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FleetManagementWeekly
May 3, 2022

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Editor’s Analysis & Top Industry News

The Single Biggest Problem in Communication…

“…is the illusion that it has taken place.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

Savvy fleet managers know that they can’t just send the company’s fleet safety policy to new hires and hope for the best. This week, eDriving CEO Ed Dubens authors an important article Effective Communication for a Safer Workforce and gives us ten proven techniques to foster a “crash-free” culture.

FMW contributing editor Ed Pierce sat down with Sean Larkin, Director of Sales and Business Development at Amply Power to learn how Amply helps fleet managers transition to an electric fleet. Ed writes, “In order to effectively make that transition, fleet operators have to do a lot more than just onboard a few electric vehicles.” Read Amply Power Cloud-Based Application & Services Deliver a Total Solution for Charging EV Fleets

We like Maria Neve’s explanation of ESG and the implications for fleets.

Drive Safety

Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief


VIDEO: Keeping Up with Remarketing Today

There’s been a big shakeup in the remarketing world in the past couple of years. There is still a lot of inventory moving around, but sometimes it’s coming from unusual places.

VIDEO: ESG and Your Fleet


  Understanding ESG Implications for Your Fleet
 

ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance – which is especially appropriate for the times we’re in. In this clip, Maria gives us a deeper dive into understanding the Governance angle.


VIDEO: Driving Efficiencies

  Software for Faster, Better Fleet Maintenance
 

Fleetio’s online fleet management software can automate and improve your maintenance processes to drive more efficiencies.

LEARN MORE at Fleetio.com.


Spotlight

Without a Gas Tax, How Will EVs Be Charged for Road Use?

Fuel taxes account for 84 percent of federal and 29 percent of state highway funds. But where will the funding come from when more and more drivers switch to electric vehicles?

Currently, the federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon. The average state gas tax is 31 cents; it ranges from 8 cents per gallon in Alaska to 51.1 cents per gallon in California. Some states have compensated for that lost revenue by doubling the registration fees for EVs, for instance. Another approach is to increase tolls on roads and bridges, with every driver paying the same toll, no matter what type of car they drive.

via Consumer Reports

NETS 2022 Strength IN Numbers® Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference Date and Location Announced!

Mark your calendar! Plan to join NETS on October 5 & 6, 2022 at the beautiful Marriott at Eagle Crest, Ann Arbor, Michigan

NETS annual STRENGTH IN NUMBERS® Benchmark Conference convenes each year to bring together Global, Corporate, Government, and Non-profit employers. Conference participants include NETS member companies from diverse industries, representing a collective global fleet of more than half-a-million vehicles that travel nearly 11 billion miles annually.

NETS’ 2022 Conference will be a hybrid event so you can join in person or join us virtually via Whova.

READ MORE

Nauto Adds Channel Partners, Makes Predictive Vehicle AI Safety Tech More Broadly Available

Company introduces new subscription offering for channel and small to mid-sized fleets looking to optimize their driver and road safety needs

Nauto® announced the addition of new partners to its channel program and a new Nauto Essentials Subscription that enables fleets of all sizes to accelerate their adoption of Nauto’s predictive-AI vehicle safety technology.

With the addition of Brandmotion and Advantage Asset Tracking, Nauto now has 15 channel partners across established fleet management companies like Donlen, leasing companies such as Orix, and resellers through the partnership with Geotab Marketplace, and more.

READ MORE

An Insider’s Look at Cornell University Fleet Success

Sally Compton, CAFM, has worked for Cornell Fleet Services for more than five years. She and her team oversee five motor pool sites where they share 250 vehicles and track another 650.

She uses FleetCommander from Agile Fleet, which has allowed her to entirely automate her fleet. “Our drivers like that Agile’s Commander system is easy to use and the fact that they can make a reservation anytime and from anywhere, and that they can pick up keys 24/7,” Sally says.

“Our first success was being able to look at utilization and clearly see what vehicles were being under used. Armed with this information, we can easily make decisions about the fleet,” she states.

READ MORE

Fleet Marketing


By Ed Pierce, Director of Stakeholder Relations, Inertia Marketing + Design

Last month, I took to task business and marketing consultants who pass along marketing trends and technology as panaceas to fleet marketers’ operational challenges without having a clue as to what those challenges really are.

