By Steve Bender, President Fleet Street Remarketing and outgoing AFLA President
December 20, 2023
I hope this finds you all well and that you are enjoying the blessings of the season with friends, family and all of your special loved ones.
As we all know, the last few years have been hard on fleet. But – as it always has – the industry has moved in a decidedly positive direction, and I am supremely confident that fleet’s best days are truly ahead. So, considering all that we have to celebrate – and in an effort to put my own spin on the season – here is my holiday wish list and a few things I hope for all of us in 2024.
Let’s see here, where’s my fountain pen? And my parchment paper (trying to keep it real!) OK, here goes!
*For fleet managers, I hope you receive all the vehicles you ordered and then some. Passenger cars, pickup trucks – class 5’s! As many as you want – whenever you want!
*For the 100 first time attendees who stood up to be recognized at this year’s AFLA conference to bring their passion, enthusiasm and expertise to an industry that will reward them in spades for their efforts.
*For all of these amazing new fleet professionals starting their industry journeys to find a mentor that can help them maximize their potential the way Kevin McGrath – the founder of Fleet Street – did for me.
*For the fleet management companies and their resilient associates, a year without consolidation.
*For everyday Americans looking for a great deal on an expertly maintained corporate vehicle, the web address for Fleet Street’s one-of-a-kind Carvantedge.com, where they can purchase the vehicle of their dreams quickly, easily and online.
*For every fleet department in earshot, all the additional Santa’s Little Helper’s you need to run better, smarter, safer fleets.
*For everyone suffering from runaway fuel prices, a year like the last few weeks of 2023, where prices keep going down!
*For logistics professionals and driveaway companies, a few months – God forbid, a whole year – where transporters show up on time, vehicles are where customers say they are, and railcar spots aren’t harder to find than a June bug in December.
*For upfitters, vehicles to actually show up on time (so that the rest of their production schedules don’t get blown all to hell!)
*For retiring fleet professionals, a never-ending pat on the back for guiding our industry through a pandemic and more changes in the last 10 years than the previous 50 combined.
*For yours truly, a whole lot more buried treasure (more on that later!)
*For the finance companies, banks and lenders, an easier time from their friends at the Federal Reserve so they can cut the rest of us a break on the highest interest rates in a generation.
*For every fleet trying to implement aggressive EV initiatives, a little sanity in the C-suite and the realization that widespread EV adoption is going to take a lot longer than they think!
*For lithium miners around the world, new deposits that stretch to the center of the earth and back.
*For vehicle rental companies, a whole new fleet of vehicles to rent (and the name of a good remarketer they can use to help them get rid of the old stuff!)
*For telematics providers, new software discoveries that make their solutions stronger, their customers happier, and the whole world an easier place to get around!
*To Matt Betz, the incoming AFLA President, and the AFLA Board, all of the wisdom, support and encouragement I received from the industry’s most dedicated membership during my time as AFLA President in 2023.
*For all of us to put our cell phones down when we’re driving.
Mike Antich
*To one of the smartest, nicest and most knowledgeable people in the history of fleet, Mike Antich, the best first year of retirement a person can possibly enjoy along with this industry’s gratitude for many years of dedicated service.
*And finally, for my incredible colleagues at Fleet Street Remarketing and CarVantedge, a year filled with record sales, repeat business, and really happy customers.
Happy Holidays everybody. Here’s hoping all of your holiday wishes come true!
