Despite a Hurricane and Record Holiday Travel, Gas Prices Barely Budge
The national average for a gallon of gas rose three cents to $3.54 from last week. The slight nudge higher came despite Hurricane Beryl smacking into the coast of Texas, a record number of July 4th car travelers, and oil costs hovering above $80 per barrel.
“The damage from Beryl caused limited damage to Gulf Coast energy facilities,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “And while a record 60 million travelers were forecast to hit the highways for the July 4th holiday, the overall demand number for gasoline dropped. That is a rare feat for a holiday week and may point to a change in demand trends.”
Trucking News: Industry Groups Updating ADAS Adoption Information
Under the leadership of the American Transportation Research Institute and American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, ATA and the OOIDA Foundation have reconstituted their previous partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to update and enhance critical information needed by industry stakeholders to stimulate adoption and deployment of ADAS.
Specific targets include fleet executives and fleet managers. Early investment in ADAS will reduce crashes/injuries and operator liability, increase driver productivity, reduce driver turnover and improve driver satisfaction without negatively impacting the profitability of fleet operations.
NHTSA Takes Important Step Toward Improving Occupant Protection, Seeks Comment on Updating Seatback Safety Standards
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took an important step toward identifying opportunities to improve the safety of people inside vehicles by issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update seatback safety standards. The ANPRM fulfills a requirement in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports the Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy.
“This action today is a significant step toward improving and better understanding occupant safety, especially in rear-end vehicle crashes,” Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “NHTSA welcomes and encourages all public comments, which will help inform a potential rulemaking to update seatback safety standards.”
Charleston County, South Carolina Partners with Geotab to Optimize Fleet Operations
Geotab, a global leader in connected vehicle and asset management solutions, announced a partnership with Charleston County, South Carolina. This collaboration aims to leverage telematics data to help the county transform traffic management, optimize fuel tax rebates, and enhance safety and emergency response times, setting a new standard for public sector fleet management.
"Telematics data enhances fleet management. By monitoring and analyzing real-time data from fleet vehicles, our technology can help Charleston County implement data-driven strategies that benefit fleet operations and the broader community," said Neil Garrett, AVP Public Sector at Geotab.
Managing the Tough Parts of Fleet
We are two months away from opening day of the 2024 AFLA Corporate Fleet Conference in San Antonio, Texas. With a mix of up-to-the-minute educational sessions and superb networking, this is one of the most consequential conferences of the year for fleet management professionals.
In Fleet Pro Focus this week, we feature Ernie Garcia, Director of Fleet and Business Systems at Gothic Landscape. Coincidentally, we met Ernie at last year’s AFLA conference where he served on one of the featured panels.
We are fascinated by ABM Industries, the largest commercial installer of electric vehicle supply equipment. Don’t miss ABM Tackles the Toughest Parts of EV Fleet Integration.
Finally, we were delighted to interview Trent Broberg, CEO of ACERTUS to get his thoughts on the current state of the fleet transportation business and how his company is poised to help fleets.
Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief
