FleetManagementWeekly AmeriFleet
October 10, 2017

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Wheels: A Most Splendid Heritage

We were delighted to learn that Dan Frank and Jim Frank have assumed new leadership roles at Wheels, Inc. Dan has been elevated to CEO and Jim has been named Executive Chairman of the Board. Jim’s father Zollie founded the venerable company in 1939 and, not so incidentally, founded the fleet leasing and management industry. What a splendid heritage! Congratulations to both Jim and Dan.

Subrogation could sound a bit, shall we say, dull. But don’t be deceived — accidents will happen and they won’t all be your driver’s fault. Read Bob Glose’s excellent article in the ‘On Fleet Driver Management’ column to learn the five essential steps to the subrogation recovery process. Lots of money is at stake here.

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.

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.

Fleet Spectator — A 360 view of the fleet industry.

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


VIDEO: Safety, and the Transition to Autonomous Vehicles

Yes, autonomous vehicles are coming. But there’s going to be a transition period, and safety is going to be a big issue.



VIDEO: Focusing on Customers


  Mobile and Global Initiatives are Key for WEX Inc.
 

WEX bases its initiatives on its partners and its customers – and is currently putting a lot of focus on both mobile and global.


VIDEO: Ignite Your Selling Potential

  Where the Rubber Hits the Road
 

Kurt’s organization had been seeing an erosion of sales, and was truly in need of a turnaround. Then he and his team learned to ignite their selling potential. The results were positive – and dramatic.





The Fleet Spot


Dan Frank Promoted to Wheels CEO, Jim Frank Becomes Executive Chairman of the Board

Wheels, Inc.has announced the promotion of Dan Frank from President of Wheels, Inc. to the additional position of Chief Executive Officer Jim Frank will transition from CEO to Executive Chairman of the Board.

The Wheels Board of Directors, which consists of four independent directors and two Wheels executives, recommended and enthusiastically supported Dan’s promotion. Dan is the third CEO in Wheels’ 78 year history, following Armund Schoen and Jim Frank, both founding members of the Automotive Fleet Hall of Fame. “Dan’s total commitment to extraordinary customer service and uncompromising quality assure that Wheels will continue its industry-wide reputation for reliability and value creation for its clients,” said Jim Frank.

READ MORE

A Call to Action: It’s Fall! Time to Begin Scaring Up Next Year’s Marketing Budget

By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer

For many companies, the Fall signals the start of another budgeting process that comprises a two-part challenge:

1. Reviewing the success of this year’s marketing tactics and overall achievement of goals at both the tactical and strategic levels,

2. Developing next year’s plan and appropriate budget by gathering pertinent facts from inside and outside the company.

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Driving Dynamics Builds on its Relationship with DriveTech to Reduce Driving Risk in North America

Driving Dynamics Inc. has signed an agreement with DriveTech International (DriveTech) to join its global training partner network and for reseller rights in North America.

Under this agreement, Driving Dynamics will add DriveTech’s driver safety and risk management solutions to its portfolio of services. This initiative, which includes a program of behavior-based assessments, e-learning and on-the-road coaching has been two years in development and tested by Driving Dynamics under a pilot program.

READ MORE

NETS DSWW Impaired Driving Campaign Now Available

Driving while impaired is a factor in nearly 40% of fatal crashes, yet impaired driving is a choice which is 100% preventable.

The team at NETS has pulled together a focused set of materials designed to make an impact on employees – one that will hopefully inspire them to think twice before getting behind the wheel while impaired. Included in these materials are some sobering facts as well as practical tips on how to plan ahead to make those decisions when best able to do so – before indulging. Ultimately, Your Decisions Drive Your Safety.

Download the Impaired Driving Toolkit

On Fleet Driver Management


By Bob Glose, Senior Vice President, Operation and Enterprise Resources

Recovering damages from third parties responsible for collisions with fleet vehicles should be a high priority for every fleet operator.

Money left uncollected should provide an incentive for fleets to take another look at their recovery programs. The benchmark is recovery, over the long run, of 25 to 30 percent of total fleet accident physical damage expenses. If your fleet isn’t close to that, there is much to be gained by upgrading your recovery program.

There are five essential steps to the subrogation recovery process, each of which is subject to its own types of pitfalls, and is amenable to specific remedies:

Step One: Identifying the claims to pursue for recovery. This is the most crucial step in the entire process, and itself consists of careful evaluation of three factors: the kind of accident, the state in which it occurred, and the location of the damage.

