FleetManagementWeekly
May 28, 2019

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Editor's Analysis & Top Industry News


Faster and Smarter!

We like to keep up with the latest in fleet technology, thus thoroughly enjoyed Bernie Kavanagh’s astute piece: Faster and Smarter: The Next Generation in Mobility. WEX, by the way, is a co-presenter at the session: When the Car Becomes the Card at the Automotive CX Summit next month in Marina del Rey, California.

In Globally Speaking, we note that, as of 2015, the cost of the average crash to U.S. employers is $24,057. Considering that staggering number, the strong emphasis that fleets are putting on driver safety is well-placed.

Sadly, one disastrous occurrence that can propel that crash cost number skyward is a negligent entrustment lawsuit. Read SuperVision’s article The Risk of Overlooking Driver Safety and download their white paper to learn how you can protect your fleet.

FMW congratulates Art Liggio and the Driving Dynamics team for being honored by Training Industry as one of the top 20 health and safety training companies in North America!

Drive safety!

Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief


VIDEO: Driving Dynamics Awarded for Exceptional Driver Safety Training

Driving Dynamics was awarded once again by Training Industry as being one of the top 20 health and safety training companies in North America.

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VIDEO: Fleets and Motor Pools


 Pooling Vehicles and Cutting Costs
 

Government sector fleets can see huge savings in time and money when they pool their vehicles. San Joaquin County, for example, saw savings in the millions of dollars.


VIDEO: The Love of Cars

 Keeping Up with Today’s Vehicles
 

Adam Orth, the Fleet Services Manager for General Mills, not only loves his job – he also loves and enjoys cars, and part of that is keeping up with what today’s vehicles can do.





The Fleet Spot



AFLA 2019 Conference: Early Bird Rate Ends May 31st!

Don’t miss out on your chance to save on registration for the 2019 Annual Corporate Fleet Conference, taking place September 16-18, 2019 at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ.

When registering, be sure to add one of our Tuesday afternoon networking activities. Whether golf, education discussion or an afternoon by the pool is more your speed – there are options for everyone. Review the schedule and be sure to add them to your AFLA 2019 registration!

Register Now with Early Bird Pricing

eDriving Driver Safety On-Demand Webinar and eBook Now Available

Driver safety isn’t a “campaign,” nor a “tick-the-box” exercise achieved through periodic training courses.

To reduce driver risk, lower associated costs, and sustain risk reduction, driver safety must become “a way of life” – part of an organization’s conversations, activities, meetings, performance reviews, annual conferences, and other events.

Watch now
In this webinar, Jim Noble, eDriving’s Vice President, Risk Engineering, explains how to reduce driver risk by creating a safety performance environment.

Get ebook now
This concise eBook summarizes the elements of a successful crash-free culture and explains how to measure progress and maintain safety as a way of life.

Automotive CX Summit — Get Inspired: The Power of Great Experiences!

June 18 – 19, Ritz Carlton, Marina del Rey, California

Customer Experience is now the #1 business differentiator and companies are transforming their businesses through CX Management as they anticipate massive changes in the industry due to emerging technology and new entrants that are redefining how consumers shop, buy, own, use, and drive.

The Automotive CX Summit addresses both the technology required to digitize and automate CX business processes and the strategies required to leverage data, customer insights, and cultural change.

READ MORE

Navigating the Road with Two-Wheelers, Common Dangers and Tips for A Safer Road

The safety of motorcyclists is everyone’s obligation and we all must take proactive measures to maintain the safety of everyone with which we share the road

By Art Liggio, President and CEO, Driving Dynamics

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. In honor of raising awareness, we must start by recognizing that there are many misconceptions and dangerous driving occurrences that can lead to unfortunate consequences for motorcyclists and car or truck motorists.

Here are a few of the common dangerous driving occurrences that result in motorcycle crashes, along with some tips that you and your fleet can leverage to safely share the road with our two and three-wheeler friends:

READ MORE

Mobile Payment Technology


New tools are disrupting the fleet industry to deliver a faster, easier, more intuitive payment experience to drivers

By Bernie Kavanagh, SVP and GM, Large Fleet, WEX, Inc.

As mobile payment technology continues to mature and security solutions come to the rescue of any outstanding consumer security concerns, it’s conceivable that most consumers will soon pick up their smartphones to make the majority of their purchases.

With that behavior taking shape, it’s likely that B2B payers will soon expect their B2B payments to be made as effortlessly.

This is certainly true in the fleet management industry, which is expected to undergo explosive growth and change in the next four to five years. At WEX, we make it our business to stay on the cutting edge of fleet management technology. That means both tracking and developing the tools that are driving mobility today. We believe one trend in particular can be expected to steer fleet into the future:

READ MORE

 

Globally Speaking


A recent study of total economic costs in Europe found wide variations, in part due to differing definitions, methods and data sets.

By Andrew Boada, Editor at Large

Building a business case for new fleet safety initiatives hinges on a single piece of data: the cost of the average crash to employers. In the U.S., fleet managers have a ready-made number: as of 2015, it’s $24,057. But what about the rest of the world?

As far as Fleet Management Weekly has been able to determine, no such number exists for any other country. What we have found, however, is a 2016 study on the total economic costs of all traffic accidents for 31 countries in the European Union and Western Europe. While a good start, the authors admit that there’s such variation in how each of the countries calculates the cost of accidents and defines injuries that their numbers aren’t fully comparable.

READ MORE

 

Negligent Entrustment White Paper


Whether a business has a fleet of trucks or a few salespeople on the road, driver safety and negligent entrustment pose a multi-million dollar threat.

