Fleet Management: Safe Enough Isn’t Good Enough
According to conventional wisdom, pulling a driver’s motor vehicle record (MVR) once a year is enough to identify risky drivers. In fact, it gives risky drivers a long grace period before discovery and unnecessarily raises the fleet’s risk profile and potential for a costly liability claim.
By Adam Danielson, Director of Sales
Among the most common objections to implementing a continuous motor vehicle record (MVR) program is that a once-a-year MVR pull is “good enough” to identify risky drivers.
This objection, which reflects conventional wisdom about MVRs, is true enough for most drivers. In fact, the vast majority of drivers will not have a violation necessitating the pulling of an MVR and intervention by fleet personnel or management.
However, even the best driver can engage in risky behavior resulting in a violation — raising the fleet’s risk profile, the potential for a serious crash, and a liability lawsuit.
Once-a-year MVR pulls are a gift to risky drivers, giving them a grace period of almost a year before a violation is discovered — putting the company at risk for a liability lawsuit if this behavior escalates into a serious injury or fatality accident.
New Toyota Tech Unit Promises World’s Safest Drive
Toyota Motor Corp unveiled its Woven Planet research unit at a virtual media event on Friday, promising to deliver the world’s “safest mobility” as competition heats up to develop self-driving and connected cars.
As traditional automakers face competition from the likes of Apple, Amazon and Sony, Toyota is looking to marry Woven Planet’s Silicon Valley approach with its storied Toyota Production System manufacturing process to develop the next generation of cars.
Led by ex-Google roboticist James Kuffner, Woven Planet also says it has the advantage of scale in collecting data - key to developing artificial intelligence-aided software - through the tens of millions of Toyota cars on the road worldwide. Toyota retook the crown as world’s best-selling automaker in 2020, unseating Volkswagen AG.
Read the article at Reuters.
Arval Launches ‘Industry First’ Mobility Services in Europe
Arval further reinforces its ambition to become the leader in sustainable mobility with the launch of a set of new mobility services, which together represent an industry first.
This new offering is part of the strategic plan Arval Beyond recently launched with one main ambition: to become a leading player in sustainable mobility through the rollout of its 360° Mobility offer. The Arval Mobility App is available in France and Germany, after having been successfully launched in the Netherlands. The Arval Mobility Hub is also launching in France. The services are then set to roll out progressively in the rest of Europe.
Alain van Groenendael, Arval Chairman & CEO, said, "Companies know that their future in terms of employees’ mobility lies in being able to offer to all of them – and not only to those eligible for company cars – a set of mobility options for their professional and also their personal use. At Arval, one of our missions is to make this future a reality."
Fleet Remarketing Pioneer Hangs Up Spurs After Four Decades
Ron Breslow Joined FLD Remarketing As Kid, Retires As Partner
If careers were hat racks, Ron Breslow would likely appear to be the biggest haberdasher in town because he wore just about every hat that existed in the remarketing world!
Office guy, driver, lot manager, auction lead, vice president, partner -- pretty much whatever the main cog in a company wheel needs to do. To hear Breslow say it, it's possible that over the years, he'd be out waxing cars when he wasn't making major business decisions.
In a tenure that lasted over 40 years, the just recently retired partner of Delray Beach-based fleet services company FLD Remarketing handled just about every position the company ever had and some that may not have even existed!
"Hell, if someone needed me to sweep the parking lot," I probably did that too," mused Breslow, now retired and comfortably ensconced in his Florida home, not far from the office where he helped pioneer the modern vehicle remarketing industry.
Ebbon Group Moves Into Automotive AI with Zegami Partnership
Ebbon Group
Automotive technology solutions provider Ebbon Group has moved into Artificial Intelligence (AI) via a new strategic partnership with Oxford University spin-off Zegami Ltd and the creation of a new business entity, Ebbon Intelligence.
The first practical application of the new relationship, which will see technical experts and developers from both parties working together, is likely to be in the field of smart repair and damage identification. This will allow the pinpoint accurate assessment of the depth and detail of the damage to vehicles during lease or rental periods.
