Shetland Islands Council Fleet Recognized at National Awards Ceremony
Shetland Islands Council’s (SIC) road management team were recognized for stepping up a gear at a national awards ceremony last week.
SIC picked up the award for their high level of training and qualifications among staff, the quick turnaround of vehicle servicing, and the excellent record of fleet vehicles passing Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency tests.
The fleet management team maintain and service over 380 vehicles operated by the Council. Fleet team leader Raymond Murchison collected the award on behalf of the council and his team at the Village Hotel in Blackpool.
GM Still Planning to End Gas-Powered Vehicle Sales by 2035
General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the Detroit automaker still plans on moving to all electric vehicle sales by 2035 even as it has recently delayed some EV production.
"Our plan is to only be selling EVs, light-duty EVs at that time but of course we're going to be responsive to where the customer is at but we have a plan to do that," Barra told reporters after an appearance at the Washington Economic Club.
GM in October said it was abandoning a goal of building 400,000 EVs from 2022 through mid-2024 as it delays production of electric pickup trucks at its plant in Michigan's Orion Township by a year.
NHTSA Takes First Step to Mandate Anti-Drunk Driving Technology
U.S. auto safety regulators said they have begun the process that will eventually force carmakers to adopt new technology to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting vehicles.
In 2021, Congress directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate a passive technology to try to avert more than 10,000 road deaths annually. The law requires a new technology safety standard by November 2024 if the technology is ready.
"We are trying to see can we get it done, does the technology exist in a way that is going to work every time," Acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson said, adding that public acceptance of the technology would depend on its accuracy.
CarMax Introduces its First All-Electric Semi-Truck into Logistics Fleet
CarMax, the nation's largest retailer of used cars, announces the pilot of its first all-electric semi-truck that is being used as a vehicle hauler in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
CarMax is testing the electric vehicle hauler in real-world conditions and its Stockton, California store will serve as the region's hub for fast-charging the vehicle with a Level 3 charging station.
“We are excited to test the efficiencies of the all-electric semi-truck within our transportation fleet and to see how this vehicle can support our overall sustainability efforts,” said Matt Aman, vice president of Logistics at CarMax.
2023 in Retrospect: A Look into Predicted Trends and Outcomes
By Rachael Plant, Content Marketing Specialist, Fleetio
Every year end, industry experts make predictions for the coming years’ trends.
But just how accurate are these predictions?
Predicted trends are largely based on markets related to the industry. Any trend heavily influenced by economic and policy pressure is less likely to be accurate.
General industry trends can be quite useful as an overview of what to expect broadly, but knowing how to identify 'flexible' versus 'steady' trends and by what conditions they are impacted, you can more accurately predict future trends.
In 2023, there were four main fleet industry trends — three flexible and one steady — that showed up on lists across multiple sources: supply chain issues, autonomous vehicle (AV) use, electric vehicle (EV) adoption and increased data accessibility and use.
