By Ed Pierce, Fleet Management Weekly Contributing Editor

Almost two years ago, RTA recruited fleet industry veteran Steve Saltzgiver to join its staff as the Director of Strategic Innovation.

In his time with RTA, Saltzgiver’s role with the company has evolved to his current title of Fleet Success Ambassador. As Fleet Success Ambassador, Saltzgiver is instrumental in working with clients, improving RTA’s brand, and marketing their Fleet Success solutions.

From their four-pillared Fleet Success Scorecard to the leadership training at their Fleet Success Summit, RTA is pushing the limits of how fleet managers can succeed.

“We are a fleet management information system, but we’re changing to be more than a fleet information systems company now,” says Saltzgiver. “We are jumping to that next level to produce products and things that will help the fleet managers actually manage their system without having to have training.

They’ll be able to have machine language and AI data in front of them that, when they open up their computer, it actually tells them what they need to do for that day.”

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By Bill Brower, Vice President of Industry Relations, Solera

Any driver can fall victim to distracted driving, including truck drivers who are under pressure to complete deliveries quickly and make frequent long-haul and overnight journeys.

When a driver spends so much time on the road, it’s easy to think they have complete control over their vehicle and don’t need to remain as vigilant during their journeys. This is a crucial and often fatal mistake.

It’s essential for fleet managers and drivers to work together to develop safe driving habits through preparation, modern technology, awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, and coaching to correct bad habits.

Distracted driving is an ongoing problem, but preparation and commitment can vastly improve the safety of fleets and fellow drivers.

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J.D. Power’s recently released 2022 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study examines how satisfied new vehicle buyers are with various newly developed tech components.

When an automaker gets it right, it can help future sales.

But when an automaker gets it wrong, car owners are less likely to want the errant technology on their next vehicle.

This is apt to make OEMs a little gun-shy about diving into advanced technologies too quickly.

And yet, to compete in an era where tech is evolving at break-neck speed, OEMs don’t want to be left in the dust when it comes to offering innovative options.

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August 29, 2022 – The founders of Blaxtair wanted the technologies they had been working on for the military to be used in a different way, to use artificial intelligence to protect people in the field.

Blaxtair – an on-board camera – helps prevent collisions between pedestrians and industrial vehicles (such as forklifts, for example). The product is especially useful in areas such as warehouses, factories, construction, road work, and mining.

Safety is at the “core” of Blaxtair’s activity, says Franck Gayraud, CEO and co-founder. This concern has been present since the company’s inception – “we worked a lot with our customers on the impact we have on safety very early on.” Blaxtair has installed a base of around 15,000 units in the field around the world, and Gayraud says that with these numbers they are hoping to significantly reduce unnecessary accidents.

via Canadian Occupational Safety

August 26, 2022 – Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) car charging – often interchanged with vehicle to grid (V2G) – is being explored as another value proposition for EV owners. Fleet customers are a key market application for bidirectional charging.

The idea of using EVs as battery storage – for other outside uses – may sound simple, but it’s a concept still in its infancy and is one that will require the coordination of car makers, technology providers, utilities and regulators to work together to make bidirectional charging and discharging a common feature of owning and operating EVs.

Industry watchers expect more EVs to support bidirectional charging in the coming model years. A key marketing message around the new Ford F-150 Lightning is its ability to serve as an emergency home power source.

via Government Technology

August 29, 2022 – Waze is a popular navigation and crowd-sourced police avoidance tool, but most people probably don’t realize that the app has had a carpooling arm for the last six years.

Waze’s business has expanded recently to the point that the Google-owned organization’s carpool arm is not as popular as it once was. As a result, the company is shutting down the service to focus on its other products.

Users can still use the app for traffic information and navigation tools. Waze’s data shows that people are driving up to 15% more than before the pandemic, so there are still plenty of opportunities for the company’s navigation and infotainment app.

via Autoblog

August 30, 2022 – The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is introducing a nighttime test of pedestrian automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to address the high percentage of pedestrian crashes that occur on dark roads.

“As we expected, most of these pedestrian AEB systems don’t work very well in the dark,” says IIHS President David Harkey. “But it’s clear automakers can rise to this new challenge, as Ford, Nissan and Toyota each earn superior ratings for some models.”

Four of the first 23 midsize cars, midsize SUVs and small pickups tested earn the highest rating of superior, but more than half earn a basic score or no credit. The Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Camry and Toyota Highlander earn superior ratings.

via IIHS

Make the leap from manager to leader! — October 4-5, 2022 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, IN

Becoming a competent leader means being able to effectively challenge, motivate and empower others.

It also requires making a seemingly effortless transition from manager to leader.

Gain helpful strategies and straightforward answers to solve even the most difficult dilemmas when it comes to learning exactly how to become a respected and effective leader.

This two-day program will cover a variety of leadership topics including finding the leader within, defining your leadership role, overcoming team challenges, and thinking outside the box.

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August 24, 2022 – Which technology trends matter most for companies in 2022? New analysis by the McKinsey Technology Council highlights the development, possible uses, and industry effects of advanced technologies.

This study builds on the trend research shared last year, adding fresh data and deeper analysis to provide a more granular assessment of trends in two thematic groups: Silicon Age, which encompasses digital and IT technologies, and Engineering Tomorrow, which encompasses physical technologies in domains such as energy and mobility.

Our analysis examines such tangible factors as investment, research activity, and news coverage to gauge the momentum of each trend. We also conducted dozens of interviews and performed hundreds of hours of research to learn which industries are apt to benefit most as they absorb these technologies. And, recognizing that trends can shift, we examined the uncertainties and questions that surround each of them.

via McKinsey

By Ed Pierce, Fleet Management Weekly Contributing Editor

Driver safety is the top priority of any fleet manager.

With so many drivers on the road operating a variety of vehicles, it can be a challenge for companies to ensure all of their drivers have the knowledge and skill required to drive safely at all times, especially for those with drivers in multiple locations across the US or spanning the globe.

A burgeoning fleet driver training company, SKILLS is based at the Texas Motor Speedway outside of Dallas-Fort Worth, but is focused on making it easy to educate fleet drivers anywhere in the world.

Learning safe driving techniques, becoming a defensive driver, reducing preventable incidents, SKILLS can help any business with fleet vehicles reduce the company’s liability exposure and insurance costs while keeping its drivers safe.

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