Toll Roads May Be The Alternative to Higher Gas Taxes
In order to fund our failing infrastructure without raising the federal gas tax, every road will need to become a toll road meaning that drivers pay by the mile.
Many states have studied, and some have even tried, what are known as Vehicle Miles Traveled taxes. A Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax is what it sounds like: a toll that applies wherever you go.
“Every road segment can be annotated by who owns it, prices by time of day, and notes saying who gets the money,” says Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. At the end of the month, your car aggregates the various fees and sends your payment off to the relevant agencies—local, state, and federal.
Read the article at Wired.
Pulling ‘Double Duty’ with Redesigned Ford Transit Connect Wagon
Ford's redesigned Transit Connect Wagon continues to win over Boomers-born from 1946 to 1964 that grew up driving vans-with its unique combination of affordable, fun and easy-to-use people mover attributes and cargo hauling capabilities.
At 111 million strong and holding 63 percent of American financial assets, the 50+ demographic is the number one consumer demographic in the United States - far exceeding Gen X’s 61 million and Millennials’ 75 million. And one in three Boomers plans to purchase a car in the next three years, according to AARP.
Kevin Brown, age 63, of Nassau Bay, Texas, is the kind of “active Boomer” who loves the Transit Connect Wagon. Brown grew up driving vans in the 1970s and now, this Gulf Coast surfer and grandfather of nine drives a 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon for his work as an illustrator and custom T-shirt printer. “If I’m not shuttling family to the beach, I’m working,” he said. “My Transit Connect lets me pull double duty.”
Read the article at Ford's Media Center.
More Californians Are Putting Their Phones Aside When Behind the Wheel,
According to a study by the state Office of Traffic Safety, fewer than 4 percent of drivers appear to be picking up and using their cellphones, down from 8 percent last year
The tough new California law, authored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, allows the driver to touch the device only once while driving, to “activate or deactivate a feature or function ... with the motion of a single swipe or tap of the driver’s finger,” and the phone must be mounted on the dashboard or windshield or console.
Since the law went into effect, California Highway Patrol officers have increased the number of citations they are giving to motorists. CHP data show citation issuance jumped from 66,000 in 2016 to more than 98,000 in 2017. The first ticket a driver receives for an infraction likely will exceed $150.
Read the article at Government Technology.
A Call to Action: Taking Control of Marketing Costs
By Ed Pierce, Fleet Industry Marketer
Despite the booming economy, smart companies continue to manage expenses, particularly selling, general and administrative (SGA) expenses.
According to financial consulting firm Sageworks, average overhead for scientific and technical services companies – including companies in the fleet services industry – represent over 50 percent of sales.
These are expenses that cannot be assigned to the cost of providing a specific service. A large portion of these expenses fall into the marketing bucket, such as direct sales, product development, distribution, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and customer service.
Developing a Winner’s Mindset
It’s your job to reach your potential. Let’s all create an environment of winners.
By Walter Bond
There is always good in every situation. It’s our job to develop and think about how to use every situation to our advantage. What are you meditating on? How it can work or how it can’t work? That’s the defining difference in developing a Winner’s Mindset.
Winners develop the play. They strategize and execute on the strategy. They look for daily opportunities. They surround themselves with positive people and listen to positive things. You can’t believe the best when there is negativity all around you. Winners are positive people. Winners are focused people. Winners are also committed people.
READ MORE to learn the 3 ways you can commit to developing a winning mindset each day
