Safety, Travel & Leadership
We are thrilled to see the amazing advancements in fleet safety, both from the standpoint of the vehicle and the willingness to focus on proper driver training. We give a bow to a few of many influencers of this: NHTSA, IIHS, NETS, NAFA, AFLA, fleet service providers -- and fleet managers who insist on the best for their drivers. Having our drivers return home safely every night is our shared goal.
We do a fair amount of business travel and like all corporations look for ways to reduce expenses. To that end, Runzheimer has just released an excellent White Paper: Adapting to a Shifting Business Travel Landscape. If travel expenses are on your radar, the White Paper is a compelling read.
Finally, we are a pushover for Women in Fleet Management (WiFM) – check out Erin Gilchrist’s video and register for a WiFM webinar with LeasePlan’s CEO Mike Pitcher. He has written a very engaging book: The Seven eLements of Leadership. He thinks we should be having fun at work -- I agree!
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
NAFA Receives Clean Air Champion Award from East Bay and Sacramento Clean Cities Coalitions
strong>NAFA Fleet Management Association (NAFA) was honored as East Bay and Sacramento Clean Cities Coalitions' "Clean Air Champion" for 2016 during the Northern California Clean Technology Forum & Equipment Expo on Wednesday, October 19.
The Clean Cities organization cited NAFA for “superlative efforts defending clear air vehicles and the transportation industry from potentially harmful legislation, and for the creation of the Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program.”
The award was accepted by NAFA Past President Claude A. Masters, CAFM®, who presented NAFA's Sustainable Fleet Training Day during the event. After the day's presentations Masters said, "The Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program, the education and training NAFA provides to assist fleets in becoming sustainable, and NAFA's ongoing communication with lawmakers all reinforce our association's commitment."
ARI Honored with the First Ever Strategic Growth Award by Evoqua Water Technologies
ARI was awarded the first ever Strategic Growth Award from Evoqua Water Technologies as their top 2016 Indirect Supplier Partner at their second annual Strategic Supplier Summit.
The award recognizes those business partners that work to align themselves with Evoqua’s strategic growth goals and who dedicate themselves to delivering on promised results.
“This is a tremendous honor for us and we would like to thank Evoqua for this important recognition,” said ARI Senior Vice President for Global Service Excellence Denise Wildish. “Understanding a customer’s needs – both at a strategic level and on a practical, day-to-day level – and developing solutions tailored to fit those needs is really a part of our DNA at ARI. When we say that we aren’t satisfied simply with happy customers, but rather we strive for raving fans, we mean it and we hope to continue to make raving fans of the Evoqua team.” At the awards dinner, Evoqua commended ARI for setting the standard as a strategic supplier and for committing the resources and expertise needed to develop and deliver innovative solutions focused on Evoqua’s strategic growth goals.
Most Pickup Trucks Have Poor Headlights, IIHS Tests Show
Drivers of late-model pickup trucks are likely to find themselves squinting into the darkness or temporarily blinding other drivers, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's latest headlight ratings show.
All four small pickups evaluated are available only with headlights that earn a poor rating. The same goes for 3 out of 7 large pickups.
Only one large pickup, the Honda Ridgeline, is available with good-rated headlights, though all but the most expensive trim levels come with poor ones.
Pickups are the third vehicle category to be put through the IIHS headlight evaluations. Midsize cars were the first in March, followed by small SUVs in July.
Distracted Driving Gets Much Blame for Rise in Traffic Deaths, But is That Accurate?
Everyone sees distracted drivers on the road these days, and almost everyone suspects that texting and driving is contributing to an alarming rise in traffic fatalities.
But is it? Some researchers, including an insurance institute whose crash-testing has been regarded as more stringent than the federal government’s, say appearances may be deceiving: it’s still too soon to say whether smartphones have made our highways less safe.
Yet, the perception that smartphones have created more distracted drivers and crashes has become widespread, and not just in the United States.
