By Ted Roberts
Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to attend my first Fleet Forward Conference in Santa Clara, CA.
Excellent conferences include a balanced mix of educational and networking opportunities, and this one did not disappoint. Fleet Forward offered a convergence of established fleet managers and fleet vendors with newcomers who are entering the fleet space. Established just five years ago, Fleet Forward continues to grow, welcoming over six hundred attendees this year.
Electrification, of course, was a key topic at the conference — but it shared the stage with connected vehicles, preventive maintenance, ESG, fleet data, and other timely topics. This was also the first year that Fleet Forward was combined with the Fleet Safety Conference, and we were inspired to work harder to improve the dire and dangerous situations on this nation’s roadways.
One of the elements that was both a lot of fun and a great learning experience was the Ride and Drive, which featured twenty-six vehicles this year. Prior to the Ride and Drive, all vehicles were on display. Fleet management professionals enjoyed the opportunity to thoroughly check out (and potentially drive) a bunch of EVs all in one place.
“We have seen an explosion in so many parts of the fleet market compared with six or seven years ago,” says Chris Brown, Executive Editor with the Fleet Group at Bobit Media (and founder of this conference), “We’re seeing independent OEMs bursting onto the scene with commercial electric vehicles. The market is sifting itself out, but if you’re an end-user fleet wanting to know whether you partner with promising newcomers, it’s an exciting time (and a bit of an angsty time, too).”
Fleet Forward does a great job of exploring what the next steps are for fleets, and of asking “What is really new for fleets?” The 2023 conference is on tap for next November 8-10 in Santa Clara, CA, and I hope to see you there.
About the Author
Ted Roberts is president and chief content officer at Fleet Management Weekly
