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February 27, 2018

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


EVs and the NYPD

Robert S. Martinez, Deputy Commissioner at NYPD, has a must-read column in this week: The Electric Vehicle Revolution for Government Fleets. Martinez says, “So, before EVs, when could you have saved money, reduced greenhouse gases, enjoyed great performance, and maybe had someone give you money to buy vehicles? In my 32 years of repairing and managing the largest police fleet in the USA, I would say never!”

Next week, we are very much looking forward to attending The Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, where we will be filming interviews and meeting with clients and prospects. If you would like to set up a meeting and/or an interview, please contact [email protected].

Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief


Thought Leadership

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

Fleet Asset Management – Best practices for work truck management

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

Fleet Spectator A 360 view of the fleet industry

Globally Speaking — Perspectives on the multinational fleet

In the Public Interest — Successfully managing the government fleet

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

Think, Execute, Win!Leadership tips from NBA Star and motivational speaker Walter Bond


VIDEO: New Direct-to-Fleet Gas Delivery

Booster began with a simple and appealing idea: to let consumers and fleets bypass going to the gas station.



VIDEO: March in Indianapolis


 A Taste of The Work Truck Show
 

FMW is looking forward to attending The Work Truck Show in Indianapolis next week!


VIDEO: Safe Driving

 Safety Tip: Managing Your Speed
 

Speeding is one of the top risk factors in serious and fatal crashes. Watch this one minute safety tip from Driving Dynamics for tips on how your drivers can properly budget their time, so they are less tempted to speed.





The Fleet Spot


ARI Drives Greater Flexibility into Fuel Management with the WEX Millennium Platform

Integration with the ARI insights system will offer fleets access to real-time authorization data and new features that will provide greater levels of control and flexibility

ARI® announces the introduction of a revolutionary new tool for managing fuel expenses: the WEX Millennium Platform. With access to real-time authorization data, increased control over transactions, and the ability to create multiple fuel profiles with different parameters, the new platform offers organizations greater clarity into their fuel expenses and enhanced control over their fuel spend.

“ARI is proud to be the first fleet management company to integrate with WEX on this new platform,” said Frank Carbone, vice president of global product management. “This new platform will empower our clients and provide them with the data, insight and tools they need to meaningfully manage their fuel expenses.”

READ MORE

NAFA Announces Newest Members of Board of Directors

NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA), the vehicle fleet industry’s largest membership association, is proud to announce the newest members of its Board of Directors.

Recently elected to three-year terms were:
• Nancy Bean, CAFM®, City of Provo, Utah
• Richard Battersby, CAFM®, City of Oakland
• Michael Camnetar, CAFM®, LeasePlan USA
• Maria Neve, Merchants Fleet Management

READ MORE

NTEA Releases 2018 Fleet Purchasing Outlook

NTEA recently published the 2018 Fleet Purchasing Outlook, which explores the commercial vehicle landscape and measures common acquisition incentives. This study is designed to give the work truck industry insight into the projected direction of the fleet community.

“The 2018 Fleet Purchasing Outlook is an essential tool for industry stakeholders,” said NTEA Executive Director Steve Carey. “It provides enhanced awareness of the fleet perspective and can help companies effectively navigate market fluctuations and understand vocational fleet purchasing trends.”

READ MORE

Webinar: Safer With Sensors: Modernizing Your Fleet Safety Program

Safer With Sensors: Modernizing Your Fleet Safety Program

Date: 03/21/2018
Time:12:00 – 1:00 PM EST
Instructor: Eleanor Horowitz, Product Marketing Manager, Samsara

Organizations strive to reduce accidents across their fleet, to protect their drivers, the public, and their CSA scores. Safety programs that reward accident-free drivers and provide regular employee training are helpful tools, but the most effective safety programs reduce risky behavior by leveraging real-time information about driving habits and incidents.

In this webinar, learn how modern sensor technology can provide a live window into what’s really happening on the road — and how you can use this information to build a comprehensive program that gets buy-in and results.

Register now!

In the Public Interest


There are going to be heroes in this revolution. My advice to government fleet managers everywhere is to embrace it, because there’s no stopping it. Your choice is simple: get on board or be left behind!

By Robert S. Martinez, Deputy Commissioner, New York City Police Department

Over the past 12 months, the all-electric vehicle revolution has accelerated to the point that there should be little doubt in anybody’s mind that EV’s are the future of government fleets, if not the world’s. Now, it’s time that every government fleet consider getting on board. What makes me say that? Four game-changing news items since the beginning of last year:

  1. The introduction of affordable electric vehicles that have a range of over 200 miles.
  2. More than 30 cities united last year to research a joint bid on more than 100,000 EVs to achieve lower prices.
  3. Expanding recharging infrastructure.
  4. Automakers’ plans for significantly expanded EV production, at a profit.

READ MORE

 

Fleet Spectator


An attempt to clear up any confusion, or: is this any way to promote EVs?

By Mark Boada, Senior Editor

OK, so the federal government offers a tax credit if you buy electric vehicles, right? Well, actually, the correct answer is “Yes. No. And Maybe.” And you might well ask, “How can that be?”

It’s “yes” because the credit – which could reach as high as $7,500 – was set to expire as of the end of 2017, but was extended by the new tax law President Trump signed last December. But it’s “no” if you buy an EV in 2018, because the new tax law extended the credit only for purchases made in 2017. And it’s “maybe” because the credit could be extended again for 2018 or beyond, if Congress and Trump decide to later this year.

