Look Back — Look Ahead — Fleet Industry in for Much of the Same in 2022
By Bill Bishop, FLD Remarketing
Nearly 30 years ago, the comedian Bill Murray starred in a movie that would become part of the national lexicon. “Groundhog Day,” was the story of a cynical weatherman who kept living the same day over and over until he sees a way of using it to his advantage.
And while our industry might not be reliving the exact same day over and over, a look back at 2021 – and a look ahead to 2022 – gives me one over-riding thought: That fleet, especially from a remarketing perspective, can expect to face many of the same challenges it has the past two years. And that unless something unforeseen happens to change that trajectory, 2022 is shaping up to be quite similar to 2021.
Like most, I had high hopes that 2021 would be markedly different from 2020. And with a new vaccine on the horizon, and nearly a full year of restrictions behind us – why not?
3G Networks Will Disappear This Year — And That’s Bad News for Your Car. Here’s Why
January 16, 2022 - Every major mobile carrier plans to shut down its 3G network this year, largely to free up mobile bandwidth for upcoming 5G network rollouts. The 3G shutdown will affect dozens of vehicle models released anytime between 2010 and 2021.
Some cars will lose the ability to update your location and traffic data while navigating. Others will become unable to connect with your smartphone, voice assistants or emergency call services.
Some major auto companies, but not all, have released information on which of their car models will be affected by the shutdown - and what steps owners can take, if any, to ensure that their cars don’t lose certain connected features once the shutdown occurs. You might need to act before AT&T’s 3G shutdown date in February.
Five Aspects of Fleet Management Systems to Consider in 2022
January 14, 2022 - Fleet Management is the umbrella term that refers to all processes involved in the smooth functioning of a fleet of commercial vehicles. The operations involved are monitoring fleet activities, asset management, route planning, and driving data insights.
One of the most important aspects of a fleet management system is GPS tracking that helps access the real-time location and movement of all the fleet assets – driver, vehicles, equipment, and more. A professional telematics solution can improve accuracy. This data helps businesses to calculate an estimated time of arrival. Fleet managers/owners can get sensors that detect fuel levels, open doors, and more to improve savings.
Next comes the aspect of driver management that includes monitoring and measuring essential driving parameters like acceleration, harsh braking, speeding, and over idling. This data helps improve driver efficiency and productivity, decrease chances of accidents, lower fuel consumption and improve vehicle performance. Maintenance costs and downtimes also tend to reduce. In the driver management module, health and safety are a priority.
DMV May Ask Tesla to Share Full Self-Driving Data After All
January 12, 2022 - Tesla asked the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for an exemption from having to provide reports of its autonomous drives carried out by vehicles running Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta. The manufacturer argued that since a driver is always needed at the wheel, it therefore technically wasn’t autonomous driving, and the agency agreed.
The argument seemed to hold at first, although Tesla’s communications with the DMV weren’t all that clear, now the DMV is reconsidering granting this exemption. The state agency says this was prompted after it came across ‘videos showing dangerous use’ of FSD Beta.
Sen. Lena Gonzales, chair of the California Senate's transportation committee personally asked the DMV in December to clarify why the agency had accepted the exception, in spite of the fact that there were numerous videos that showed Teslas on FSD performing potentially dangerous maneuvers in traffic. She specifically asked for FSD Beta safety data, which the DMV was not able to provide since it had received hardly any.
Nuro Reveals Production-Ready Delivery Robot
January 13, 2022 - This week Nuro took the wraps off its third-generation autonomous delivery vehicle, following up on the smaller R2 units that have been deployed since 2020. The latest model, according to Nuro, represents an improvement over previous designs, and is ready to enter mass production.
The electric delivery robot new features dual 27-cubic-foot compartments that can carry almost 500 pounds, or about 24 grocery bags. The two cargo bays can also feature modular inserts for heating and cooling, as most of the robots will be aimed at food delivery tasks. The new robot will have a top speed of 45 mph and will be able to operate on city streets, if not highways.
One new addition when it comes to safety is an external passenger airbag, designed to deploy in front of the vehicle to soften any potential impact with pedestrians or cyclists.
