Where Analysts Think Oil Prices Are Headed This Year

It’s getting trickier to predict the price per barrel of oil and its direct correlation to gasoline and diesel prices – much more so than in the 1970s when OPEC could instantly throw a wrench in the gears.

As for this year, three leading energy agencies have reported that production outside of OPEC should be increasing this year – with much of that coming from US shale fields.

Black Book’s Ricky Beggs expects the pattern to be similar to the past two years for gas prices and its effect on small cars, hybrids, and electric vehicles.

New and used truck sales should continue to be strong this year, but they are affected by federal fuel economy standards. Automakers are rolling out more fuel efficient trucks such as the new Ford F150 with a lot more lightweight aluminum.

Find out more about what these trends could mean for new and used vehicle prices this year.

 

Joe LaRosa: Keys to Managing the Global Fleet

Joe LaRosa directs a fleet of some 28,000 vehicles spread across 106 countries for Merck. A long-time member of NAFA, he serves the organization as its International Vice President and in Tucson last fall, was a speaker at NAFA's 3rd Annual International Fleet Academy. He tells us about his career and his own strategies for managing this huge global fleet spread across many time zones.

 

Letter from the Editor – Shine That Light on You!

The beginning of a new year often brings us face to face with improvements we want to make in our career. We are fortunate in the fleet community to be able to turn to organizations such as NAFA to help us hone our skills, including giving us some coaching on how to present our value […]

 

6 Ways to Save on Fuel with Medium-Duty Truck Specs

There are several ways your fleet can save money on fuel when spec’ing medium-duty trucks. And achieving fuel economy gains could be as simple as taking the time to refresh a truck’s spec. Dan Shepherd, truck spec analyst for ARI, points out that torque rating is an important factor when choosing a medium-duty truck. Shepherd […]