For the first time, Fortune teamed up with Travel + Leisure to survey readers about how they travel for work today. These experienced business travelers, who average nine trips a year both in the U.S. and abroad, shared insights into the best—and worst—parts of life on the road.
They were asked about their priorities and pain points, what they love about business trips, and what drives them to the brink. They were also asked to reveal which apps and websites they’re addicted to and the hotels and airlines that make life away from home easier and more productive.
The result: the inaugural Best in Business Travel survey—take a look at the world and mindset of today’s road warrior.
With the rise of “cashless” turnpikes, where tolls are collected via a device such as EZ-Pass rather than at tollbooths, rental car companies have found two ways to pass those costs on to their customers, both unpopular.
Customers can choose to rent a pass for as much as $20 a day, which they’ll pay whether or not they pass through a toll plaza, or they can pay the fines for going through the lanes without a pass, plus a hefty processing fee tacked on by the rental company.
It might seem like just a minor infraction, nudging the speedometer a few miles an hour over the limit. Or maybe you’ve hit the gas, instead of the brake, when the stoplight was about to turn red.
The reality is that the overwhelming majority of American motorists routinely break the law while driving, about one in five doing so on a daily basis, according to a new survey by CouponCodesPro.com. Two out of three motorists admit they’ve broken the law at one time or another.
READ MORE to get the statistics.
Cerritos College, a two-year institution which boasts one of the finest automotive programs in the United States, is the latest school to include NAFA’s Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) courses in its curriculum. Located in the greater Los Angeles, California area, Cerritos becomes the first West Coast school (and fourth overall) to offer NAFA’s CAFM courses for college credit.
“Cerritos has a great partnership in the area with fleets and auto dealers,” explained Rick Sikes, CAFM, Fleet Management Superintendent for the City of Santa Monica and Chair of NAFA’s Fuels & Technology Advisory Council. “They have state-of-the-art facilities and many programs related to automotive technology and auto dealer management. The school is also centrally located to many areas in the region.”
READ MORE about the program
If you provide goods or services to the fleet market, you'll want to read the latest installment of Ed Pierce’s monthly fleet marketing column, ‘A Call To Action (For Fleet Providers)’. This week, the fleet marketing expert talks about digital marketing, admittedly a subject close to our hearts. You’ll find it in Fleet Marketing.
Fleet managers who either own or lease their fleets can sometimes feel a bit tentative when the subject of fleet vehicle reimbursement arises. Gregg Darish, the engaging, smart and clever founder and executive chairman of Corporate Reimbursement Services, gives us some insight into their business model, which has lately evolved – complete with rebranding and renaming the company. Later this year, the company will be renamed Motus – Latin for motion -- and right in step with their focus on mobile employees. Read our interview with Darish in The Mobile Employee.
We recently ran into NAFA president Claude Masters, CAFM, and in a wide-ranging interview asked for his thoughts on the future fleet manager. Read Masters' remarks in Fleet Management.
Happy Labor Day!
Janice Sutton
Executive Editor