Pictured: Koen van Grimbergen, Sofico Services Australia, Eden Shirley, AutoGuru, Frank Morberger, WEX
Australian fleet operators, with more than 300,000 vehicles managed between them, attended Sofico’s inaugural innovation day for fleet operators. The event was designed to look at a number of new services, including streamlined supplier payments and more competitive rates for repairs, maintenance and tires.
Sofico also shared the news of two new strategic partnerships that it has forged in the region to introduce a number of fleet efficiencies for fleet customers.
U.S. regulators told Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV in November 2015 that they suspected some of the automaker's vehicles were equipped with secret software allowing them to violate emission control standards, according to emails disclosed on Friday.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board accused Fiat Chrysler in January of using the software, known as a "defeat device," to illegally allow excess diesel emissions in 104,000 U.S. 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks.
Byron Bunker, director of the EPA's Transportation and Air Quality compliance division, said in a January 2016 email to Fiat Chrysler, obtained by Reuters under the Freedom of Information Act, that he was "very concerned about the unacceptably slow pace" of the automaker's efforts to explain high nitrogen oxide emissions from some of its vehicles.
California and other states would be barred from setting their own rules governing design and testing of self-driving cars, while federal regulators would be blocked from demanding pre-market approval for autonomous vehicle technology, according to a U.S. House Republican proposal reviewed by Reuters on Thursday.
The draft legislation, while far from becoming law, still represents a victory for General Motors Co, Alphabet Inc, Tesla Inc and other automakers and technology companies seeking to persuade Congress and the Trump administration to pre-empt rules under consideration in California, New York and other states that could limit deployment of self-driving vehicles.
The industry also opposed an Obama administration proposal last year that raised the possibility of giving regulators the power to review and approve self-driving car technology before it was put into service, similar to the vetting by Federal Aviation Administration of new technology for aircraft.
By Janice Sutton
Doug Keeley is president of Mark of a Leader, a consulting firm based in Toronto. He was a highly engaging keynote speaker at the recent NAFA Institute and Expo in Tampa, Florida. Fleet Management Weekly interviewed him after his keynote address.
What makes a great leader?
To be a great leader you must be 100 percent accountable for your actions. You must have clarity of vision. You must have integrity. Moreover, you must be a good communicator and a good storyteller. It’s not just about the person at the top – leaders at every level of the organization must also possess these qualities.
The most powerful definition of a leader is someone who helps others to be their best. A leader’s job is not to get the most out of people, it is to get the best out of people. Great leaders do that; they get people to do things that they didn’t know they were capable of doing, and when they’re done, those people say, “Wow! I had no idea that I could do that. That is unbelievable!”
Jaguar Land Rover is the latest automaker to enter the autonomous vehicle testing fray.
The British luxury brand's InMotion Ventures mobility services company announced a $25 million investment yesterday into expanding Lyft's technology plans, allowing the ride-hailing company to test self-driving cars. As part of the partnership, Lyft gets a fleet of Jaguar and Land Rover models to conduct testing of mobility services and autonomous vehicles.
Lyft is no stranger to partnering with automakers on self-driving and ride-sharing services.