that keep tempting us to buy new hardware with ever-escalating specs and capabilities.

And as we look forward to the next few years, it looks like self-driving car technology will be one of the fastest-moving areas of innovation.

READ MORE

 
Fleet Spectator

Fleet managers, take note: driving is increasingly bad for our health.

By Mark Boada, Senior Editor

It’s Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., rush hour, on a hot day last month in West Goshen, Pennsylvania, a bucolic suburb some 30 miles west of Philadelphia. Bianca Roberson, 18, is driving home from a trip to the mall in a green Chevy Malibu, going 60 mph south-bound on busy, divided state highway Route 100 where the lanes narrow from two to one.

As she approaches the merge point, alongside she sees a red Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 28-year-old Greg Page, competing with her to merge into the single lane. Police say the two are engaged in a high-speed “cat and mouse game” when Page lifts a handgun and fires through his window at Roberson. She’s hit in the head and is probably dead before her car crashes into a wooded area on the side of the road.

READ MORE

 
Trouble in Germany?

CNN Money

Storm clouds are gathering again over Germany’s biggest industry.

Antitrust officials confirmed Saturday that they are investigating claims that the country’s major carmakers may have been operating a cartel since the 1990s, colluding on everything from vehicle development and engines, to suppliers and diesel emissions systems.

“The European Commission and the Bundeskartellamt [German cartel office] have received information on this matter, which is currently being assessed by the commission,” the European Commission said in a statement. “It is premature at this stage to speculate further.”

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



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