Holiday Travel May Set a New Record
Between Dec. 23 and Jan 1, AAA is predicting that more than 107.3 million holiday travelers will set a new record.
This will be the highest year-end travel volume on record with a 3.1% increase compared with last year making it the ninth consecutive year of rising year-end holiday travel.
“In fact, across the board this year, travel has increased year-over-year for every major holiday weekend – Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving – and we project the same for the year-end holiday period. We’ve seen the strong economy and growing consumer confidence fuel holiday travel all year long,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel and Publishing.
Read more of the original article at The Detroit Bureau.
Finishing Strong
Here are 3 great questions to ask yourself as you prepare to finish strong.
You’re Not in Traffic, You Are Traffic
When the express lanes on Interstate 66 near DC opened up to solo travelers, the tolling price (known as congestion pricing, based on demand and distance being traveled) hit $40 for those drivers.
Forty bucks is a lot for a toll, but it just might be the fair price for the right to drive by yourself down a majorly busy highway. Congestion charges make drivers pay for their role in creating traffic and spewing greenhouse gases.
Blessings for the Holidays
Ted Roberts and I so often count our many blessings. We truly love what we do at Fleet Management Weekly and we warmly thank our insightful columnists, advertising supporters, and our readers who make our publication possible.
I do want to give a special nod of appreciation to our newest editorial team member, Mark Boada. We are pushovers for excellent writing and over this past year he has delighted us with an impressive body of work.
And to our fabulous associate editor, Connie Shedron, who keeps us all on track. We couldn’t imagine doing this without you!
Our Fleet Management Weekly team wishes you all the happiest of holidays and a sensational New Year!
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
Diesel is Not the Future, It’s the Past
Matthias Müller, the chief executive of Volkswagen, suggested that the German government should look at the subsidies that encourage Europeans to buy diesel cars, and begin phasing them out.
Until last year, more than half of all cars sold in Europe were diesels, which were marketed as being not only economical but also environmentally friendly until the widespread cheating on emissions tests drew attention to the health hazards of diesel exhaust.
"If diesel were taxed at the same rate as gasoline, Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen said, the German government would collect 8 billion euros, or $9.4 billion, more in revenue."
Read more of the original article at The New York Times.
