Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership

Fleet Street Remarketing continues with their engaging ‘Word on the Street’ series. In his latest article for FMW, CEO Steve Bender says, “ As the world moves ahead, Fleet Street firmly believes there are some important things we can all do to embrace this new dawn.”

We debut a new series this week: 'Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership'. Mark LeGrand, the author, is well known in our industry as a top-notch sales professional. Don’t miss Part 1 of How Business Professionals Can Overcome Obstacles that Prevent Them from Realizing Their Goals (and Dreams).

In our mail this morning was a note from AFLA proposing to expand their superb and effective Women in Fleet Management (WIFM) program's mission "to provide this support to all under-represented demographics within our industry." I shared my perspective with AFLA and I'm wholeheartedly behind it.

Janice Sutton
Editor in Chief

Ford Replenishes Chip Supply, Finishes Thousands of F-150 Pickups

Car and Driver

Ford has received a fresh supply of chips, which it will now install into thousands of F-series trucks that were waiting for them. F-series sales had dipped dramatically in June as a result of the supply woes, but this horde of new trucks will likely boost those figures back up.

Ford did not specify how many vehicles would become available thanks to the influx of semiconductors. The company had thousands of F-series pickups fully assembled, except for the chip. These trucks have been parked in lots across Michigan, Kentucky, and Missouri, all states that have an F-series factory.

The effects of the shortage and empty dealer lots was plain to see in the sales results. In June, F-series sales sank 29.9 percent compared to June 2020, even though the United States was in the midst of a pandemic last year. Ford’s overall sales were also down 26.9 percent year over year. Still, one slow month for the F-series is just a blip on the radar—with 362,032 units sold in the first half of the year, F-series sales are down only 1.5 percent overall.

Read the article at Car and Driver.

Biden Orders New ‘Right-to-Repair’ Rules for Consumers

Autoblog

President Joe Biden will direct the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to draft new rules aimed at stopping manufacturers from limiting consumers’ ability to repair products at independent shops or on their own, a person familiar with the plan said.

While the agency will ultimately decide the size and scope of the order, the presidential right-to-repair directive is expected to mention mobile phone manufacturers and Department of Defense contractors as possible areas for regulation. Tech companies including Apple and Microsoft have imposed limits on who can repair broken consumer electronics like game consoles and mobile phones, which consumer advocates say increases repair costs.

The order is also expected to benefit farmers, who face expensive repair costs from tractor manufacturers who use proprietary repair tools, software, and diagnostics to prevent third-parties from working on the equipment, according to the person, who requested anonymity to discuss the action ahead of its official announcement.

Read the article at Autoblog.

Want a Gold-Plated Fleet Safety Program? Try These 25 Components

Editor’s Note: This is a standout in the FMW Library and one of the most-read FMW columns of 2020. Written by the late Mark Boada, his passion for fleet safety is apparent. We miss him dearly.

By Mark Boada, Executive Editor

I’ve been in the fleet industry for more than 15 years, and much of that time my focus has been fleet safety.

While I’m not a fleet safety professional, I’ve had the opportunity to take a very long, broad and close look at practices that reduce fleet collisions, save lives and keep drivers and their employers protected against serious physical and financial damage.

So, below I’m identifying the 25 most powerful components of a fleet safety program to help accomplish those goals. Please note that I’m not listing them in order of their relative effectiveness, nor am I intending to ignore a host of other practices that also contribute to an effective program.