By Rachael Plant, Content Marketing Specialist, Fleetio

Every year end, industry experts make predictions for the coming years’ trends.

But just how accurate are these predictions?

Predicted trends are largely based on markets related to the industry. Any trend heavily influenced by economic and policy pressure is less likely to be accurate.

General industry trends can be quite useful as an overview of what to expect broadly, but knowing how to identify ‘flexible’ versus ‘steady’ trends and by what conditions they are impacted, you can more accurately predict future trends.

In 2023, there were four main fleet industry trends — three flexible and one steady — that showed up on lists across multiple sources: supply chain issues, autonomous vehicle (AV) use, electric vehicle (EV) adoption and increased data accessibility and use.

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By David Lewis, Founder & CEO of MoveEV

As the EV wave sweeps the country, savvy fleet managers are ramping up their electrification plans.

But with the technology advancing at a breakneck pace, staying on top of the latest developments can be a full-time job..

Knowing which of these technologies offer tangible benefits today, rather than distant promises, is crucial. Forward-thinking fleet managers should be actively integrating the top trends into their strategies.

By following these emerging trends, savvy fleet managers can outperform their competition and stay ahead of the curve, while also moving their organization towards a greener future.

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By Andrew Tavener

All businesses transporting goods must understand the importance of efficient fleet operations with modern route planning and telematics solutions.

Route planning technologies decipher the optimal routes, providing valuable data to enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs.

To receive the greatest from these tools, you must ensure your drivers are on-board and fully understand how to operate systems like the solutions from Descartes and telematics, making the integration process smoother and more effective.

By addressing employee concerns, providing comprehensive training, showcasing the benefits, ensuring user-friendliness, and offering incentives, you can create a positive environment for adopting these technologies.

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To promote safe driving during the Christmas season, Insuranceopedia conducted a study on Christmas number one hits and their beats per minute (BPMs) to identify which Christmas songs are most dangerous to listen to while on the road.

The research, which focused on songs with a BPM exceeding 120, identified a correlation between higher BPM and an increase in risky driving behaviors. The findings, based on research from the South China University of Technology, shed light on the potential impact of music tempo on driver behavior.

‘Frosty the Snowman’ has a fast tempo of 172 BPM making it the most dangerous song to drive to. Its speed can negatively affect both mental and physical capabilities to drive safely.

via ActionNewsJax

As with a lot of automotive maladies, there are a number of potential causes as to why a car stalls in cold weather. Many have to do with the fact that a richer fuel mixture is required when an engine is cold, and even more so when it’s cold outside.

“Richer” means the vehicle needs more fuel, so anything that limits fuel flow may first show up when the engine has just been started during cold weather.

The primary causes of improper fuel delivery in cold weather include a sensor that is feeding the computer inaccurate information; a clogged fuel filter, clogged fuel injector or weak fuel pump that’s reducing fuel delivery; or water in the gas.

via Cars.comcars

The GasBuddy study ranked the top 50 U.S. metros from most to least aggressive, placing Tucson at the top of the “naughty list,” and Minneapolis as the city with the “nicest” holiday drivers, rising six spots from seventh place in 2022.

The team looked at 8,149,863 of recorded trips across 50 metropolitan areas, measuring the number of events of speeding, hard braking and fast acceleration.

via Autoblog

The first electric vehicle charging station funded by a $7.5 billion U.S. government program has begun operating in Ohio, the White House said as the government ramps up charging to address a key concern of potential buyers.

As of December, the United States has more than 165,000 public charging ports and since the start of the Biden administration, the number of publicly available fast charging ports has increased by more than 70%, the White House said.

All 50 states have developed plans for building EV infrastructure “and many states have begun issuing proposals or awarded contracts for installing” charges funded under the program, the White House said.

via Reuters

By Ed Pierce, Fleet Management Weekly’s Brand Acceleration Marketing Consultant

Innovative marketing is no longer limited to B2C (business-to-consumer) industries. B2B businesses seek, find, and implement new marketing ideas and technology to gain an edge in today’s competitive business landscape.

One of the critical factors in B2B marketing success is supporting the customer-centric business strategy. More and more fleet product and service providers recognize the need to cater to each customer’s individual needs and preferences.

In B2B sales, marketing is a cornerstone in establishing and reinforcing a customer-centric business strategy. It begins with a deep dive into understanding customer needs, where marketing teams conduct extensive research to uncover the specific needs, preferences, and challenges customers face.

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By Gary Mott, President, FLD Remarketing

By all accounts, 2023 was a disruptive year for fleet. From continued challenges brought on by the pandemic, to supply chain issues and lingering shortages, it seemed at times that fleet just couldn’t get a break.

While it appears vehicle availability picked up towards the end of 2023, the UAW strike, and the need to retrofit plants to produce electric vehicles, has thrown a return to pre-pandemic production levels into question.

And further, given that fuel costs are a full 40% of most fleet budgets, even the slightest increase can have a crippling effect on the industry.

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By Kapil Arora, Chief Sales Officer, CerebrumX

For many years, the vehicle fleet industry and auto dealerships have constantly adjusted inventory expectations due to shifting supply chain constraints and lot management challenges.

These constraints have impacted vehicle acquisition, parts sourcing and transport of new vehicles.

Fleet allocations will only continue to grow, and it is important for fleets and auto retailers to identify new solutions via advanced connected vehicle data to maintain profits and customer expectations.

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