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FleetManagementWeekly
December 7, 2022

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Editor’s Analysis & Top Industry News

Wheels Donlen LeasePlan: A New FMC Powerhouse

In case you haven’t heard the news, there’s a new FMC powerhouse: Wheels, Donlen and LeasePlan USA have joined forces to form Wheels Donlen LeasePlan. In her article today, Julie Leicester writes that “the combined organization creates a powerhouse in the North American fleet market with the tremendous opportunity to shape the future and revolutionize the delivery of mobility services to clients.” Read more here.

Are You Marketing to Fleet Professionals?

Ed Pierce dives into how marketing teams at fleet service providers are “charged by management to increase brand awareness, influence their target audiences’ perceptions, and generate leads, management also insists on budget control, performance metrics, and a suitable ROI.” Read the article here.

Also, if you are marketing to fleet professionals there are a variety of effective, affordable ways that our new FMW Brand Acceleration program can help! Email me to learn more.

Ted Roberts
President


VIDEO: Problems and Solutions: One Fleet Manager’s Experience

There are plenty of problems in the fleet world today, but there are some great creative solutions as well – and having a good FMC on your side can help.

VIDEO: Customer Experience


  Understanding Customer Experience Leadership
 

Customer experience leadership is developed with a qualitative and quantitative understanding of all the interactions that a customer has with your fleet business.


Zoom Video Interview with You Here?

  Request for Zoom Video Interviews
 

We’re ramping up FMW’s video interviews via Zoom given the times, and are looking to speak with a variety industry experts (and we know that many of you are reading!).

Please feel free to suggest yourself, or someone you know. Any and all timely industry topics will be considered, and we look forward to speaking with you!

Email Ted Roberts to learn more: [email protected].


Spotlight

Solera Webinar: Improve Your Routing & Dispatching Team

As we enter the throes of the extremely busy holiday season, last mile fleets are experiencing more pressure than ever to deliver goods and services quickly, accurately, and efficiently.

In addition to operating at maximum efficiency to control costs, companies must also work to optimize customer satisfaction and the driver experience to ensure overall business success.

In this live webinar on January 11, our Last Mile experts will share how to improve the daily life of routing and dispatch teams.

REGISTER TODAY!

READ MORE

PTV Group’s Foray Into U.S. Fleet Tracking Market PTV Group’s Foray Into US Fleet Tracking Market

By Kevin Dennehy, Editor, Location Business News

Germany-based PTV Group has entered the U.S. fleet tracking market with a new truck navigation app. CEO Christian Haas says the new PTV Truck Navigator G2 optimally complements the existing tracking systems.

PTV Group will use TomTom [TOM2] to power its maps, truck routing and other functions. PTV Truck Navigator G2 will consider a truck’s size, weight, cargo, road hazard restrictions and tunnels to calculate a route, the company said.

TomTom says the expansion will allow businesses to have more accessible location data. “By making fresh and accurate location easily assessible to businesses, we can create safer and more comfortable experiences for drivers and end-customers,” said Mike Schoofs, TomTom Enterprise managing director, in a statement.

READ MORE

Connixt Launches iMarq™ on the Geotab Marketplace Connixt Launches iMarq™ on the Geotab Marketplace

Connixt adds its mobile app suite to the Geotab Marketplace to deploy data for maintenance shops and technicians, while automatically updating backend systems

Connixt, a provider of cloud-mobile apps for maintenance and compliance, announced the availability of its iMarq™ suite on the Geotab Marketplace, a go-to source for top organizations seeking to better manage their fleets. iMarq™ now integrates seamlessly with Geotab to further automate maintenance, parts requests and scheduling for customers.

Connixt iMarq™ is an award-winning mobile app suite for maintenance crews and technicians that digitizes fleet maintenance, inspection, inventory and workshop processes integrating with any back-end maintenance system.

READ MORE

Car IQ Partners with Verra Mobility to Offer Fleet Customers a Complete Toll Management and Payment Solution

Car IQ Inc. today announced a partnership with Verra Mobility that will expand the company’s current offerings beyond fuel payments to provide fleet customers with a complete toll payment suite.

