By Adam Danielson, Sales and Business Development Director

March 1997, a 23rd old man was driving his Chevy 4×4 pickup truck when he was hit by a semi-truck owned by a commercial trucking company. The semi-truck crossed the centerline and hit the pickup truck head on.

The young man suffered a ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which required reconstructive surgery. He sued the trucking company for negligent hiring, retention, and supervision of its driver due to the truck drivers’ record.

Between 1978 and 1997, the driver had been convicted of 21 traffic violations, most of which involved speeding, a DUI, and he was driving with a suspended license at the time of the accident.

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By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor

There are few fleet managers who would argue that Advanced Driver Assistance systems are valuable features to incorporate in their acquisition plans.

Perhaps most importantly, these systems can save lives. But still, a firm case for a better bottom line has been difficult to make, principally because higher repair costs for ADAS systems offsets many of their advantages in mitigating or avoiding collisions.

LexisNexis found that in general, ADAS systems led to minor reductions in claim severity, but greatly reduced claim frequency. Vehicles with any ADAS feature had a 23% reduction in bodily injury loss cost, a 14% reduction in property damage loss cost and an 8% reduction in collision claims cost, when compared to vehicles with no ADAS features.

Now, LexisNexis Risk Solutions has released an update of an earlier study of ADAS that makes it clear that ADAS can reduce costs.

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Editor’s note: FMW first published this article last spring. The seasons change, but the message is timeless.

By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor

A well-run fleet management program can dramatically reduce fleet costs by focusing on the vehicle throughout its life cycle. As a general rule of thumb, companies can expect a 15-20% reduction in fleet costs in the first full year.

However, fleet management companies have also found that companies that employ a comprehensive program to achieve excellence among their drivers can realize an additional 5-10% reduction.

Just consider the cost of preventable collisions, downtime due to repairs or injury, or worse, liability.

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MSN/CNN

Police departments are among the fleet operators that are increasingly turning to electric vehicles for the economic and environmental benefits.

But for all their Tesla enthusiasm, there’s one feature they overwhelmingly aren’t touching — “full self-driving.”

Fleet operators want safer driving and more productive vehicles, according to Westport, Connecticut police chief Foti Koskinas. He said there is no objective data proving that “full self-driving” is safer than a human driver. “Full self-driving” has not been shown to make Teslas today more productive, he said.

Read the article at MSN/CNN.

The Drive

Ford has a trick up its sleeve that may finally persuade truck owners to go electric: The F-150 Lighting will be able to charge other F-150 Lightnings.

One of the key traits revolves around the truck’s ability to act as a rolling battery and power generator, which allows it to share its electric charge with other devices – anything from camping gear to an entire house.

Theoretically, an F-150 Lightning could charge any electric vehicle, but the charging cord and electrical architecture compatibilities are the limiting factors. So at first, the truck will only be able to share its charge with other F-150 Lightnings.

Read the article at The Drive.

J.D. Power

The J.D. Power U.S. ALG Residual Value Awards are the automotive industry standard in recognizing vehicle models projected to hold the highest percentage of their manufacturer’s suggested retail price following a three-year period of ownership.

“Accurately forecasting residual values in the auto industry is a key factor in assessing an estimated $225 billion lease portfolio of vehicles in the United States,” said Eric Lyman, vice president of ALG.

In addition to the mass market brand level award, Honda also takes home three model-level awards. Lexus ranks highest among premium brands while only having one segment-winning model.

Read the article at J.D. Power.

Inside EVs

A new survey, conducted by Autolist, reveals which battery-electric pickups (launched or upcoming) are the most wanted in the U.S. 

The company asked over 1,100 current car shoppers in late October and early November “to gauge their interest in and awareness of the all-electric pickup truck segment.” Not only was Ford’s Lightning the most popular pick, but it also won over key groups of shoppers who will be crucial to the success of it and any other electric pickup.

The Ford was also the top choice among first-time EV buyers and existing or previous EV owners, first-time and existing/previous truck owners, nearly all of the age groups polled, and across all household income levels.”

Read the article at Inside EVs.

The Detroit Bureau

Japanese automakers – again – dominated the Annual Auto Reliability study from Consumer Reports, but there was some good news for Detroit manufacturers in the latest survey of vehicle owners.

The study found Lexus, Mazda and Toyota suffering the fewest reliability issues, with eight Japanese brands in the top 10. Only Buick made that cut among domestics. Detroit brands scored extremely well in some key product segments, including compact SUVs and all pickup categories. Domestics dominated in seven growing categories, including midsize and full-size pickups, overall.

The closely watched report had mixed news, meanwhile, on the “electrified” vehicle front. It revealed that hybrids and plug-in hybrids are among the most reliable vehicles on the market. But pure battery-electric vehicles, especially those built by Tesla, suffered from a number of serious problems.

Read the article at The Detroit Bureau.

By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor

Every day some 65,000 public buses travel the streets of our nation’s cities.

Local transit authorities operating these fleets are coming under increased pressure to control operating costs and at the same time improve the environment by reducing or eliminating their buses’ emissions.

One option many of them are considering is the use of electric buses because several bus manufactures produce them.

Kevin Fisher, Director of Truck Electrification Systems at Momentum Dynamics of Malvern, PA, believes his company has one of the best systems to help them reach these goals: high-power, automatic electric charging systems for battery-electric buses.

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By Tod Trousdell, Fleet Marketing Consultant/Partner, RobertsTrousdell Communications

Ever hear the one about what happens when you take 50 fleet managers and 50 fleet services providers and sequester them in a luxury surroundings for three days?

Well, if last week’s Work Truck Forum is any indication, several days of information-sharing, camaraderie and just plain fun!

First held in 2011, the Work Fleet Forum is the brainchild of Scott Goldman, an event specialist who got his start in the conference industry as a printing executive who dropped by a trade show to see where all the literature he was churning out ended up.

Enamored, he went on to work in the conference world for years before realizing there might be a better way of conducting trade shows.

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