Down the Road

March 5, 2010

Advancing sophistication in connective technology has made the in-vehicle mobile office more prevalent, productive, and efficient. However, security and safety are two concerns for company fleets that include employees working on the road.

Tags: AMEC, distracted driving, Exxon Mobil, Matt Richtel, mobile office

February 26, 2010

As city streets grow more congested, crashes on those roadways are rising. The increasing menace of distracted drivers heightens the risk of accidents involving company drivers on urban sales, delivery, and service routes. And the cost to employers climbs above $20,000 per crash.

Tags: distracted driving, IIHS, National Safety Council, NHTSA, traffic accident costs, traffic crashes, urban crashes

February 12, 2010

The recent spate of vehicle recalls has cast a spotlight on the electronics systems controlling nearly all aspects of vehicle operations, communications, and safety. However, according to statistics, say engineers, the greatest threat to safety is not an electronic glitch, but driver error or distraction.

Tags: electronc control units, IDC Manufacturing Insights, IEEE Spectrum, Safe Transportation Research and Education Center, Society of Automotive Engineers International, vehicle electronics, vehicle recalls

February 5, 2010

Fleet managers will find encouragement -- and support for green fleet initiatives -- in a recently released report on the "State of Green" in 2010 from GreenBiz.com.

Tags: ARI, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Donlen, Enterprise Fleet Management, Frito-Lay, fuel reductions, GE Capital Fleet Services, GHG emissions, green fleets, GreenBiz.com, Jason Mathers, LeasePlan, Mike Antich, PHH Arval, right-sizing, sustainability

January 29, 2010

A new targeted Web site connects fleet industry job seekers with companies seeking qualified candidates for fleet management and related job openings. The resource is offered by the experts at Automotive Fleet, who have spent nearly the last 50 years providing critical services to the fleet industry.

Tags: employment, fleet job candidates, Fleet Job Finder, fleet jobs, FleetJobFinder.com

January 21, 2010

New resources on the deadly menace of disracted driving, particularly texting and cell phone use, are available to help fleet managers make the case for driver safety education, training, and policies. Even Oprah contributes to the cause.

Tags: distracted driving, NETS, Oprah, U.S. Department of Transportation

January 15, 2010

The automotive industry's great annual car and truck showcase -- the North American International Auto Show -- brought federal legislators together in a rare show of unity to cheerlead an industry they consider vital to the nation's economic future.

Tags: auto industry recovery, Cobo Center, Congress, Hilda Solis, John Dingell, NAIAS, Nancy Pelosi, North American International Auto Show, Obama Administration, Ray LaHood , Steny Hoyer

January 8, 2010

Jeff Bezos, founder of the global marketing giant, describes one of his company's foundational business tenets as starting with the customer and working backward. Such a customer-focused approach can enhance fleet management's value and importance in the corporate organization.

Tags: Amazon, customer service, fleet management, Jeff Bezos, management skills, Newsweek

December 31, 2009

One fleet manager takes a cogent look at the past year's turbulence, but finds glimmers of positives in the future.

Tags: 2010, Chuck Kukal, fleet management, Infinity Insurance, Mike Antich

December 22, 2009

The spirit of the season is shared across language, borders, and cultures.

Tags: happy holidays

December 18, 2009

How about some appreciation and recognition? Or the kind of skills training and person development that's the hallmark of top global companies for leaders, which, not coincidentally, are among the most successful companies in the world, according to a recent Fortune magazine study.

Tags: China Mobile, employee development, fleet management, Fortune magazine, General Electric, General Mills, Hindustan Unilever, IBM, ICICI Bank, leadership training, McDonald's, McKinsey, Proctor & Gamble, Titan Cement

December 11, 2009

A Ford engineer who helped develop the first flathead V-8 engine designed for mass production used his understanding of human nature to convince his famously stubborn boss to make a critical design change. His methods of persuasion illustrate critical lessons in working with your own management.