Car IQ’s partnership with Verra Mobility will allow fleets to seamlessly connect with tolling solutions via Verra Mobility’s extensive network and pay without the use of a credit or debit card.

With Car IQ Pay fleets will now have a simplified and unified billing platform that facilitates payment of multiple types of services supporting a fleet company’s back-end accounting systems.

READ MORE

Fleet Marketing


By Ed Pierce, FMW Brand Acceleration

While virtually all fleet service providers’ marketing teams are charged by management to increase brand awareness, influence their target audiences’ perceptions, and generate leads, management also insists on budget control, performance metrics, and a suitable ROI.

Only by developing an effective mix of tactics can a marketing team perform what might best be described as a high-wire marketing balancing act. A precipitous fall from management’s good graces is only as far away as a breakdown in anyone of the myriad marketing channels.

Since numbers don’t always tell the whole story, it’s generally the measuring aspect that proves to be challenging. Additionally, they may not always assist you in demonstrating true value for your company in terms of sales and returns. There is good news, though!

READ MORE

 

Crash-Free Culture


By Ed Dubens, CEO/Founder of eDriving

As environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments and environmentally focused vehicles and solutions surge in popularity across the globe, fleet organizations may be feeling overwhelmed while seeking a solution that successfully protects both their drivers and the planet.

In response to this crisis, fleet managers are presented with a plethora of environmentally conscious options, which vary in their ability to reduce emissions, as well as keep drivers safe. Some fleet managers may turn to electric vehicle investments, seeking to offset total fleet emissions via partial or full adoption of an EV fleet.

With comprehensive sustainability reporting becoming mandatory across the globe, Mentor’s EcoDrive feature powered by Greater Than provides increased control over a fleet’s environmental impact while providing the insights needed to reduce absolute CO2 emissions.

READ MORE

 

A New FMW Powerhouse


Wheels Donlen and LeasePlan USA have now come together as one industry-leading fleet management and mobility company. Athene, the majority stakeholder in Wheels Donlen, completed the transaction to purchase LeasePlan USA from LeasePlan Corporation.

Shlomo Crandus, CEO of Wheels Donlen, will continue as CEO and Matt Dyer, CEO & President of LeasePlan USA, will take on the role of President.

As one company, Wheels Donlen LeasePlan has $7 billion in assets, 800,000 vehicles under management, and, through the global alliance with ALD and the international cooperation agreement with LeasePlan Corporation, it serves clients in 60 countries.

Both Wheels Donlen and LeasePlan USA will continue to provide the valued support that the combined organization’s global clients enjoy and expect. The ALD Alliance with Wheels Donlen continues to be a strong and valued partnership. For LeasePlan global clients, there is an international cooperation agreement with LeasePlan Corporation.

The combined organization is even better positioned to serve clients of all fleet sizes from fleets of a few dozen vehicles to fleets with 20,000+ vehicles and across multiple industries. According to Matt Dyer, “We are fundamentally committed to the success of our clients both now and in the future as, together, we shape the future for fleet management and mobility.”

READ MORE


Trending

Ford Transit Electric Delivery Vans Added to DHL Fleets

Ford Pro, Ford’s global vehicle services and distribution business, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Post DHL Group to provide the logistics company with all-electric delivery vans.

Ford will deliver over 2000 electric delivery vans to DHL by the end of 2023. Some of DHL’s new electric delivery vehicles will be the two-ton E-Transit model. These commercial vans will come with Ford Pro’s connected E-Telematics software and charging solutions, designed to make it easier for fleet operators to coordinate charging and other changes required by shifting to zero-emission EVs.

The electric vans are part of DHL’s zero-emission logistics efforts that will eventually reduce emissions from delivery vehicles “around the globe.”

via Car & Driver

AAA Announces Services Tailored to EV Owners, Reflecting Growing Demand

The American Automobile Association has announced a package of services for electric vehicle (EV) owners. This includes mobile EV charging in select cities, and travel planning aids that plot the location of charging stations.

