By Tanner Lee, Copywriter, Kingbee Vans

In the last four months, Kingbee has provided over 400 vans to Amazon DSPs throughout the West Coast. Amazon loves us—they are long familiar with the rental model. Kingbee is a trusted partner of Amazon.

If you’re starting a DSP, renewing your contracts, or need vans for the peak season, Kingbee keeps everything running smoothly. In less than 7 days, we will prepare and ship the vehicles to your location.

Unlike your favorite pair of boxer briefs, Kingbee vans are brand new, and the contracts are short-term and flexible. We help DSPs quickly replace their aging units with brand new vehicles.

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By Kevin Fitzpatrick, Vice President of North America Operations, Opus IVS

With more EVs on the road today, and those vehicles now beginning to show up in Aftermarket shops, this shift in the automotive landscape signals a new era of challenges and opportunities for the industry.

It’s imperative to explore the factors driving these cost differentials to understand how automakers may adapt to improve repairability, ultimately making the EV repair shop experience more cost-effective for consumers.

As EVs continue to gain popularity across many OEMs, especially with the Tesla Cybertruck making headlines, it is crucial for automakers to recognize the evolving dynamics of the collision repair landscape.

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By Dave Bean, Content Editor, FMW

The National Safety Council (NSC) has responded to a massive training inequity for those who drive fleet vehicles by introducing an online curriculum, designed specifically for those whose employment has them behind-the-wheel as part of their jobs.

“Many assume fleet drivers are well-trained, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case,” said Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at NSC.

The NSC believes its new online training program, Fleet Essentials, might be just the elixir that all employee drivers need to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to, literally, survive the workday. The program is comprised of numerous online-based modules.

When tallying work-related fatalities every year, the main culprit is traffic accidents. Over 2000 people lost their lives in work-related vehicle crashes in 2022, according to data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure represents nearly 40% of all deaths that can be attributed to occurring on-the-job.

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An NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit found that 95 decommissioned VTA paratransit vehicles sat for more than four years in the agency’s South Bay lots, eventually becoming a target of catalytic converter thieves.

On top of standard vehicle depreciation, multiple sources told NBC Bay Area thieves targeted the decommissioned fleet for their catalytic converters in 2022.

“Usually what happens after the vehicles get decommissioned, the vehicles get put on an auction, or they get resold for other uses,” said Circella. “Something went wrong with the process of retiring them from active duty,” said Giovanni Circella, Ph.D., UC Davis transportation expert.

-via NBC Bay Area

While electric passenger cars get most of the hype, electrified commercial vehicles will soon form the invisible backbone of our everyday life. Kia is preparing its own electric vans complete with highly customizable, swappable bodies and their own dedicated software and business ecosystem.

Announced at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, Kia’s “Platform Beyond Vehicle” scheme is built on an upcoming lineup of reconfigurable electric vans of varying sizes. Basically, they’ll be chassis cabs that attach to a variety of upper bodies using a combination of mechanical and electromagnetic anchors. In theory, this lets users quick-swap between delivery vans, passenger shuttles, and even recreational vehicles.

via The Drive

Tennessee has started the process of hiking its EV registration fee from $100 to $274 per year and beyond, aiming to continue hiking the fees in perpetuity, further increasing the disproportionately high taxes paid by EVs in the state as compared to gas cars.

Tennessee’s $100 fee was lower than that of many other states, but it still taxed EVs at a much higher rate than a similarly-efficient gas vehicle.

This year, Tennessee’s EV fee has doubled to $200 – but it’s not stopping there, with the state claiming that it will continue increasing to $274 in 2026, and then continue increasing beyond that along with inflation.

via Electrek

Volkswagen Financial Services are electrifying the fleet of Siemens AG together with the Volkswagen brand. The company’s fleet will be gradually supplemented with up to 1,000 leased Volkswagen ID.4 vehicles.

Siemens has set ambitious goals for the electrification of its own fleet within the framework of its sustainability strategy. The company aims to make the entire fleet CO2-neutral and fully electric by 2030.

“The electrification of our fleet is a clear commitment to achieving our climate goals. But we also want to be a pioneer in our industry and send a clear signal for sustainable fleet management in line with our DEGREE framework,” explained Stefan Kurz, Head of Global Fleet Management at Siemens.

via VW Newsroom

By Sumit Chauhan, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, CerebrumX

The transition from traditional open telematics platforms to embedded data marks a pivotal step forward in the evolution of fleet management.

Traditionally, fleet operators have relied heavily on data derived from hardware dongles, a practice that was entirely justified when the number of vehicles on the road was fewer, and data volumes remained manageable.

Modern vehicles by design can now collect data indigenously, rendering external hardware devices obsolete. This evolution paves the way for a new and more efficient approach to data collection.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Management Weekly’s Brand Acceleration

Internal branding programs can profoundly affect fleet product and service providers’ sales by building a strong, recognizable brand that resonates with customers and stakeholders, increasing sales and market share.

While a general branding program is external-facing and aims to build brand awareness, perception, and loyalty among consumers or clients, an internal branding program is inward-looking. It targets the company’s employees to create a consistent brand experience that they can deliver to the external market.

Implementing an internal branding program can be transformative because it can significantly bolster sales by shaping the overall brand perception. This, in turn, directly influences customer behavior and their decision-making process.

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By Sarah Bechtold, eDriving

As the clock winds down on another year, it’s not just resolutions that should be top of mind; it’s the commitment to safety and sustainability as we usher in the New Year.

Safety alone is not enough. In an era where climate change is a pressing concern, sustainability must also be a key focus. Our vehicles are a significant contributor to carbon emissions, and it’s time to address this issue head-on.

Here’s to a New Year filled with safe travels, conscious choices, and a commitment to driving towards a better, more sustainable future. Let Mentor by eDriving be your trusted companion on this journey.

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