Many companies do not realize they have an important duty of care to do all they can to ensure they put only safe drivers on the roads. If they fail to do so, they could face costly lawsuits because of an accident.

Negligent entrustment occurs when a dangerous article, in this case a vehicle, is entrusted to somebody who is reckless, inexperienced, or incompetent. If the entrusted individual has an accident, the injured party has the right to bring a case against the individual’s employer.

In order to find fault with the employer, all the plaintiff needs to show is:

READ MORE









Fleet Trends & Issues


Commuting Time is Shortened in Seattle With Mass Transit

Politico

After decades as a car-dominated city, Seattle’s enormous investment in mass transit transformed the city.

Now, it’s easy to live without driving every day or without owning a car at all.

Light-rail ridership is surging; after the most recent expansion, the number of daily users jumped 89 percent, to 65,100 people on an average weekday, compared with the year before.

The 4-mile trip from the university to downtown, which could take 20 minutes by car on a good day or 40 minutes on a gridlocked day, shrank to eight minutes.

Read the article at Politico.

Comcast Reduces Technician Accidents With Texting Simulator

Houston Chronicle

A simulator made up of off-the-shelf computer and gaming hardware is used to emphasize to Comcast’s employees just how dangerous it is to try to text and drive at the same time.

“We try to make the point that you really don’t text and drive,” Thomas Baker, the environmental health and safety manager said. “You text OR drive. You can’t really do both.”

Accidents involving Comcast technicians in the Houston region are down 26 percent year over year since the simulator was put into use.

Read the article at Houston Chronicle.

U.S. Postal Service Delivers Mail Using TuSimple’s Self-Driving Trucks

Forbes

In a high-profile demonstration of on-highway autonomous technology, robot-trucking startup TuSimple, is operating the United States Postal Service’s first self-driving truck deliveries.

Three of San Diego-based TuSimple’s self-driving semis, with a safety engineer and driver on board to monitor performance, are to complete five roundtrips hauling trailers loaded with mail between USPS distribution facilities in Phoenix and Dallas.

Read the article at Forbes.

Electric Pickup Trucks May Be Perfect For Fleet Use

Detroit Free Press

Could pickups be the ticket to the high-volume sales that have eluded electric vehicles so far?

Perhaps more important to pickup giants like Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler, could a modest slice of the pickup business help pay for the massive investment developing electric SUVs and luxury vehicles?

Electric pickups torque is ideal for towing and maybe off-roading, but EVs haven’t overcome the fact that that it takes far longer to charge a battery than fill a tank.

With short distances and good charging infrastructure, fleets operating in clearly defined areas could be ideal.

“Consumers don’t express strong interest in buying EV pickups, but fleets might,” Autotrader executive analyst Michelle Krebs said. “EV pickups may best be suited for commercial fleets, such as those owned by energy companies.”

Read the article at Detroit Free Press.

Merger Talks


The Detroit News

A potential merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and French automaker Renault SA — is the latest move by a Detroit carmaker to reposition itself for the future.

In a bid to save some $5.6 billion (5 billion euros) annually through efficiencies in manufacturing, purchasing and R&D, Fiat Chrysler on Monday presented Renault’s board of directors with a 50-50 merger proposal. FCA is proposing a new company with a new management structure that would be 50% owned by the Italian-American automaker and 50% owned by France’s Renault.

“This is happening at a time when the industry is coming off peak car sales, and we are on the verge of transformation of the global auto industry,” said Michelle Krebs, an industry analyst with Cox Automotive. “Automakers are reckoning with how EVs, AVs and mobility will change how people acquire transportation. Those changes will cost a lot of money and nobody knows when payback will come.”

Read the article at The Detroit News

 

Diesel and EVs


The Detroit Bureau

Even as it moves to add electric vehicles to its portfolio, diesel engines will continue to play an important role meeting the needs of customers, Daimler executives told shareholders during the company’s annual shareholders meeting in Berlin.

Diesel vehicles still have a clear carbon dioxide advantage over comparable gasoline-driven vehicles.

“The diesel engine is part of the solution,” Dieter Zetsche, Daimler’s outgoing CEO said. “That is why we assume it will continue to play an important role in Europe for at least another decade — maybe even longer in the commercial vehicles area.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

 

Exploring America


Geotab

A road trip is a fantastic way to explore America’s vast scenery and attractions — but with so many possible routes, how do you know which is truly the best?

A new study from Geotab attempts to solve the problem by using data to rank 50 of America’s favorite road trips.

Read more at Geotab’s Road Trip Ratings Study.








Fleet Management Resources
 
ACERTUS
Offering a nationwide vehicle delivery and relocation service; serving the corporate and commercial fleet industry.
eDriving
eDriving partners with its clients to engage with drivers and their managers to create a culture that supports lasting behavioral change to reduce collisions, injuries, license violations as well as a fleet’s total cost of ownership.
WEX
WEX fuel cards and fleet management solutions give you powerful tools to reduce spending — for any business, any fleet, any size.
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.
Wheels, Inc.
First in fleet for 79 years. Wheels helps you build tomorrow’s fleet today.
Driving Dynamics
Driving Dynamics was established to help corporate fleet drivers develop expert, safe driving skills using proven, advanced driving techniques.
PARS
PARS' mission is to provide you with high-quality service at competitive prices for all of your transportation needs.
Zendrive
Zendrive offers a suite of products and services that will make your fleet safer and help lower your insurance rates.



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