You Can Combat Distracted Driving Right Now
There are ways to combat the distracted driving epidemic that are available to fleet managers right now -- including cell phone blocking technology that pairs vehicles and phones together.
Fleeting Opportunities!
Get smart(er): NAFA’s new, just published Fleet Information Management Guide gives you a thorough review of the fundamentals of fleet information management (including fleet information management systems, FIMS) and reviews fleet system selection and technology options to consider.
Be mindful: AFLA reservation deadline: If you haven’t booked your hotel room for the AFLA Conference, you’ll want to do that before the reservation deadline on Friday, August 15th. AFLA has negotiated a special rate for attendees of $175/night and the block is filling up quickly so book your room today!
Check out: Fleet product and service providers: Are you seeking to expand your sales efforts to the fleet market? Fleet Management Weekly would like to understand your objectives and talk with you about how we can partner with you to multiply your marketing message. Connect with Ted Roberts, VP and Chief Content Officer, to talk strategy.
Janice Sutton
Executive Editor
Americans Can’t Agree How to Pay to Fix Nation’s Deteriorating Highways
Whether in traffic-congested California, or in Snowbelt states like Michigan, the nation's roadways are in rough shape. But the need to fix America's roadways is about the only thing taxpayers can agree on. How to pay for those repairs is an issue dividing the country, according to a new Associated Press-GfKpoll.
A solid majority, six out of 10 of those surveyed, said that the need for good highways, railroads and airports justifies their cost. And the figure goes even higher, to 62%, among those who drive regularly. Even among those who get behind the wheel less than once a week, the figure is a solid 55%. READ MORE about the survey, and what Americans do - and don't - agree upon.
Hackers Tell Car Makers: Secure Your Vulnerable Vehicles Now
After a week of scares about car hacking at the Black Hat conference, a group of altruistic coders and members of the security research community have come together to demand digitally safer automobiles.
They listed five requirements for manufacturers in a two-page open letter released today at the Def Con conference taking place in Las Vegas this weekend. These include mandatory testing of the digital tools within cars, a responsible disclosure program so researchers can safely divulge vulnerabilities in vehicle software and a black box in every model to record events. READ MORE about the secure updates of that software are also necessary, according to the signatories.
Delivery Giants Are Finally Shrinking Their Carbon Footprints
Shipping millions of packages around the world on airplanes and trucks is a carbon-intensive business that delivery giants such as FedEx and United Parcel Service have struggled to control. In the past, they've fallen far short of goals to use more hybrid-electric alternatives (even as FedEx promoted its environmental efforts), as Bloomberg News reported in December.
Now, the shipping industry appears to be making some subtle progress. In recent months, three of the biggest delivery companies—FedEx, UPS, and DHL have released environmental data that show their overall emissions of global warming gases are declining slightly. This is particularly notable at FedEx and UPS, where a slight dip in emissions has come amid overall business growth.
