By Trent Dressen, Director of Sales, SuperVision

While annual MVR checks have long been the accepted best practice to monitor drivers, continuous MVR monitoring offers fleet managers an accurate, up-to-date window on the fleet’s risk profile, helping to cut costs and minimize liability.

There are tons of moving parts in every fleet operation to keep track of and manage. How much more could get done if the right technology and procedures were in place to make daily tasks even more efficient and lessen the workload all around?

Why perform a once-a-year, manual motor vehicle record (MVR) check for drivers when you could have ongoing, accurate automated notifications on the people who operate those expensive pieces of equipment that you are responsible for overseeing?

What happens if one of your drivers (who had passed the MVR check with flying colors) gets a not-so-minor moving violation the day after the annual MVR check?

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By Darren Verebelyi, PhD, President, CoScientific

People committed to moving people and goods are exactly what the virus relies on. It does not care that we need to feed our families, distribute medical supplies, or take a group of children to school. It may be mindless, but its purpose is resolute: Find another host and replicate.

The virus is an enemy that degrades our standard of living and attacks innocent people. It will take our combined effort to defeat it. Our strategy needs to be a defense that stops infection while maintaining our economy and way of life.

Computer networks and the TSA protect people and resources with multiple layers of security because each one is not 100% effective. Imagine each layer is a slice of swiss cheese and by stacking multiple layers you can effectively cover the holes that are in each layer. I believe a strategy of layered safety is a methodology that should be embraced by the fleet community to combat COVID-19.

In our fight, manually cleaning surfaces, the use of masks, hand sanitizers, social distancing, and isolation all contribute to reducing the spread even though each is imperfect.

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By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor

Scientists tell us that COVID-19 will be with us forever. Similarly, hacking — benign or malign — is likely to be with us forever.

Despite herculean efforts by all the good guys to root out the flaws in parts and systems controlled by software, the results could be, like the virus, catastrophic. Warns Noam Kehati, director of intelligence at SIXGILL, a cybersecurity company, “ As cars get more intricate and interconnected, new methods to penetrate and damage them are emerging and are being explored and discussed in dark and deep web forums.” Autonomous vehicles (and, as well no doubt, those with ADAS — advanced driver assistance systems) employ millions of code lines, in addition to an assortment of unified systems and instruments, all of which are exposed to potentially being exploited and compromised.

Moreover, vehicles are being connected to the internet at an increasingly rapid pace. Already, more than 20 percent of vehicles in service are connected to the internet. In addition, there are connections via dedicated communications links between other vehicles, the roadway, and the transportation system itself.

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Cox Automotive

The inventory of unsold used vehicles remains low but appears to be somewhat stabilizing in contrast to new-vehicle inventory that continues to fall, according to a Cox Automotive analysis of vAuto Available Inventory data.

The total U.S. supply of unsold used vehicles stood at 2.16 million vehicles at the start of this week. That is the lowest level in years and compares with 2.67 million vehicles in the same week a year ago. As a result, the national days’ supply of unsold used vehicles is around 33, down from 43 a year ago, which is closer to the traditional average. The days’ supply has been hovering in the 32 to 35 range since mid-June.

The shortages are primarily across the board with mainstream brands. Toyota again had the lowest inventory of used vehicles closely followed by Lexus and Ram. All had under a 30 days’ supply.

Read the article at Cox Automotive.

Forbes

Last month, the EU set out a renewable hydrogen strategy, sketching a roadmap for how the world’s largest trading bloc intends to develop hydrogen production and usage through 2050.

The categories of hydrogen production are often split by color: brown, gray, blue and green. The dirtiest—brown and gray hydrogen, captured from coal and natural gas—create the most emissions and yet are the most widespread forms of hydrogen production, responsible for up to 95% of the H2 produced worldwide.

In the long-term, blue hydrogen is seen as an intermediate step towards the cleanest form of H2. Green hydrogen can be produced by separating hydrogen from water via electrolysis, though other technologies are emerging. When the electricity used to perform the process comes from renewable sources, green hydrogen becomes truly zero carbon.

Read the article is Forbes.

Reuters

A California appeals court ruling on Thursday avoided a shutdown of ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft in the state, effectively handing a decision over gig worker benefits and pay to voters in a November ballot measure.

Uber and Lyft say the vast majority of their drivers do not want to be employees, with some 80% working less than 20 hours per week. The companies say their flexible on-demand business model is not compatible with traditional employment law and advocate for what they call a “third way” between employment and contractor status.

Under the “third way” proposal outlined in the ballot measure, drivers would receive a health care stipend, a minimum wage, expense reimbursements as well as medical and disability coverage for injuries on the job. Labor groups reject the companies’ claims that current employment laws are not compatible with flexible work schedules and argue the companies should play by the same rules as other businesses.

Read the article at Reuters.

International Fleet World

A new digital road safety tool that could predict potential incident hotspots is to go under trial from this summer by a Ford-led consortium – and vehicle owners are being invited to take part.

The carmaker’s collaborative work with experts and academics has now received financial backing from Innovate UK and is exploring how information from connected vehicles could be linked up with data from roadside sensors and local authorities to predict the likely locations and possible root causes of potential road safety hotspots.

The project will analyze detailed telematics data from the fleet of vehicles alongside information from up to 25 additional smart sensors to be provided in Oxfordshire by Vivacity Labs. The work will help develop the digital road safety algorithm and tool for use as a scalable, commercial product that could bring road safety benefits globally. The consortium will also seek to uncover further real-world applications for predictive road safety-related insights.

Read the article at International Fleet World

J.D. Power

The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study finds that automakers that innovate and are early to offer new technologies – so long as customers value them – stand to benefit most as those technologies enter the mainstream.

The TXI Study analyzes 34 technologies, which are divided into four categories: convenience; emerging automation; energy and sustainability; and infotainment and connectivity. Only technologies classified as advanced are award eligible.

The TXI Innovation Index measures how effectively each automotive brand brings these technologies to market, measured on a 1,000-point scale. Volvo ranks highest overall with an Innovation Index score of 617 and offers a high level of advanced technologies across its entire product lineup.

Read the article at J.D. Power.

By Ed Smith, President, Agile Fleet

Did you know that 80% of fleet managers expect budget reductions next year?

Fleets hit hard financially by the COVID-19 crisis may now be required to make changes that will reduce costs, increase social distancing and sanitation, and improve efficiency. The good news is that it may not be as difficult as you may think. Things like right-sizing, eliminating underused vehicles from the fleet, and sharing vehicles in a self-service motor pool (that can be operated remotely!) can all significantly reduce costs.

Did you know that the carrying cost of one passenger vehicle is between $3,500-$8,000 annually? If you can eliminate just 5 underused vehicles out of your fleet for example, you can save between $17,000 and $40,000 a year.

One of the best ways to reduce costs and (improve social distancing) is by implementing a shared vehicle fleet with a self-service motor pool system. Sharing vehicles, rather than allowing people to use assigned vehicles, not only reduces costs but offers many benefits to your employees.

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InsideEVs

A study from Northwestern University revealed that if  25 percent of the American fleet – 68.4 million cars – were composed of electric vehicles, the country would save $17 billion per year. 

According to the study, these savings would not relate to the lower running costs of EVs. Instead, they could be achieved with what they can do to help society. With more electric cars in cities, the air around them would be cleaner, and their populations would not get sick due to pollution as often as they do today.

A more challenging benefit to measure, would be avoiding climate change damages. Mostly because cars do not account for that much carbon emission, we would need clean airplanes, trucks, trains, and ships more than electric cars. They also demand less natural resources and the savings could be even higher.

Read the article at InsideEVs.