Driving High: Time to Review Your Fleet Driver Policy?
Several articles in this week’s issue center around the crucial need for fleets to have a strong driver policy and to enforce it with rigor.
Paul Atchley, PhD, eDriving’s Brain Scientist Advisor, writes that a jury awarded a plaintiff $15 million in a case in which a truck driver, talking on his cell phone, crashed into a stationary car and critically injured the driver. Clearly a case of distracted driving, but how could the driver’s company have mitigated this disaster?
Mark Boada pens a comprehensive piece delineating the myriad issues surrounding marijuana and driving, and how a fleet might enforce a policy in the wake of the trend toward more liberalization of marijuana laws.
Serendipitously, NAFA is presenting a webinar, sponsored by Donlen, delving into these issues, on Wednesday, December 4th. Check out: Driver Policies, the Good, the Bad and Ugly.
And speaking of NAFA, registration is now open for NAFA 2020 Institute & Expo – April 6-8 in Indianapolis. Register before January 31st and save a cool $200!
Drive Safety!
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
An Attitude of Gratitude
Trent Dressen, director of Sales at SuperVision, writes about a company whose unlicensed driver caused a tragic accident. The jury award: $3,615,908. Read The Risks of a Self-Reporting Policy to learn why the plaintiffs had such a strong case.
One of the contributing factors cited in the accident Dressen writes about is driver fatigue. A NETS study showed that fleets that take steps to combat driver fatigue were associated with dramatically lower crash rates.
The FMW team gives thanks to our readers, contributors, and sponsors and wishes you a splendid and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings" ~ William Arthur Ward
One Expert’s Take on AFLA Involvement
Past president Patsy Brownson talks about how she has benefitted from years of involvement with AFLA, and gives some advice on getting the most out of the organization.
California Bans Government Purchase of Gas-Powered Cars
Effective immediately, the California state government has stopped buying gas-powered cars, with the exception being for public safety vehicles, most likely because electric versions may not be plentiful or even available for those specific needs.
Furthermore, starting in January, the state will no longer buy vehicles from manufacturers that refused to voluntarily agree to follow California’s clean car rules.
The new rules mean that electric vehicles like the Toyota Prius Prime and Chevy Bolt won't even be considered for state purchase anymore, since Toyota & General Motors, as well as Fiat Chrysler, recently sided with the Trump administration with regards to tailpipe emission rules. Meanwhile, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and BMW may get a boost in sales, since they all agreed to continue to follow California's strict emission rules, even though they may no longer be required to.
Read the article at Inside EVs.
LeasePlan Introduces Revolutionary Product OneConnect
LeasePlan USA today launched a unique new platform further evolving its telematics value proposition into a new frontier in fleet management.
OneConnect is a new Connected Vehicle cloud platform that merges real-time raw data from vehicles on the road with proprietary LeasePlan fleet management data providing the best 360-degree view of overall fleet performance and driver behavior.
“OneConnect provides a window into never before-seen fleet insights,” said Felipe Smolka, executive vice president of transformation, who leads on strategy and innovation at LeasePlan USA. “The uniqueness of our new approach lands a fresh flavor on how to look at a fleet, as we now have the opportunity to marry all relevant data points into one single pane of glass.”
