By Steve Saltzgiver, Director of Strategic Innovation, RTA Fleet Management Software

This past year we have been mired in a global pandemic that placed unforeseen restrictions — which included a myriad of new safety and cleanliness standards – on fleet operations that may forever change the way a fleet runs.

However, most managers already had sound cleaning practices in place, and with a few enhancements required by regulators, the changes were relatively quick to implement.

That said, a longtime colleague asked me what I thought we should do after experiencing such a catastrophic year in 2020. So, where do we go from here? What questions should be asked?

First, we need to continue to recognize that we are starting 2021 with the pandemic restrictions still in place while those vulnerable to the virus are vaccinated. Only then can we truly resume some sense of normalcy. Next, my response to the question is simple, as I believe each fleet manager just needs to refocus their efforts on basic blocking and tackling. Simply put, get back to executing known best practices required for operating a fleet of vehicles.

READ MORE

By Donald Dunphy, Contributing Editor

Recently, FMW put out a poll to fleet professionals who either have left the profession or plan to do so in the next five years.

We wanted to know what employers were doing to stem the loss of the knowledge “brain drain” within this decade.

The problem was already a concern, but with COVID-19 still leaving a heavy mark globally on business, operations are finding their ten-year-plans are coming ahead of schedule. Aside from lost jobs, some employees may find they cannot return to the work they once did. Others are moving ahead with earlier retirement.

Are organizations capturing the knowledge they need to continue fleet operations without unforced errors?

READ MORE

By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor

GM returned to Super Bowl ads for the first time since the Great Recession with a pair of expensive 1:30 minute ads: Teen heartthrob Timothèe Chalamet demonstrated Cadillac Lyriq’s hands-free capabilities.

In his skit, Will Ferrell receives assistance from fellow comedians Keenan Thompson and Awkwafina. He’s outraged that Norwegians –the Norwegians! — “sell way more electric cars per capita than Americans.” Indeed.

Last year, more than 54% of cars sold there were EVs and another 20% were PHEVs. In the U.S., EVs and PHEVs rack up less than a measly 2% of sales with the majority of those accounted for by Tesla.

In any case, skeptics will note that catching up with the Norwegians, never mind crushing them by 2035 will take much more than a better battery that sports higher mileage, lower cobalt content, greater safety in crashes, and higher recycle value.

READ MORE

Jalopnik

NHTSA’s important regulatory oversight work stalled for four years with no director at the helm. Now, the Biden administration has a backlog of neglected tasks to dig through.

The lack of oversight on autonomous driving is perhaps the biggest oversight with Level 2 autonomy being the biggest safety challenge. The NHTSA has been pretty much hands-off when it comes to driver-assistance systems, specifically when it comes to Tesla’s misleadingly named Autopilot.

The inaction of NHTSA drew ire from another federal safety agency, the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB – which is most known for its investigations of plane and train incidents – blamed predictable abuse for a 2018 crash where a Tesla Model X crashed into a concrete divider.

Read the article at Jalopnik.

USA Today

Google Cloud has been named Ford’s provider for data, artificial intelligence and machine learning management. Millions of vehicles will be powered by Android with Google apps and services built in.

Team Upshift has been created to “drive the ongoing innovation” and “push the boundaries of Ford’s transformation, unlock personalized consumer experiences, and drive disruptive, data-driven opportunities.”

Ford and Lincoln drivers will have access to voice technology, like Google Assistant, allowing them to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while multitasking. And Google Maps offers information on real-time traffic, automatic rerouting and lane guidance. With Google Play, drivers may access apps for listening to personalized music, podcasts and audiobooks in the vehicle.

Read the article at USA Today.

CNBC

Amazon is testing some of the electric delivery vans that it developed with Rivian Automotive on routes in Los Angeles and says it will test the custom electric vehicles in as many as 16 different cities in 2021.

In September 2019, Amazon announced it would purchase 100,000 electric delivery vehicles from Rivian as part of its aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040.

Light-duty trucks including delivery vans are expected to be in demand in the U.S. in coming years, and not just by Amazon. That’s in part because President Biden, through his Buy America plan, has committed to replace the federal government’s fleet of internal combustion engine vehicles with cleaner, quieter electrics.

Read the article at CNBC.

Electrek

In his short tenure so far, President Biden has made a dynamic effort in policies concerning clean energy and climate change calling for hefty investments in federal R&D. The goal is to purchase and implement key clean energy inputs like batteries, with the goal of positioning the US as the world’s clean energy leader.

The main focus on the push toward battery manufacturing in the US is countering the country’s current reliance on China. This includes EV battery startups in the public sector and established manufacturers in the private sector.

The US-based battery manufacturers as a whole must work toward creative innovation and material alternatives in order to have a fighting chance. It will be the US’ focus on battery capacity, a shortened supply chain, and innovate alternatives to battery materials that will help gain a foothold in the market.

Read the article at Electrek.

The Drive

Amazon plans to install always-on surveillance systems in its delivery vehicles which will monitor and record drivers’ behavior as well as what’s going on around the vehicle.

The system is called Driveri – pronounced “driver eye” – made by Californian company Netradyne. It uses artificial intelligence to analyze camera and sensor data and flag potentially dangerous situations. Amazon’s stated goals are to reduce collisions and encourage safer driver behavior when making deliveries.

Driveri uses four high-definition cameras and artificial intelligence to flag problems while driving, uploading its footage to Amazon’s servers for a safety team at the company to review. A driver can also manually upload footage at the press of a button in case of a dangerous situation or possible dispute, such as an inaccessible delivery location or prove that an incident wasn’t the driver’s fault.

Read the article at The Drive.

By Teri Snow, CSP, CEO of Snow Advisory, LLC and eDriving’s EHS&S “Guru”

Occupational health and safety has come a long way.

There once was a time when workplaces did not have any sanitation standards. Now, we not only regulate unseen toxins but we are also better prepared to fight unseen hazards to our health like COVID-19.

Workplace safety has evolved and will continue to evolve over time. As many businesses struggle to keep up with the ever-changing requirements to protect against the pandemic there is also a need to maintain focus on addressing the organization’s Health and Safety Compliance Obligations.

Ever heard the term “Never Let a Good Crisis go to Waste”?

READ MORE

The pandemic has sped the need for fleet service providers to find more effective means of winning and keeping business in a digital business world. Account-based marketing moves beyond disparate lead generation, sales, customer service, and account management programs to deliver a winning strategy for the entire customer relationship journey.

By Ed Pierce, ITA Communications. Fleet

The steady pace towards digital marketing experiences for fleet service providers has become a raging torrent thanks to the COVID pandemic. For almost a year, relationships — including sales, customer service, and account management — have come to rely on digital communication whether they wanted to or not.

Suddenly, B2B organizations wishing to keep up with buyers, proactively support rapidly-changing business conditions, and stay competitive must shift from a lead-centric mentality to an account-centric mentality in order to win and nurture high-value accounts.

READ MORE