Study: Drivers Who Experience Shift Work Sleep Disorder are 3x More Likely to be Involved in a Vehicle Crash
Each year, the NTSB issues a “most wanted list” of safety improvements, and their 2019-2020 list includes “screening and treating obstructive sleep apnea” among the top 10 topic areas.
People who work nontraditional work hours, such as 11 p.m.-7 a.m., or the “graveyard” shift, are more likely than traditional daytime workers to develop a chronic medical condition - shift work sleep disorder - that disrupts their sleep.
According to researchers at the University of Missouri, people who develop this condition are also three times more likely to be involved in a vehicle accident. Shift work sleep disorder increased the risk of a traffic crash by nearly 300%, as compared to both sleep apnea and insomnia, which both increased the risk of a crash by approximately 30%.
Read the article at Missouri University.
Merchants Fleet Names John Korte Director, Last Mile and Mobility Sales
Press Release
Merchants Fleet has hired John Korte as Director of Last Mile and Mobility Sales to oversee the company’s last mile business segment which has seen 3x growth year-over-year, with nearly 3 million packages delivered in a Merchants vehicle daily throughout North America.
“John is a tenured Mobility expert with a superior track record in business development and client relations" said John Cail, Senior Vice President of Mobility. “John’s extensive history in the industry makes him a valuable addition to the Merchants team, as we continue to innovate with industry-first solutions that give our Mobility clients the ability to flex and transform their fleets as they need to.”
Biggest Driver of Price Increases, Inflation Worries: Used Cars
The cost of used sedans, pickups and SUVs soared 10% in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fastest climb ever in data that go back to 1953. It accounted for more than a third of the 0.8% increase in the consumer price index, which was four times the level economists estimated.
With fewer new cars being made amid a shortage in critical semiconductors, both retail consumers and rental car companies have gone to the used-vehicle market to get the wheels they need. Wholesale prices have soared as a result, up 54% in April from a year earlier at Manheim.
Most analysts say the increase in car prices, like the spike in inflation as a whole, will likely be transitory as production ramps up and demand subsides. Auto sales had soared amid a pandemic-era boom in road trips and hesitancy to take public transportation, trends that look likely to fade over coming months.
Read the article at Autoblog.
Wheels Wins Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards in the 2021 American Business Awards
Wheels, Inc. won silver and bronze Stevie® Awards in the 19th Annual American Business Awards®.
Wheels’ EcoWheels program was awarded the silver Stevie in the Achievement in Product Innovation category. The program provides strategic consulting services and tools to help fleets achieve their green fleet program goals. The fleet management company was also awarded the bronze Stevie in the Most Exemplary Employer category. Wheels was recognized in this category due to their extra commitment to keeping their staff employed and safe during the pandemic.
“We are pleased to be honored and recognized for our commitment to helping our planet and the Wheels’ community,” said Laura Jozwiak, senior vice president of sales and client relations and executive chair of the Environmental Social Governance (ESG) program at Wheels.
Highlights from Cambridge Mobile Telematics’ Fleet Road Safety Panel Discussion
By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor
Cambridge Mobile Telematics recently gathered a panel of experts for its webinar, “The Road to Safety for Your Fleet Drivers: Why Behavior Change is Key to Eliminating Distracted Driving.”
The panel included Judy Columbus, senior fleet analyst for GlaxoSmithKline; Brian Kinniry, Product Development Director for CEI; Emily Stein, president of the Safe Roads Alliance; Joel Feldman, president of EndDD.org. CMT director of marketing Ian Murphy served as host.
In this, the first part of a two-part series, the panel covers topics such as educating drivers about the dangers of distracted driving when the drivers are receiving pressure from their management to stay connected.
