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FleetManagementWeekly
December 14, 2022

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Editor’s Analysis & Top Industry News

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

We love Laura Jozwiak’s latest Customer Driven column. She says, “It is December. In the Midwest, that means the weather turns cold, the sky turns steel grey, and the ground will most likely turn white with the falling snow. It’s the time that we cover our patio furniture and tuck away the gardening tools. For me, it’s also the time to reflect, give closure to the year, and start looking forward to the possibilities of the next 365 days.”

At FMW, we also look forward to 2023 and its possibilities, but first we want to want to thank you, our readers and contributors, for an extraordinary 2022.

Our next newsletter will appear on January 4, 2023, but if you have time, please do check in with our website Fleet Management Weekly for daily updates in the interim.

Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy and happy holiday season!

Janice, Ted and the entire FMW team!


VIDEO: Combining the Values & Expertise of 3 Industry Leading FMCs

There are some very big benefits to bringing together the values and the expertise of three well-respected industry leading FMCs.

VIDEO: Suspended Licenses


  Suspended Licenses: The Risk of Not Knowing
 

Did you know that 7% of drivers, on average, have a suspended license? Are there risky drivers within your organization? It’s good to know that Continuous License Monitoring can help your fleet minimize such risks.


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

Despite rising energy prices, EVs are more cost competitive than ever LeasePlan’s Car Cost Index: European EVs Now as Affordable as ICE Cars

Despite rising energy prices, EVs are more cost competitive than ever

LeasePlan has just released the latest edition of its Car Cost Index, revealing that EVs in nearly every segment and European country are now the same price or cheaper on a TCO (total cost of ownership) basis than petrol or diesel cars, despite rising prices for fuel and electricity.

-Compact EVs are cost competitive in 18/22 European countries
-Standard mid-size EVs are cost competitive in 19/22 European countries
-Premium mid-size EVs are cost competitive 18/22 European countries

READ MORE

The 2023 100 Best Fleets Awards Are Now Open!

The 100 Best Fleets in the Americas program recognizes and honors peak-performing public and commercial fleet operations, encouraging ever-increasing levels of performance improvement and innovation within the fleet industry.

With the winners announced on stage at the largest fleet event of 2023, the NAFA Institute & Expo in April, in Baltimore, MD, your fleet will experience unprecedented industry recognition, and you will find no better opportunity to benchmark operational performance. There is no better time to enter your fleet into the “Gold Standard” of fleet recognition programs.

Submitting your fleet is a free, fully online process. Applications are due by January 31, 2023.

Learn More & Begin Your Application Today!

eDriving Webinar: Upgrade Your Fleet's Carbon Footprint eDriving Webinar: Upgrade Your Fleet’s Carbon Footprint

As a new year approaches, so do new opportunities to modernize your fleet and take control of your organization’s carbon footprint by stepping up your sustainability standards.

Register to attend our upcoming webinar, “Connecting Driver Safety, Sustainability, and ESG for Maximum Impact”, on January 19, 2023,

Click on Your Region Below to Register for the  Webinar

UK/EU Register for 10:00am GMT US/North America Register for 2:00pm EST

READ MORE

Customer Driven


By Laura Jozwiak

It is December. In the Midwest, that means the weather turns cold, the sky turns steel grey, and the ground will most likely turn white with the falling snow.

It’s the time that we cover our patio furniture and tuck away the gardening tools.

For me, it’s also the time to reflect, give closure to the year, and start looking forward to the possibilities of the next 365 days

I have always appreciated this part of the cycle — this annual time of reflection, renewal, and focus.

Like a seed that is hibernating underground in the winter until the soil warms up and takes root to flourish in the spring, so do our thoughts.

READ MORE

 

Women in Fleet Management


Fleet Management Weekly is pleased to introduce a new feature series, WIFM Member Profiles, to introduce our readers to Women in Fleet Management (WIFM) members.

As recognized fleet professionals, their stories – professional and personal – can offer unique experiences and perspectives about WIFM, the fleet industry, and what it takes to make a difference in the fleet industry. Each member’s story offers insight that can help other professionals in their careers and in their day-to-day fleet performances.