“Range anxiety has been the number one barrier between consumers and wider EV adoption. AAA can help ease this anxiety with specialized trucks equipped with mobile electric vehicle chargers that provide enough range to get drivers home or to the nearest charging station,” the organization said.

The organization is “also committed to supporting our members through big purchase decisions – like buying an electric vehicle.

via Repairer Driven News

Small Ford F-150 Lightning Fleet Begins US Forest Service Testing

All federal agency light-duty cars – sedans, pickups, and vans – will need to be zero-emissions by 2027. The United States Forest Service (USFS), with a fleet of 17,000, is beginning its EV switch by testing out three Ford F-150 Lightning pickups, in three different parks throughout the country.

They’ll start in three different national forests: Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan, and White Mountain National Forest on the Maine/New Hampshire border. Those three parks are particularly good tests for the F-150 Lightings, thanks to their off-road terrain and harsh weather conditions, specifically in the White Mountains.

via The Drive
via The Drive

BrightDrop Expands to Canada, Adds DHL Express to Customer Portfolio

photo: BrightDrop

BrightDrop has entered its first international market, Canada, adding DHL Express Canada to its customer portfolio. The company also announced production of the BrightDrop Zevo 600 electric delivery vans had begun at GM’s CAMI Assembly plant in Ontario.

“Bringing BrightDrop to Canada and starting production at CAMI is a major step to providing EVs at scale, while delivering real results to the world’s biggest brands,” said Travis Katz, BrightDrop president and CEO. “Our international expansion is proof that we can deliver exactly what our customers need where they need it. Having DHL Express Canada come onboard as a new customer shows the confidence legacy brands have in our ability to deliver.”

via BrightDrop

Caltrans is Getting More Electric


California’s Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has placed its biggest electric vehicle order yet as the agency seeks to electrify its entire fleet.

Caltrans, which has about 1,200 vehicles in its fleet—mostly ICEs—has ordered 399 Tesla Model 3 electric sedans, which will add to the roughly 80 fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles currently in its fleet. The agency operates 54 Toyota RAV4 Prime PHEVs, 15 Chevrolet Bolt EVs, 11 Nissan Leafs and one Ford F-150 Lightning. Caltrans also has 37 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell Toyota Mirai and one hydrogen-powered sweeper in its fleet.

Caltrans has already taken delivery of 236 Tesla Model 3 sedans and expects the remaining 163 units to be delivered by January 1, 2023. Once Caltrans receives all 399 Model 3s, it will have converted 43 percent of its entire fleet to all-electric vehicles.

via Inside EVs

 

Take the Fleet Poll!


How high will gas prices go in 2023? When will the supply chain return to some semblance of normalcy? And what will it take for vehicle availability to finally pick back up?

By Ted Roberts, President, FMW

These days, there are a lot of important questions circling around fleet. Which is exactly why Fleet Management Weekly has teamed up with FLD Remarketing to introduce The Fleet Poll, a bi-weekly poll that will present questions on topics where fleet professionals want deeper insights.

The poll takes less than 30 seconds to answer two multiple choice questions. If you have a topic or question you’d like to know more about – we’d love to have you as a “guest asker” for a future fleet poll.

READ MORE

 

Revenue from EVs?


Vehicle-to-everything turns an EV charging system into a revenue center

By Scott Brierley, Director of Automotive and Strategic Partnerships, Fermata Energy

The conversation around EVs is evolving rapidly, giving fleet managers a new way to measure their fleet’s positive impact on their company’s bottom line. What’s the change? EVs are batteries on wheels that enable fleet owners and operators to earn revenue from their local utility while their EVs are parked.

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) bidirectional charging systems is the technology that makes this possible. This means that EV charging stations for fleet owners and operators are shifting from a cost center to a revenue generator, reducing the cost of acquiring, owning, and operating EVs.

READ MORE





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.

WheelsDonlen
Helping vehicle fleets exceed their business goals since 1939, WheelsDonlen is committed to truly understanding your unique needs and providing solutions to help you succeed.




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