100 Best Fleets in The Americas™ — Free Webinar on Sustainability ‘How Tos’
Hear from the winners of the Green Fleet Awards in 2020 about how they achieve their sustainability.
You will learn tools, techniques and strategies you can employ the next day -- Wednesday, October 14, 2020 -- 11 a.m PDT/2 p.m. EDT REGISTER NOW
- In addition we will hear from a futurist on Fleet Management discussing Digital Twins, how you can predict mission critical decisions before you make them, a crystal ball. This is need-to-know-information.
- Artificial intelligence will allow you to assess risk and make informed decisions regarding your fleet operation, preventing unnecessary costly mistakes. Technology is your single most productive investment in 2020.
- In addition the #1 winner of the Green Fleet Awards for 2020 will discuss their best practices, including reducing their take home fleet by 90%.
- Another top Green fleet will demonstrate how they will reach fossil free by 2030. They have a game plan everyone can follow.
In COVID Era, More Young Men Driving Unsafely, Intoxicated: NHTSA
Preliminary data from the government's traffic-safety division shows a disturbing trend toward driving without seatbelts, and other more dangerous behavior.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, alcohol, cannabis and opioid use increased. When broken down by sex, males were more likely to have positive results in any of these three categories than females. Also, positive rates were higher on weekends than weekdays.
It's no surprise that the amount of vehicles on the roads dropped this spring because of numerous stay-at-home orders throughout the country. The coronavirus decreased the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT), but also brought about more deaths per 100 million VMT. In the second quarter, that number rose to 1.4, well up from 1.1 in the first quarter.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
Right To Repair Or A Fight For Survival?
As vehicles have moved from being primarily mechanical systems, perhaps it is time to ask, where should a manufacturer’s responsibility extend over the lifetime of the vehicle when it comes to evolving software systems? Where can independent repair play a supportive role?
Should consumers be free to authorize an independent repair facility to augment, update or otherwise change a vehicle’s software without safety and cybersecurity oversight embodied in manufacturer processes? If so, where do the bounds of liability to the original equipment manufacturer or independent repair shop fall?
On the 2020 Massachusetts ballot, Question 1 is a referendum on how traditional independent automotive repair shops and aftermarket part suppliers are going to function as part of tomorrow’s automotive ecosystem. The ballot initiative aims to enact a law that opens connectivity to any vehicle-specific data “for the purposes of maintaining, diagnosing and repairing the motor vehicle.” The law would require that “access shall include the ability to send commands to in-vehicle components if needed for purposes of maintenance, diagnostics and repair.”
Read the article at Forbes.
Alexa’s Auto Mode Turns Your Phone Into A ‘Driver-Friendly’ Display
Amazon wants to make it safer and easier to use your phone while you’re in the car with the introduction of Auto Mode for the Alexa App turning your phone into a “driver-friendly” display with large touch targets and easy-to-read visuals.
Auto Mode keeps things simple with four screens: Home, Navigation, Communicate and Play. The home screen includes shortcuts to pause or play your media source, navigate to home or work and make a call.
The Navigation screen lets you create shortcuts for favorite locations, or if you ask Alexa to find someplace new, Auto Mode will display a simplified results list with only the most relevant info. The Communicate screen will make it easier to place calls or send an announcement to Alexa devices, and the Play screen will give you simple controls over your music or podcasts.
Read the article at AutoBlog.
Government Fleets: A Guide to Adjusting Your Acquisition Strategy in the Wake of COVID-19
Fleet managers are a resilient and pragmatic group of professionals. They will find a way or make a way, no matter the obstacles placed in their path.
By Maria Neve, Manager, Mercury Associates
September 2020
So here we are—6 months deep into a pandemic that has changed the way we work at the most basic level. Trying to predict what will happen next month, let alone next year, feels about as scientific as asking the Magic 8-Ball sitting on your desk.
Despite all of this, the work continues, especially in our industry. 73% of fleet operations overall were deemed an essential service by government officials.
