By Holly Hill, CAFS, Director of Business Development, FLD Remarketing
As just about anyone in the industry can attest to, the Covid pandemic has changed fleet in ways that none of us could ever have imagined. From labor and chip shortages that have shuttered major automotive manufacturers, to supply chain stops and starts that have just about everyone searching for creative workarounds, the past 18 months have been unbelievably challenging.
So, with tempered expectations, I was anxious to attend this year’s NAFA I & E in Pittsburgh to see old friends and colleagues, exchange pandemic stories, and check in on folks I hadn’t seen in person since the NTEA conference in early March 2020.
As one might have expected, this year’s NAFA was unlike any I have ever attended over the last 20 plus years. From diminished attendance to some of the biggest entities in the business going MIA, it was easy to see that fleet – much like every other industry on the planet – is facing unprecedented hurdles that will change the face of our industry forever. And while I – like many of the attendees, I’m sure – have no idea when the industry will recover, one overriding fact seemed to stand out more than any other: People – and fleets – are simply going to have to find new ways to do more with less.
Not that that hasn’t been the case for years. From dwindling fleet departments to the proliferation of telematics, fleet has been morphing for several years. And while professionals in our industry have been adapting to these changes for over a decade, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the sea change we are now facing as the pandemic lingers and businesses struggle to find not so much as their “new normal” – as one astute NAFA attendee pointed out – but their “next normal.”
At FLD, we’ve certainly experienced many of the challenges our colleagues throughout the industry have faced. Especially considering the huge uptick we’ve seen in used vehicle prices, and as more and more fleets look to increase liquidity and flexibility by selling unused assets. And, perhaps to no one’s surprise, we’re also seeing our customers, partners, and friends in fleet face similar roadblocks, as budgets and staff are cut, fleet operations are reconfigured, and the industry moves to a procurement-based purchasing model.
As the leader that’s been pioneering the vehicle remarketing space for over 40 years, FLD has several ways to help our customers not only get the most out of their fleet operations, but to find new and inventive ways to stay relevant, dynamic, and forging ahead by optimizing their assets and operations, and keeping their options open.
With that in mind, here are some of the important ways FLD can help fleets do more with less during these unprecedented and challenging times:
Faster Vehicle Sales
When it comes to remarketing vehicles and equipment, nothing is more important than selling quickly and for top dollar, something no other independent or third-party provider can do like FLD. In fact, we’re the only remarketer that takes an ownership stake in a vehicle BEFORE it gets remarketed, not after it’s finally sold weeks or months later. We do this by making an offer in hours, paying the full price fleets agree to within a day, and leaving our customers free to move on to more important things. And with FLD’s “zero days to sale” policy, we can purchase your vehicle before it even comes out of service, bringing an immediate end to lease payments and mounting costs that continue piling up until a vehicle is finally sold and a fleet gets paid.
Comprehensive Portfolio Reviews
One of the most important ways FLD has been helping clients during the pandemic is to conduct comprehensive portfolio reviews of their existing fleet assets. Doing this has helped many of our customers not only right size their fleets while selling for historically high prices, but also cut costs and better determine which assets to keep, which ones to move, and which to sell.
Title and Registration Expertise
Perhaps most important to our customers, FLD offers a range of value-added services that help fleets address critical needs that too often overextended staff and strain processes and procedures. Especially fleets that have recently experienced a workforce reduction. One of the ways we do this is with our motivated and experienced Title and Registration department, one of the best in the industry. With over 60 years of combined experience, our Title Department has the know-how to cut through the mountains of red tape that come with licensing and registering vehicles in all 50 states, saving fleets significant time, money and resources.
Transport Services
With over 5,000 vehicle moves a year, our experienced Transport department can help take the time-consuming hassles out of moving vehicles and equipment. Considering that the average fleet vehicle can roll up hundreds of dollars a day in costs, getting them recovered, moved and sold quickly is one of the best ways to lower TCO and free up staff who otherwise would be burdened by the details and unpredictability of transporting assets.
If your fleet is facing serious challenges that have you looking for new and inventive ways to do more with less, give us a call at (800) 754-1522. As the remarketing leader, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves, sharpen our pencils and go to work to help you not only survive – but thrive – during these unprecedented times.
About the author
Holly Hill is a 25 year veteran of the fleet industry and is proud to have received her CAFS. To share your fleet stories with her, or to find out how she can help your fleet do more with less, contact her at [email protected].
