By Laura Jozwiak, Senior Vice President of Sales & Client Relations, Wheels, Inc.

Well, here we are.

It’s four months into the COVID-19 pandemic. And for many of us, we’re working from home and learning new technologies—and using fun backgrounds—to improve our virtual meetings skills. For those in essential roles, you’re perhaps experiencing less traffic, yet more restrictions to ensure your safety. We are all balancing supporting our customers while adjusting to new routines, such as preparing to balance another semester of remote learning for our kids.

During any period of crisis and stress, our programmed response is flight or fight. Sometimes, it’s referred to as freeze in place or move forward. I would suppose that as this current crisis progresses, there have been times to do both. For this conversation, I would like to talk about moving forward, while keeping the customer driven mindset you’ve cultivated at the forefront.

Let’s go back in time to set the stage for moving forward with a customer driven mindset.

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Each business is facing its own set of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Businesses are finding it tough to maintain a steady revenue as they cut down on certain activities to avoid the transmission of the coronavirus. An efficient fleet management solution helps drivers work safely and can help build a foundation for a strong financial future.

From monitoring fuel costs and vehicle movement to tracking COVID-19-affected areas, GPS tracking technology and its features can be a helpful tool for drivers, managers and company owners. Now is the time to use the features of a fleet management software to improve Geofencing, create Customizable Forms, Keep Track of Drivers and Vehicles and minimize Liability Concerns – and to help build a resilient fleet.

In this free ebrief you will learn many more practical ways to manage your fleet as you take care of the health of your staff and customers. Download now.

The NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner’s approach

By Mark Boada, Executive Editor

Editor’s Note: In this time of looming cuts in government budgets, prompted by the COVID-19 recession, public sector fleet managers may be wondering how to keep their technicians, administrators and managers motivated without meaningful pay increases and opportunities for overtime.

Nine years ago, Robert Martinez, then a manager within the New York Police Department’s fleet, presented a paper on that subject to fellow students at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s program for senior executives in state and local government.

Today, Martinez, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and mechanical engineering from the City University of New York and a master’s degree in executive management from New York University, is the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for support services, which includes responsibility for the department’s entire 10,000-vehicle fleet and more. In these edited excerpts from his 2011 paper, Martinez presents the management principles he continues to stand by and to which he credits much of the success of his 900-member organization.

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StrXur

Jim Brainard, mayor of Carmel, Indiana since 1996, has made roundabouts the city’s most characteristic feature, arguing that they save lives and money.

Roundabouts force people to slow down. “A stoplight encourages drivers to speed up to beat the yellow light,” Brainard said. “In a roundabout, everyone has to slow down to 15 to 25 miles an hour. The human error rate is never going to change very much. So, the question is, when you make an error, what type of accident is it going to be—high-speed or low-speed?”

It turns out that roundabouts in Carmel reduce overall accident rates, not just fatalities. “We’ve also reduced accidents with injuries requiring visits to the hospital by 75-80%, compared to national averages,” Brainard said.

Read the article at StrXur

Detroit Free Press

Luxury cars don’t have a monopoly on the best new features, particularly those for driver assistance, entertainment and navigation according to WardsAuto’s 2020 list of the 10 best user experiences in vehicles.

You’re as likely to get the latest and greatest from mainstream brands and models like Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Escape, Hyundai Sonata or Kia Seltos, as the luxury brands BMW X7 and Audi Q7

“User experience” is an awkward name, but it refers to features that are high on customer lists and include anything from a sensor that warns before you back into something to systems that help steer, accelerate and brake. Controls and displays ranging from seat adjustment to navigation, audio and climate control make vehicles safer and easy to use.

Read the article at Detroit Free Press.

The Detroit Bureau

Semi-autonomous technologies are popping up across the automotive market, though capabilities vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.  A new study by AAA finds that they don’t always work as well as planned.

Echoing an earlier study conducted in 2018, the latest report indicates that these semi-autonomous systems encounter one “issue” or another on an average of every eight miles. One of the biggest problems was keeping a vehicle in its lane but, in a significant number of cases, the partially automated vehicles wound up hitting a simulated broken-down vehicle.

“With the number of issues we experienced in testing, it is unclear how these systems enhance the driving experience in their current form,” AAA’s automotive engineering director Greg Bannon said. “In the long run, a bad experience with current technology may set back public acceptance of more fully automated vehicles in the future.”

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

The Verge

The Cadillac Lyriq will be one of the first vehicles to feature GM’s new scalable battery architecture, Ultium, offering “approximately 100 kilowatt-hours of energy” with the capability for at-home (level 2) charging to 19kW.

The Lyriq is bout the same size as the Cadillac XT5, with a long wheelbase and rides on 22-inch wheels. The absence of a transmission tunnel means there’s more space for a cantilevered center console, which extends forward between the front seats, with open air below.

One of the most eye-catching features of the Lyriq is the curved, 33-inch LED infotainment display. That’s nearly three feet of screen, almost stretching the entire length of the dashboard pillar to pillar. The Lyriq will have the latest version of the “hands-free” advanced driver assist system, which displays green lights in the steering wheel when activated.

Read the article at The Verge.

International Fleet World

Developed by Israel-based Eyesight Technologies, the driver monitoring system (DMS) has been upgraded to ensure continued safety during coronavirus, reflecting the realities of the pandemic and its impact.

Eyesight Technologies’ computer vision and AI algorithms have been trained to detect distraction and drowsiness even while wearing a mask and glasses – this includes sunglasses, protective glasses and prescription glasses.

“We are living in unprecedented times,” said David Tolub CEO of Eyesight Technologies. “Without a concrete end date to the current situation, wearing medical masks may be a reality for the foreseeable future. Eyesight Technologies is forging ahead and adapting to provide a reliable solution to help guarantee safety even under less than ideal circumstances.”

Read the article at International Fleet World.

By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer

The year 2020 will go into the annals as disruptive for both the fleet industry and fleet industry marketing. One need look no further than the havoc created by the fallout both economically and operationally to companies with fleets, fleet service providers, and relevant trade associations.

Yet, with all of the change, trade associations like NAFA, AFLA, NETS, and others have quickly adapted to the event industry’s new normal to allow marketers to benefit from virtual conference participation.

As mentioned in previous years’ “Call to Action” columns, exhibitor participation can shorten the typically long sales cycle decision-making time. It can help initiate or bolster relationships between sales and multiple sourcing team members. It also provides a unique opportunity for captive-audience product differentiators or user experience demonstrations.

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By Ed Dubens, Founder/CEO of eDriving

Throughout the world many sales fleets are experiencing dramatic reductions in business mileage while simultaneously service and last mile distribution fleets are operating at holiday peak plus!

With predictions that a large proportion of employees are likely to continue working from home until at least March 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to have a significant effect on fleet and driver management planning and resourcing.

If employees officially become home-based workers, they may no longer be eligible for a company vehicle, or having one might not make financial sense. Becoming a home-based worker also affects what constitutes a “business trip”. Even the commute, when it’s made, could become a business trip depending on an employee’s location classification. If company-owned vehicle use decreases, privately-owned vehicle use will almost certainly increase.

What does this mean for organizations? It means exciting new challenges lie ahead!

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