In this first column, Karyna Zarate, CAFM, Corporate Fleet & Equipment Manager for Jacobs, the global technical consulting company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, answers a series of questions beginning with her start of her professional career through her views on the industry today.

READ MORE

 

Managing EVs in Winter


Fleet Management Weekly asked Gina Bonini, VP and GM of Advanced Thermal Systems at Modine, about the challenges of keeping Electric Vehicles (EVs) up and running in wintry weather.

Modine is a company with a long history of automotive thermal management; how did you make the transition from ICE to EV?

Modine has focused on innovation in thermal management from the company’s beginning in 1916, when our founder, Arthur B. Modine, set out to make the perfect radiator. A few years later, in 1925, we scaled up to provide the radiator for the Model T Ford. Fast forward nearly 100 years, and we started to see our customers electrifying, initially with buses, trucks and specialty vehicles.

Commercial electric vehicles should have a battery thermal management system in place that is designed to regulate battery temperature in a way that maximizes range and minimizes charging time. A BTMS will continue to do its job in cold weather, but there are a few specific ways fleet managers and drivers can help optimize their efficiency and uptime during the winter months.

READ MORE


Trending

Car Safety Testers Beefing Up Their Gear for Electric Cars

image: IIHS
Electric vehicles can get heavy. For example, the Rivian R1T pickup truck weighs over 7,100 pounds and the Hummer EV weighs over 9,000 pounds.

Due to such hefty curb weights, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had to run tests to make sure its crash test rig could handle some of the heavier electric cars coming to market. To do so, they loaded pickup trucks with metal and concrete and rammed them into a wall.

Why is this important? If the IIHS can’t properly test a vehicle’s crash rating on its own rig, then it wouldn’t be able to accurately judge its safety. The fact that it can handle such heavy vehicles is reassuring. The crash machine held up just fine. It’ll hurl a Hummer.

via KBB

EV Charging: What Drivers Say N.J.’s Doing Right and Wrong.

The signs along the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway tell you where you can pull off for a hotel, where to get a Starbucks and where to fuel up — but not if the service area provides an electric vehicle charging station.

Of the state’s 23 service areas, eight have electric charging stations and half of those locations only work if you have a Tesla. While Tesla vehicles come with adapters that allow you to plug into non-Tesla charging stations, it doesn’t work the other way around.

Among the state’s goals is having 400 fast chargers and 1,000 Level 2 chargers in place across New Jersey by 2025. The plan also calls for fast chargers to be installed every 50 miles along major state corridors and every 25 miles between major roadways.

via NJ.com

Driving a Car Covered in Snow Can Lead to a Chilling Fine, So Stop Doing It

Driving in the winter without cleaning any snow from your vehicle can have negative effects, either on your wallet or on nearby people.

While only a handful of states have actual laws against driving without clearing off ice and snow, you can still be stopped in other states if law enforcement believes that the white stuff preventing you from seeing where you’re going falls into.

One of the strictest state snow removal laws is in effect in New Hampshire. Known as Jessica’s Law after the woman (Jessica Smith) who was killed when falling ice caused a multi-vehicle crash, this 2001 law charges first-time offenders with a minimum fine of at least $250. The second offense comes with a potential $1000 fine. After that, a driver may face points on their license or a short-term loss of license.

via Car and Driver

Lessons Learned From 10,000 Electric Cars And 100 Million Miles

Thanks to efforts across the community to learn and share how EVs age, used car buyers have begun to figure out that used EV values are determined by battery health, not its odometer reading. This is visible at all stages of the car buying process.

While it seems natural that the agency tasked with MPG and MPGe ratings might expand to cover EV range, the range estimates provided by the EPA are notoriously unreliable. Recent Consumer Reports testing on a variety of new EVs showed that EPA range estimates are 10-70 miles off from real-world driving tests.

It’s not just Tesla anymore. Dozens of new EV models have launched in 2021 and 2022 with more planned for 2023. A wider selection of vehicles and price points is bringing in new first-time EV drivers, as is a maturing used market.

via InsideEVs

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

 

Wheels Donlen LeasePlan


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

 

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





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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