That doesn’t make it easy for fleets to plan, but it’s not the first time.

READ MORE

 

Big News from Germany


The Washington Post

Germany’s highest administrative court upheld lower court rulings that cities and towns can be forced to ban diesel vehicles to comply with European Union clean air standards for nitrous oxide emissions, which are blamed for some 75,000 German deaths a year.

In 2017, 66 German cities failed to meet the E.U.’s standards. The ruling itself doesn’t impose bans, but allows them as a last resort if other methods don’t bring emissions into compliance.

“Successive German governments have incentivized the sale of diesel vehicles, which were long thought to be a better environmental choice than gasoline-powered cars because, although they produce more smog and soot, the emit less heat-trapping carbon.

“Despite the ruling, the German automobile club ADC said in a statement that it does not expect cities across German to implement sweeping bans on diesel cars. Instead, it advocates hardware fixes and a more ‘comprehensive solution’ for attaining cleaner air.”

Read the article at The Washington Post









Fleet Trends & Issues


Consumer Reports: Best 2018 Cars

Consumer Reports

Only the most excellent new cars of 2018 made the list of Top Picks.

The best cars of 2018 are outstanding all-around performers – shown to be reliable, safe and satisfying – scoring high in stringent track tests and extensive owner surveys.

“A model has to have an exemplary Overall Score in its category to be a Top Pick. This single number combines road-test performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. A car that scores high in all four of these key measures is truly extraordinary.”

Read the article at Consumer Reports.

Backup Assist Technology is Definitely Making a Difference

USA Today

Rear automatic emergency braking technology reduces backup crashes by 78% compared with vehicles with only rear cameras, rear sensors and beeping alerts.

The rear braking system significantly reduces claims under collision coverage and property damage liability claims, according to the study by IIHS.

“The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested six models and found two of them excelled: The Cadillac XT5 and Subaru Outback earned a superior rating from IIHS for their ability to operate safely in reverse. Four other companies offered 2017 models that scored advanced ratings in the first “backing crash” study of its kind: BMW 5 series sedan, Infinity QX60, Jeep Cherokee and Toyota Prius.”

Read the article at USA Today.

Drowsy Driving Crashes Escalate

Forbes

According to a report released earlier this month by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the percentage of crashes involving drowsiness on U.S. roads is nearly eight times higher than federal estimates indicate.

The difficulty in detecting drowsiness following a crash makes drowsy driving one of the most under reported traffic safety issues.

“Drowsy driving is a bigger traffic safety issue than federal estimates show,” Dr. David Yang, executive director for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said in a statement. “Drivers who don’t get enough sleep are putting everyone on the road at risk. By conducting an in-depth analysis using video of everyday drivers, we can now better assess if a driver was fatigued in the moments leading up to a crash.”

Read the article at Forbes

Data Collection – Getting to Know You Better

Wired

Car companies, parts suppliers, car-sharing startups, and ride-hailing giants—are in the business of collecting, compiling and selling data – mapping how you get around, what you buy, and where you go every day.

As an example – Uber has officially come for your commute with its new service, Express Pool, an app that asks riders to walk a block or so before meeting drivers.

A Cadillac CT6 equipped with General Motors’ Autopilot challenger, Super Cruise, can drive on most American and Canadian highways—but not everywhere. Its secret comes down to lasers. A lot of them.

Read the article at Wired.

Remaking Suburbia


Forbes

The suburbs have often been regarded as harmful to the environment with urbanists thinking that mass transit should link them to core cities to eliminate dependence on gas-powered vehicles.

Despite funding from federal and local sources, transit-ridership is stagnant or declining as more Millennials head to the suburbs embracing ride-sharing, electric cars and autonomous vehicles.

Elon Musk recently shared a brutally honest critique of mass transit. “It’s a pain in the ass,” he said. “That’s why everyone doesn’t like it. And there’s like a bunch of random strangers, one of who might be a serial killer, OK great. And so that’s why people like individualized transport, that goes where you want, when you want.”

Read the article at Forbes.

 

Big Changes for Houston?


Houston Chronicle

Over the next two decades, electric cars are expected to be the fastest growing auto segment, threatening Houston’s most important industry, unless the changing energy landscape is embraced.

Texas’ Department of Transportation is now running six electric cars out of its Houston office and has had electric cars within its vehicle fleet since 2011 – with almost 30 vehicles in the rotation until the were flooded during Hurricane Harvey.

“We must ramp up our efforts to develop and attract alternative energy companies to complement the work we are already doing,” Bob Harvey, the partnership’s CEO, said in recent speech to Houston business leaders. ” As the global energy mix evolves, we must ensure that we maintain our role as the ‘Energy Capital of the World,’ including ‘new energy.'”

Read the article at Houston Chronicle.

 

Fixing Infrastructure


The Detroit Bureau

With state and highway infrastructure funds running low, lawmakers and regulators are searching for ways to raise new money, and are considering a hike in gas taxes as well as ‘pay-as-you-go’ fees.

“We need to have (owners of electrified vehicles) pay their share” for road maintenance, Lorraine Inouye, chairwoman of the Hawaiian Senate Transportation Committee, said this week as the body approved a bill that would charge hybrids owners $35 a year above existing weight taxes and registration fees, with the added cost jumping to $70 for pure battery-electric vehicles.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.








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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