Finding Our Way
We are all trying to find our way through this pandemic, coping with unprecedented circumstances in our business and personal lives. In the fleet industry, we are always fortunate to be able to consult with our friends to learn what is working for them.
In her video, Maria Neve talks to the necessity of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and in her Customer Driven column, Laura Jozwiak tells us why “what we have always done” just doesn’t apply anymore and spurs us on to use this time to forge a new path with our clients.
We look to the future of transportation with Lukas Neckermann. While COVID-19 has wreaked havoc in so much of the industry, Lukas assures us there are some potential bright spots.
Enjoy the issue and stay safe and healthy!
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Study: Transportation Isn’t Going to Be the Same after Pandemic
Just how different the post-coronavirus world will look is open to speculation—but survey data from gives a glimpse into how people will utilize transportation, both public and private, once the world reopens.
Of those who regularly used public transit such as buses, subways, or trains before the pandemic, 20 percent said that they no longer will do so, and another 28 percent said they will use it less frequently.
Even if more people are driving to socially isolate themselves, increased interest in continuing to work from home could lessen the number of people commuting each day; 75 percent of people in the survey said that now they are working from home, they'd like to continue to do so at least occasionally. Over half said they want remotely working to be how they work from now on.
Read the article at Car and Driver.
Bill Schankel, CAE Appointed New CEO at NAFA
NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) has announced Bill Schankel, CAE, as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Schankel has served as NAFA’s Interim CEO since August 2019. He joined the organization in September 2017 as NAFA’s Chief of Staff & Operations.
“NAFA’s Board of Directors conducted an exhaustive search to fill the CEO position, and interviewed many highly-qualified candidates,” said NAFA President Patti Earley, CAFM. “It was our determination that Bill not only exemplified the qualities we were searching for, but also understood the unique challenges of moving our Association forward during times of uncertainty. His commitment to action-based and results-based strategies assures that NAFA will continue to lead the way for the fleet and mobility industry.”
Is Automotive CyberSecurity A National Defense Issue ?
With modern over-the-air updates one can turn a fleet of cars into an army of adversarial robots.
The concepts of secure platforms, run-time systems, and protecting critical assets are well known within the industry. Blackberry is a leading supplier of secure operating systems for automobiles. The application of these secure methods for cybersecurity are left to automakers as voluntary self certification.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has been developing a vehicle regulation with regards to cybersecurity in connected and autonomous vehicles. UNECE vehicle regulations are law in 54 nations, and most other nations accept UNECE approved vehicles for import, registration, sale and use.
Read the article at Forbes.
Coronavirus Downturn Has SUVs Parked At Sea
The cargo ship Jupiter Spirit arrived in Los Angeles’ harbor on April 24 after an almost three-week journey from Japan, ready to unload its cargo of about 2,000 Nissan Armada SUVs, Rogue crossovers and Infiniti sedans in a quick, half-day operation.
When the ship got about a mile offshore, its captain was ordered to drop anchor. And there the ship remained for almost a week - a floating symbol of an unprecedented logjam as nearby storage lots covering hundreds of acres overflowed with vehicles that Americans suddenly have little desire to purchase.
Last month’s sales collapse produced a chain-reaction backlog, causing some ships to divert to other ports, others to wait days to discharge cargo and, ultimately, some to cancel voyages before they even got underway. Ports are having to find space in the surrounding areas for surplus cars.
Read the article at The Seattle Times.