READ MORE

 

Driverless Freeways?


Wired

By now, you’ve seen the renderings and heard the promises. Someday, robocars will dominate American roadways, each racing along just inches from its neighbors, safely under the control of a computer that never makes mistakes.

No more congestion, fewer atmosphere-choking emissions, and crucially, a drastic drop in deadly crashes.

Someday. Autonomous vehicles are truly on the way, but until they complete their conquest, they’ll have to share the road with awful human drivers.

READ MORE

 

Talent Management


By Mike Cieri

Even the best managers will make errors in judgment when managing a staff of people, each with unique personalities, capabilities and needs, and it’s likely that we can all reflect on where we might have handled something with more skill.

Want to brush up on or test your own management skills? Here’s a handy list of ten common mistakes that leaders make in the course of managing talent.

1. Not providing Feedback

Not letting people know how they are doing is like sending someone out on a hike without a compass and map. When you don’t provide feedback you are denying your associates the opportunity to improve.

 

READ MORE









Fleet Trends & Issues


Technology Crammed Into Cars Worsens Driver Distraction

The Detroit News

The infotainment technology that automakers are cramming into the dashboard of new vehicles is making drivers take their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel for dangerously long periods of time, an AAA study says.

The study released Thursday is the latest by University of Utah professor David Strayer, who has been examining the impact of infotainment systems on safety for AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety since 2013.

Past studies also identified problems, but Strayer said the “explosion of technology” has made things worse.

READ MORE

For Electric Car Owners, ‘Range Anxiety’ Gives Way to ‘Charging Time Trauma’

The New York Times

An oft-cited reason people don’t buy electric cars is “range anxiety” — if batteries struggle to take you as far as gas and charging stations are limited in number, the thinking goes, who would want one?

But there is another obstacle: charging time trauma.

Compared with a five-minute pit stop at your local gas station, charging an electric vehicle is a glacially slow experience.

READ MORE

Driving Drunk or on Drugs in a Driverless Car Should be Legal, Expert Body Says

CNBC

People under the influence of drugs and alcohol should be able to use driverless cars without falling foul of the law, a regulatory body in Australia has suggested.

The National Transport Commission (NTC), an independent advisory body, said current laws could reduce the uptake of automated vehicles.

One of those potential barriers could be any law that requires occupants of self-driving cars to comply with drink-driving laws.

READ MORE

Deadly Car Crashes are on the Rise Again, Hitting a 9-Year High

USA Today

Deadly vehicle crashes spiked in the USA for a second straight year in 2016, hitting a nine-year high despite the adoption of new safety features and investments in partially self-driving cars.

Key reasons: speeding, not wearing seat belts and a rise in motorcycle deaths.

Car accidents killed 37,461 people in 2016, up 5.6% from 2015, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data released Friday.

READ MORE

EV Trucks


McKinsey&Company

There’s nothing new about electric trucks;they have labored on the streets of major cities across the world since the first decades of the 20th century.

Fleet managers prized these trucks for their strong pulling power and greater reliability than vehicles powered by early, fitful internal combustion engines (ICEs). And now, in a high-tech second act, both incumbent and nontraditional makers of commercial vehicles across most weight categories and a variety of segments are launching new “eTrucks.”

A century on, the question is, why now?

READ MORE

 

No Future for Auto Insurance?


VentureBeat

In a 2015 interview, Elon Musk pointed out that recent advances in auto technology could lead to human-operated vehicles becoming illegal someday.

While this may seem ludicrous to some, it could play out sooner than you think. By 2025 — just a few short years away — the auto industry’s autonomous segment is projected to reach a worth of $26 billion, according to insights from Bain & Company.

Some estimates even project as many as 10 million self-driving cars will be on the road by 2020.

READ MORE

 

Business Travel


Bloomberg Technology

Booking a room on Airbnb? Soon you’ll have the option to snag a desk or conference room at the closest WeWork location.

Two of the world’s most valuable technology startups are teaming up in the hopes of luring young business travelers away from hotels.

Airbnb Inc. plans to begin a pilot program Thursday with WeWork Cos. to provide travelers with amenities commonly found in hotel business centers, such as a work desk, Wi-Fi, printers and meeting rooms, said people familiar with the project.

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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