By Art Liggio, President and CEO, Driving Dynamics

Those who follow the Safety & Risk column or read my articles in other publications are aware that I see my role as delivering valuable safety and risk management concepts that readers can put into practice or challenging the norm to help leaders consider new ways to improve their fleets’ safety performance.

However, today I’m taking some latitude to reflect on Driving Dynamics’ journey, express thanks to our outstanding staff, exceptional trainers and valued partners, and to share that this quiet company is stepping into the spotlight to tell its story. Next issue I will be back to sharing ideas on driver risk and safety management!

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Donlen has just unveiled its new brand. The fleet industry is currently undergoing many changes, which are only expected to continue within the next three to five years. To prepare for the changing landscape, Donlen has continued to invest in a forward-thinking product roadmap that will prepare customers for trends such as Mobility as a Service, autonomous vehicles, and safety. With Donlen’s focus on the changing marketplace, Donlen has enhanced its brand to focus on the future of fleet.

“Now is an exciting time to be in fleet management,” said Tom Callahan, Donlen president. “Donlen may have a new look, however, we will continue to focus on what we do best: provide our customers with attentive service, develop technology roadmaps for the short and long-term to stay ahead of emerging trends, and present comprehensive consulting insights and actionable recommendations to allow customers to achieve their operational goals.”

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By Mark Boada, Senior Editor

A surprisingly large – even shocking – number of fleets that reimburse drivers for using their own vehicles for business are leaving themselves open to millions of dollars in accident liability judgments and aren’t keeping a close eye on fuel costs. Those are the two big take-aways from our recent interview with Dillon Blake, senior director of business development at Runzheimer International Ltd., the privately held mobility management company based in Waterford, Wisconsin.

Blake said he finds it “mind-boggling” that more than a third of the fleets the company surveyed for its latest Workforce Mobility Report don’t even have a driver policy in place. Additional report findings:

• Only three percent of fleets without a driver policy verify whether their drivers have auto insurance.
• More than half of surveyed fleets don’t run motor vehicle reports on their drivers
• Nearly half of all fleets don’t use automated driver mileage reporting, which can save them 17.5 percent a year on fuel expenses.

READ MORE about Runzheimer’s insights into fuel expense and safety management practices and solutions.

The Detroit Bureau

Between now and 2022, VWAG plans to invest over $40 billion on autonomous vehicles and electrified variants of every model sold by its dozen passenger car brands, as well as developing driverless electric truck technology.

“We are laying the foundation for making Volkswagen the world’s number-one player in electric mobility by 2025,” Chief Executive Matthias Müller said. “The entire automotive industry is facing fundamental changes in the coming years, which will provide great opportunities, but also require us to put in tremendous efforts.”

Electrification won’t be limited to flagship brands, but also to luxury divisions, low-end marques Seat and Skoda as well as a new sub-brand called Volkswagen I.D.

Read more of the original article at The Detroit Bureau.

Forbes

CEO Mary Barra told an investor conference, that GM’s new modular EV platform will be able to produce at least 20 new battery-powered vehicles by 2023, with the flexibility to accommodate nine different body styles in multiple sizes, segments and brands.

“We are committed to a future electric vehicle portfolio that will be profitable,” Barra said at the Barclays Global Automotive Conference in New York.

The new EV platform will make vehicles 30 percent cheaper to build than the current Chevrolet Bolt EV, due to cost cuts of lithium-ion batteries to less than $100 per kilowatt-hour from $145 per kilowatt-hour by 2021.

Read more of the original article at Forbes.

The New York Times

The 2018 Cadillac CT6 luxury sedan’s Super Cruise driver-assistance system uses a radar sensor, cameras, GPS positioning and a highly precise digital map, and handles all of the braking, accelerating and steering – allowing the driver to ‘text while driving’, if necessary.

G.M. is careful to specify that it is not promoting Super Cruise as a way to let drivers text, Google or open a newspaper on the highway. “We don’t recommend it,” said Lisa Sieradski, global product manager for the CT6. “It will allow you to glance down at a phone or the radio, but you have to return your eyes to the road.”

Read more of the original article at The New York Times.

The Guardian

Uber will own a fleet of autonomous vehicles with its order of 24,000 Volvo flagship VC90 SUVs, while building its self-driving system through Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group.

Jeff Miller, Uber’s head of automotive alliances, said: “Our goal was from day one to make investments into a vehicle that could be manufactured at scale.”

Volvo’s deal with Uber and Ford’s with Lyft show the pressure on automakers to avoid becoming outdated in a world of increased automation, and on ride-hailing companies to start automating to cut driver costs and turn profits.

Read more of the original article at The Guardian.

Harvard Business Review

A stressful life event or personal crisis happens to us all at one point in our lives, and is cause for distraction at the workplace.

If you’ve reached the point where you say to yourself, “I can’t get my job done,” it may be time to ask for help, says Jane Dutton, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and coauthor of Awakening Compassion at Work.

When handling a crisis situation, the answer is not the same for everyone – Should you confide with your manager and colleagues? Should you ask for flexible hours or a reduced workload? Should you take a leave of absence?

Read more of the original article at Harvard Business Review.

Donlen has just announced that Bob Barna has joined Donlen as vice president, strategic sales and Ian Crapper has joined Donlen in the role of managing director, global business.

Barna will be building relationships with companies across the U.S. and he will work closely with Donlen’s sales territory managers to provide proactive and ongoing strategic solutions to fleets resulting in streamlined processes and year-over-year cost reductions. Crapper will be responsible for Donlen’s global fleet program and he will manage the global product to enhance services for existing global customers.

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The CEI Group has announced the appointment of four new Vice Presidents. These leaders have been major contributors to the success that both CEI and Element have realized over the past few years, and they bring rich experience that will help CEI going forward as the global leader in accident management and driver safety programs.

The newly appointed CEI Vice Presidents are:

• Eliot Bensel has been named Vice President of Account Development
• Randy Denmyer has been promoted to Vice President of Accident Management Services
• Ken Latzko has been promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing
• Chris Villella has been promoted to Vice President of Strategic Relationship Management

READ MORE about these promotions.