By Brian Holland, President and CEO, Fleet Advantage

Businesses with heavy duty transportation fleets are no strangers to economic fluctuations. Depending on the day or even the week, the economy is either strengthening or weakening.

Industry analysts are expecting U.S. freight fundamentals to improve this year. Entering 2024, freight demand was below typical trends, but industry observers expect it to recover.

Fleets have talked about using data for many years now, but having data and implementing data for organizational decisions are two entirely different conversations.

As fleets ponder their strategies for the balance of the year, many will certainly be focused on interest rates and how the cost of money will affect their organizations. They must rely on proven data so they can make smart, informed decisions.

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By Elbert Walters III, Executive Director, Powering Chicago

From Amazon and DHL to Comcast and IKEA, major corporations are transitioning away from gas-powered vehicles to electric utility fleets.

And for good reason: electric utility vehicles (EUVs) offer numerous advantages – from money-saving and reputational benefits to environmental sustainability.

The aim of this article is to shed light on some of the most pressing concerns utility fleet managers have when considering the switch to EUVs.

Among the factors to consider, long-term planning is essential. A qualified contractor will emphasize the importance of planning for future electrical capacity expansion, which can yield cost savings in the long run. Additionally, networking charging stations on a smart system is advised.

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By Rachael Plant, Senior Content Marketing Specialist, Fleetio

Expanding a business requires meticulous planning and strategic decision-making, as growth comes with its fair share of challenges, particularly when it comes to a business’s fleet.

Businesses can use historical fleet data during growth planning to determine the number of assets needed — whether vehicles, equipment, or labor — to match growth projections.

Balancing the costs of acquiring and maintaining resources against projected revenue increases is essential to ensure financial viability and avoid over extension.

Through historical fuel use analysis, businesses can monitor fuel consumption trends, identify discrepancies, and implement strategies to improve fuel efficiency, such as route optimization, driver training programs, or improved preventive maintenance (PM) schedules.

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Cars are notoriously hard to code. Coding games is vastly easier, using widely open-source software that’s widely available for download, but while a software bug or defect may be irksome to an electronic gamer, a similar defect in any of the myriad safety critical systems onboard a vehicle could kill people.

Automotive software products and services supplier Elektrobit is introducing the first open-source software development kit certified for safety-critical automotive systems. Part of that compliance is warrantying and protecting the software against present and future bugs, glitches, and cyber attack threats via over-the-air (OTA) updates and continuous development.

via MotorTrend

Buying a car can be fun and bring a lot of freedom, but things can go sideways when it comes time for repairs. There are few surprises on this list, but the cheapest new car and the runner-up might come as a shock.

Tesla and Buick were the cheapest new car brands to maintain and repair over 10 years, followed by Toyota, Lincoln, and Ford.

Maintenance costs for some brands can look deceiving, as many offer free maintenance for a period after the purchase. New-car warranties also play a role, with the powertrain coverage spanning four or five years and 50,000 or 60,000 miles, depending on the company.

via Autoblog

Automakers from General Motors to Volvo Cars, alongside utilities and charging app operators are calculating their financial cut as EVs that allow their owners to sell power back to grids become a more realistic prospect.

Among the breakthroughs that are bringing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) closer, automakers have set up their own energy units, joining the software platforms, energy distributors and others that are vying for V2G revenue. They do not yet know how much they might make.

Most of the money will go to EV owners, leaving just pennies per kilowatt for intermediaries selling power to grids, but across millions of EVs, that would add up.

via Reuters

Navigating to charging stations and finding exactly where the chargers are — like in a multilevel parking lot — can sometimes be more of an effort than it should be.

Google says that in “the coming months,” it will start to show AI-powered summaries in Google Maps that describe a charger’s specific location based on millions of user reviews posted daily. Directions will get even more specific since reviews about EV chargers now prompt for additional details like what type of plug you used and how long you had to wait.

The most ideal EV charging stops will soon be suggested based on your charge level when you enter a multi-stop road trip on Google Maps.

via Electrek

By Fleet Management Weekly Staff

Since its founding in 2022, Silicon Valley-based Prophecta has been developing a new math algorithm that extends the value of telematics-based data used by truck fleets to reduce emissions.

Their technology analyzes driver behavior to find and correct inefficiencies, allowing fleet managers to lower fuel consumption by up to 40%.

Prophecta’s AI model can enhance the planning of optimal routes and vehicle loading. Truck fleets find that the Prophecta solution contributes to retaining drivers and incentivizes eco-friendly driving.

“…our thinking about AI is not about replacing people. It’s about empowering and helping people. Our technology allows drivers to be more easily engaged in emissions reduction and gives companies the data to incentivize greener, safer driver behavior,” says CEO Vasily Nikolaev.

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Fleet Manager Spotlight is a new Fleet Management Weekly bi-weekly series, compiled by Marketing Consultant Tod Trousdell of RobertsTrousdell Communications.

The series features insights from top fleet leaders on some of the industry’s most important topics.

In this, our first installment, we talk with fleet manager Ted Chan of Schindler Elevator.

“We were an early EV adopter, so we’ve learned a lot of important lessons along the way and there’s still a long way to go. Without a doubt the whole industry will see a lot of twists and turns before things settle down into a rhythm but we’re definitely on our way.”

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The digital revolution is changing the way fleet customers expect to interact with fleet providers.

Leading the way in how fleet providers are reimagining their businesses, Ridecell allows fleets to get more out of their connected vehicles and management systems.

By using the company’s flagship solution, Fleet Transformation Cloud, fleet leaders can create a blueprint of the entire process flow from vehicle purchase to remarketing, across all geographies and lines of business.

“The new model of digital transformation isn’t about rewriting systems you’ve already built,” says Mark Thomas, Executive Vice President of Alliances and Marketing for Ridecell. “It’s about boosting the power of those systems and taking information out of them and pulling it all together.”

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