By Ed Pierce, FMW Brand Acceleration

Fleet marketers can help a fleet service or product provider’s sales team close more deals by generating qualified leads and providing them with the information and tools they need to effectively engage with those leads.

By working closely with the sales team and leveraging these lead generation tactics, B2B marketing can help drive more qualified leads to the sales team, provide them with the tools and information they need to close deals, and ultimately help the company grow its customer base and revenue.

By delivering personalized content, engaging with leads on social media, and providing opportunities for interaction through webinars and email campaigns, B2B marketers can help move leads through the funnel and prepare them for conversion by the sales team.

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By Sheila Leverone, eDriving

Building and nurturing a crash free culture that emphasizes the importance of employee safety while driving for work is all about PROCESS – successful programs are made not born!!!

Our mission, as we all know, is to reduce incidents, collisions, license violations, and injuries that in turn will promote a safer and more productive workplace. At the same time, your crash free culture will simultaneously deliver a best-in-class TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)!

Always remember, the ultimate goal is for all employees who drive for work purposes to return home safely to their loved ones and communities at the end of each day. A crash-free culture does not happen overnight; it requires ongoing effort and reinforcement before becoming part of your organization’s DNA.

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By Dave Bean, FMW Associate Editor

The newly released 2023 J.D. Power U.S. Aftermarket Service Index (ASI) reveals that vehicle owners are less satisfied this year than last year with all three vehicle service categories that contribute to the study.

The most noticeable decline appears in ‘quick oil change’ which suffered an eighteen point dip. ‘Full-service maintenance and repair’ dropped seven points and ‘tire replacement’ lost six points. Also worth noting within these segments is a marked decline in satisfaction with the level of courtesy offered by service advisors.

“Independent service providers must remain focused on retaining their customer base,” said Leonard Martin, director of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “Aftermarket service facilities can increase customer loyalty and revenue by taking advantage of what they do best—being easier to do business with.

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Under bill SB 505, which has already passed the Texas State House, EV owners in the Lone Star State would pay $200 annually in vehicle registration fees; it seems to be implied that this fee would be in addition to a vehicle’s existing registration fees.

The bill’s authors and backers say that the fee is for EV owners to pay their share of highway costs, something that drivers of gas vehicles already do through a gas tax they argue. Not everyone is buying the reasoning for fees on EVs, though. Some experts say the fees will slow EV adoption, calling them “punitive.”

via Jalopnik

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his police department have asked residents to help fight vehicle theft in the city by placing Apple AirTags in their cars and is handing out 500 freebies.

AirTags are small, circular tracking devices that allow users to monitor the location of their belongings through the “Find My” app on their iPhones. If a vehicle is stolen with an AirTag inside, residents will be able to track their car and work with police officers to recover it. “Using technology to fight crime, protect people, save property is the direction this administration and this police department is going in,” Adams said.

via CNBC

The California Air Resources Board has voted unanimously to finalize its Advanced Clean Fleets rule, a massive new regulation on medium- and heavy-duty fleet vehicles that requires all new medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold or registered in the state of California to be zero-emission come 2036.

In the interim few years, it has become apparent that not only are climate change and pollution becoming even more urgent, but that the market for EV trucks has advanced significantly, with hundreds of total models available, across every truck class from 2b through 8. These trucks have more than enough range for most fleet applications, which often have predictable daily usage schedules.

via Electrek

Automakers are starting to admit that drivers hate touch screens, and a growing number are backpedaling away from the huge, complex touch screens that have infested dashboard design over the past 15 years. Buttons and knobs are coming back.

The touch screen pullback is the result of consumer backlash, not the enactment of overdue regulations or an awakening of corporate responsibility. Many drivers want buttons, not screens, and they’ve given carmakers an earful about it. Auto executives have long brushed aside safety concerns about their complex displays—and all signs suggest they would have happily kept doing so. But their customers are revolting, which has forced them to pay attention.

via Slate

By Dave Bean, FMW Associate Editor

Choosing a car that will suit the requirements of each family member can be a daunting task. Parents are, of course, concerned primarily with safety features and driving experience, while the kids want to be entertained.

To assist in this crucial decision-making process, Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has come up with its list of Best Family Cars of 2023.

The objective of the list is to provide new car shoppers who are in the market for a more family-oriented vehicle with criteria that can guide them in making the most educated decision possible.

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By Bill Bishop, SVP of Sales and Marketing for FLD Remarketing

As we have for the better part of the last decade, the team at FLD has been hard at work during this first quarter of 2023 getting a beat on the pulse of the used medium duty wholesale market to share with our customers, partners, and friends in the fleet space.

And as it has for just about every quarter in the past 18-24 months, very little has changed with respect to what we’re seeing. And while the market isn’t exactly trading sideways, there is so little variance in the important indicators we watch that it might as well be.

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For over 20 years, the 100 Best Fleets contest has recognized North and South America’s most efficient and effective public fleet operations, awarding them the recognition they deserve. Now, you can learn from the best of the best through the 2023 Initiatives & Actions of the 100 Best Fleets Webinars!

All sessions are 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET. Free to NAFA Members. Non-Members $99

May 31: Operational Efficiency Initiatives
June 14: Succession Planning Initiatives
June 28: Life Cycle Initiatives
July 12: Sustainability & Technology Initiatives
July 26: Benchmarks of the 100 Best Fleets

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