Only if consultants’ promotion of trends and technology could address the real-world needs did they deserve consideration by busy fleet marketers facing pressure from senior management, sales, and other customer-relationship department personnel.

According to Todd Lebo, Partner and CMO of Ascend2, effective marketing technologies should extend the capabilities of the marketing team and strategy. B2B marketers are faced with the lofty challenge of determining which tools will align best with their needs while integrating technologies that ensure optimal performance.

READ MORE

 

EV Charge Management


By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor

“All vertical fleet markets want to become electric,” says Sean Larkin, Director of Sales and Business Development for Amply Power. “There is a demand in the marketplace. The vehicles themselves are the true drivers.”

This trend toward electrification is evident and growing every year. Companies are setting goals to limit their carbon footprint and making the transition towards all-electric fleets. EVs have been ready, available, and deployed for quite some time now, and an upcoming surge in light- and medium-duty vehicles is all but certain.

In order to effectively make that transition, however, fleet operators have to do a lot more than just onboard a few electric vehicles.

They need a solution that can handle the infrastructure and charging aspects of electrification while guiding them through the design, deployment, operation, and maintenance of their new EV charging infrastructure.

READ MORE

 

Crash-Free Culture


By Ed Dubens, CEO/Founder of eDriving, a Solera company

“The effectiveness of communication is not defined by the communication, but by the response,” is a quote attributed to Milton Erickson, a late American psychiatrist and psychologist.

Why is this relevant? Because it perfectly describes what happens if fleet operators don’t communicate effectively, they don’t get the response or results they want.

Effective communication is one of the key elements of a successful driver safety program. But what constitutes effective communication?

Every company is likely to have different preferences as to how they communicate with employees, but here are ten techniques that eDriving clients have found useful over the years:

READ MORE


Trending

Ford Explorer Recalled for Rollaway Risk

April 29, 2022Ford is recalling nearly 253,000 Explorer SUVs from the 2020-2022 model years including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and ST versions, rear-wheel-drive models with a 2.3-liter engine, as well as models built specifically for police use.

Due to a faulty design, an important part of the drivetrain could break and cause the vehicle to roll away even if the shifter is in Park. Ford says that drivers may notice a loud “grinding, binding, or clunking” noise if the drivetrain fails.

Ford will provide different repairs for the vehicles. Police vehicles will get parts of the driveshaft replaced with upgraded versions, free of charge, while the other vehicles will get a software update that will engage the parking brake automatically if the vehicle is put into Park.

via Consumer Reports

Multiple States Report Increased Car Thefts in 2022

April 24, 2022Nationwide data isn’t available yet for 2022, but car thefts are way up in some parts of the country. The increases are part of a years-long trend, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), which notes that nationwide car thefts were up 16.5 percent in 2021 relative to 2019 figures.

In Washington state, for example, local law enforcement reported that vehicle thefts are up 88 percent in the first three months of 2022 compared to 2021: 12,569 so far this year compared to just 6,692 in the first three months of the last year.

NCIB last released its statistics for the vehicles most likely to be stolen in the U.S. back in October of 2021, revealing full-size trucks from Ford and Chevrolet were the most stolen vehicles in 2020. The Honda Accord and Civic were the next most stolen vehicles on the list.

via Car and Driver

Ford F-150 Lightning Backup Power Home Integration System Will Cost $3,895

May 1, 2022One of the most interesting features of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup is its ability to be used as backup power for your home.

For starters, you’ll need the Ford Charge Station Pro, which is a Level 2 home charging station that can charge the Lightning in eight hours. The Ford Charge Station Pro comes as-standard with the extended range F-150 Lightning but standard range customers will have to dish out an additional $1,310.

Next, you’ll need the Home Integration System, which consists of an inverter, transfer switch, and a battery that runs the system in the event of a power outage. The Home Integration System will switch your home power from the utility line to the Ford Intelligent Backup Power system in the F-150 Lightning. The Home Integration System will cost an additional $3,895.

via The Drive

Don’t Swap Your Gas-Guzzler for an Electric Vehicle to Avoid High Fuel Prices

April 29, 2022If you’re thinking about swapping your internal combustion-powered car or truck for a new EV just to save money at the pump, make sure to do the math first – especially if your current ride is paid for.

