By Donald Dunphy, Contributing Editor

So, how was your 2020?

For Ruth Alfson, CAFM, a veteran of the industry and past president of NAFA Fleet Management Association (2015 to 2017), the year came with new opportunities. Early in 2020, she was named fleet manager for the City of Cincinnati. Then the “coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)” pandemic hit. Many organizations faced operational shutdowns. As the hub of multiple essential services, the City of Cincinnati’s fleet needed to keep going.

Fleet Management Weekly caught up with Ms. Alfson to see where operations stand right now, how the fleet persevered through multiple complications and concerns, and what was learned from it all. For Alfson, one of the biggest lessons was perhaps the least complicated: to be flexible.

“You never know when COVID-19 might hit your employees or employees in other departments,” she said. “You have to be flexible with scheduling and working around a diminished staff.”

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“We haven’t seen that kind of reduction in claims for vehicle and other property damage from any other advanced driver assistance system” ~ HLDI Senior Vice President Matt Moore.

By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor

Famously, Americans like to look forward not backward, to liberally paraphrase philosopher George Santayana. So it is no surprise that the Highway Loss Data Institute (HDLI) has just released a report finding that rear automatic emergency braking (AEB) provides the biggest reduction in collision costs. ”

There’s an even bigger reduction for property damage claims for rear AEB: 28 percent vs 14 percent for front AEB.

Rear-to-front collision claims of less than $2,000 — more likely to be fender benders than many front-to-rear collisions — accounted for 17 percent of all collision claims and $8 billion in estimated damage between 2010 and 2017.

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Fast Company

Juggle email like a pro, type a lot less, maximize your screen real estate, and more

If, like me, you’ve been wandering around the house muttering, “New year, new me” without really being sure what’s going to change, might I suggest you use this year to get more productive?

That does not mean working harder, mind you—especially if you’ll still be working from home for the foreseeable future. It simply means working smarter so you can get more done in less time and, in turn, maintain (or regain) a proper work-life balance.

Take it from me: a lazy but productive homebody who’s been working remotely for years.

Read the article at Fast Company

USA Today

There are many important matters to consider when buying a new car, and something that often gets overlooked is a car’s reliability – or how long it will last before repairs are needed.

To help car buyers identify potentially troublesome cars, product review organization Consumer Reports conducted its latest annual reliability survey. This survey of owners’ experience with approximately 329,000 vehicles was used to determine how likely each model is to have serious problems.

While many different automakers and brands appear on this list, some appear more than others. Notably, Land Rover and Chevrolet have at least five models each with a predicted reliability score of just 1 out of 5.

Read the article at USA Today.

MSN

Globally, it’s not possible that we’ll see 100 percent zero-emission vehicles by 2035, though it’s possible in some regions. There has to be a concerted effort, a true societal commitment.

A 2019 AAA survey found 40 million Americans ready to consider an EV for their next car, but 40 percent also said they don’t expect the majority of vehicles to be electric by 2029.

EVs remain expensive, and leading EV supplier Tesla can no longer offer its customers the federal $7,500 income tax credit (which expires after 200,000 electric vehicles have been sold). Will the Biden administration increase EV subsidies? With a commitment to a clean energy economy by 2050, it will definitely try, but Congress may well balk.

Read the article at MSN.

Consumer Reports

Buying a vehicle with a conventional car loan is pretty straightforward: You borrow money from a bank, credit union, or other lending institution and make monthly payments for some number of years and keep the car. Drive it as much as you want. But, what about leasing?

With a lease, buyers make a monthly payment to drive a new car for a set term. That payment is often less than the monthly cost of financing a new vehicle, but buyers must return the car at the end of the lease term.

Lease contracts specify a limited number of miles. If you go over that limit, you’ll have to pay an excess mileage penalty. If you don’t maintain the vehicle in good condition, you’ll have to pay excess wear-and-tear charges when you turn it in.

Read the article at Consumer Reports.

Detroit Free Press 

Ford continues the rolling reinvention of America’s bestselling vehicle with the 2021 F-150 full-size pickup. For 2021, the big changes are tech under the skin, though a crisp design, creative lighting and can’t miss ‘em grilles ensure nobody will mistake Ford’s new showpiece for last year’s model.

The F-150’s dimensions are nearly unchanged, out of respect for the fact that it’s easier to get a new truck than a bigger garage.

The 2021 F-150 doesn’t skimp on growth in other areas. It’ll be one of the first vehicles — alongside the Mach-E electric SUV — to offer Ford’s new hands-free highway driving system later this year. Standard connectivity for over the air updates will add other new features throughout the F-150’s working life.

Read the article at Detroit Free Press.

McKinsey & Company

2021 will be the year of transition. Barring any unexpected catastrophes, individuals, businesses, and society can start to look forward to shaping their futures rather than just grinding through the present. The next normal is going to be different.

As consumer confidence returns, so will spending, with “revenge shopping” sweeping through sectors as pent-up demand is unleashed. Services have been particularly hard hit this time. The bounce back will therefore likely emphasize those businesses, particularly the ones that have a communal element, such as restaurants and entertainment venues.

Think of it as “just in time plus.” The “plus” stands for “just in case,” meaning more sophisticated risk management. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed vulnerabilities in the long, complicated supply chains of many companies. When a single country or even a single factory went dark, the lack of critical components shut down production. Never again, executives vowed.

Read the article at McKinsey & Company.

By Chris Boyd, Chief Product and Technology Officer, eDriving

Not only will 2020 go down in history as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also as the year that almost everything went digital, from business events to social get-togethers!

And, while digital safety programs have been around for some time, more and more elements of driver risk management are shifting to a digital format, including driver training and coaching.

Of course, there will always be a place for in-car training and face-to-face interactions between managers and drivers, but for the foreseeable future, many organizations will be utilizing more and more digital tools to manage driver risk.

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The roles of a bicycle derailleur and marketing are comparable. The first aligns front and rear sprocket wheels to deliver the best pedaling results in different terrain. The second aligns company product and service features with buyer needs to deliver more sales.

By Ed Pierce, ITA Communications. Fleet

In the November and December ‘A Call to Action’ columns, I wrote about fleet service providers’ need to focus on storytelling and substantiation in their promotional messaging.

While these keys to marketing success are always valid, they hold even more weight as pandemic disruption puts pressure on companies to cut costs drastically and generate more revenue.

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