If you tow earth-moving equipment or haul gravel for a living, you’re probably going to want a heavy-duty diesel-powered pickup, because today’s EVs aren’t going to cut it. Likewise, if you reside in an apartment and don’t have a parking space, much less a garage with a Level 2 charger, an electric vehicle may be a hard sell.

The Ford F-150 XLT-trim Lighting starts at $74,269 with a 320 mile range and estimated annual fuel cost of $1011. The conventionally powered Ford F-150 Lariat costs $56,020 with a 546 mile range and estimated annual fuel cost of $3028.

via CNET

Net-Zero Emissions


April 25, 2022The transition to net-zero emissions will need to be universal, involving all economic sectors and countries. In mobility, structural changes must accompany the technological transition. For consumers, upfront capital spending would increase, but the total cost of vehicle ownership would fall. New employment opportunities will open up, even as jobs are reallocated across activities.

As a result of these trends, companies throughout the mobility system—including OEMs, suppliers, manufacturers, and operators of EV-charging infrastructure—will face transition risks. But there will also be opportunities to introduce new products and service lines.

Consider capital spending on low-emission vehicles. In the net-zero scenario analyzed here, spending by companies and consumers on new vehicles—cars, trucks, buses, and two- and three-wheelers—would probably average $3.4 trillion a year for the next three decades. An additional $100 billion a year would go to new EV-charging networks and hydrogen distribution and fueling systems.

via McKinsey & Company

 

EVs in Austin


By Fleet Management Weekly Staff

Like most government fleets, including cities all over the country, the city of Austin is pivoting towards electric vehicles.

The city’s Fleet Mobility Services manages a comprehensive full life cycle management program for approximately 7,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment across the entire city, including emergency services as well as city owned utilities: water, electric, refuse, and public works.

The Emerging Technology Division of the fleet department is working on a strategy of advanced automotive technology on multiple fronts, including alternative fuel programs, electric vehicles, telematics, and car sharing.

Thanks to a clear mandate from the city of Austin’s leadership on developing a BEV program, Fleet Mobility Services has plenty of momentum to make the transition to EVs

READ MORE

 

USPS Trucks


April 29, 2022Sixteen states as well as several prominent climate activists sued the United States Postal Service this week over its plan to purchase 148,000 gas-guzzling delivery trucks over the next decade, alleging the agency failed to consider the environmental impact of its decision.

The states accuse the USPS of only performing a “cursory environmental review to justify the decision to replace 90 percent of its delivery fleet with fossil fuel-powered, internal combustion engine vehicles, despite other available, environmentally preferable alternatives,” the lawsuit reads. “In doing so, the Postal Service failed to comply with even the most basic requirements of [National Environmental Policy Act].”

In response, the USPS defended its practices, noting that it remains open to increasing its order for more electric vehicles in the future should additional funding become available to do so. Congress recently approved a $50 billion rescue package for USPS, which has lost more than $90 billion since 2007.

via The Verge





Fleet Management Resources

 

AFLA
The Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association. Advancing corporate fleet worldwide.

FLD
The fast, easy way to remarket without risk. Get an offer in hours, paid in a few days. Improve TCO. Save time, money and resources.

PARS
PARS’ mission is to provide you with high-quality service at competitive prices for all of your transportation needs.

Driving Dynamics
Driving Dynamics was established to help corporate fleet drivers develop expert, safe driving skills using proven, advanced driving techniques.

Fleet Street
Fleet Street has 30+ years of experience and knowledge using a spectrum of wholesale and retail channels to simplify your involvement in the remarketing process.

SuperVision
SuperVision is a fleet driver management solution for MVR & license monitoring, fleet management, fleet safety oversight and driver performance and retention.

eDriving
eDriving partners with its clients to engage with drivers and their managers to create a culture that supports lasting behavioral change to reduce collisions, injuries, license violations as well as a fleet’s total cost of ownership.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location, or fleet composition.

Wheels, Inc.
First in fleet for 80 years. Wheels helps you build tomorrow’s fleet today.




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