Tags: Don Sullivan, Henry Ford, John Keenan , management skills, Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership

December 4, 2009

A Scarlet Letter instruction list to spot incompetent managers is turned into a Gold Star roll of outstanding manager characteristics. At a time when the adage, '"Make yourself more valuable every day" is particularly sound advice, how many Gold Stars do you have?

Tags: effective management, fleet management, management skills

November 25, 2009

Accurate data is critical to the analysis, trending research, and other fleet coverage we endeavor to supply the industry in the pages and online material at Automotive Fleet. We rely on the front-line input from fleet managers for that accuracy. And there's value to the fleet manager for contributing.

November 20, 2009

Meeting face-to-face with senior management is critical to promoting recognition of fleet's intrinsic value to the corporate body and the importance of professional fleet management. Here are some tips to help make the most of presentations to executives.

Tags: presentation skills, senior fleet management

November 13, 2009

Environment and energy attorney Kipp Coddington assesses current and potential status of state and federal legislation and its implications for the fleet industry.

Tags: 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act, carbon credits, Environment legislation, GHG emissions, Green, Green Fleet Conference, Kipp Coddington, PHH Arval, regulations, renewable fuels, UPS, Waxman-Markey

November 6, 2009

Eco-conscious initiatives make good sense for the planet and for business, Chicago's Mayor Daley told Green Fleet Conference attendees last month. One U.S. company's Corporate Citizenship Report reveals a commitment to the notion that greening operations can also green the bottom line.

Tags: Al Gore, Chevrolet Malibu, environmental sustainability, Ford Escape, Ford Fusion, Green, Green Fleet Conference, green initiatives, Jeep Patriot, McKesson, Newsweek

October 22, 2009

Like John F. Kennedy's call to land on the moon within an seemingly outlandish timeframe, visionary goals can inspire, motivate, and focus individual and corporate efforts to achieve the audacious. And so it is with Frito-Lay and its parent company, PepsiCo, as these corporate bodies journey to sustainability.

Tags: Alt-Fuels, David Haft, Frito-Lay, Green, Green Fleet Conference, PepsiCo, sustainability

October 16, 2009

Fortune Magazine recently hailed a relatively small player in the automotive industry as "The Best New Idea in Business." Some believe the company is a harbinger of revolutionary change in transportation.

Tags: alternative transportation, Bill Ford, car sharing, Ford, Fortune magazine, Zipcar

October 9, 2009

The iconic Route 66 finds its endpoint in the beach sands of Santa Monica, Calif., where last week, folks were taking an up-close look at greener versions of the cars that transported previous generations along that highway across America's heartland to the blue sea of the Pacific Ocean.

Tags: advanced vehicle technologies, AltCar Expo, Alt-Fuels, Clean Cities allliance, Department of Energy, Ford, GM, Green, Honda, Nissan, Rick Sikes, Route 66, Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, Calif., Toyota

October 2, 2009

Dylan's descriptive protest in a long-ago decade of turmoil seems to resound in today's uncertain times. A presentation at the recent AFLA conference examined how to approach change to create success.

Tags: AFLA, Changing Times, Dylan, Market Trends, Mike Antich, Nate Booth

September 25, 2009

Awards and honors recognizing individuals by industry peers are more esteemed than popularity or beauty contests. In promoting industry excellence, Automotive Fleet invites fleet professionals to recognize not only individuals, but also the products that allow them to do their jobs at the highest possible levels.

Tags: Automotive Fleet, Fleet Car of the Year, Fleet Truck of the Year, Mike Antich

September 18, 2009

The news is full of the menace of driving safety hazards. For corporate fleets, preventive action to avoid the expensive consequences of company driver-involved vehicle crashes has never made more business sense at the bottom line. An upcoming free Webinar series will serve as a resource in planning those proactive accident prevention programs.

Tags: distraction, Fleet Safety Webinar, safety, Safety Supplement, texting while driving

September 4, 2009

Instituted by labor unions to salute American workers, the Labor Day holiday now is more a salute to the end of summer. In this desultory year of job loss, the folks at Kelley Blue Book offer a lighter moment.

Tags: Chevrolet Impala, Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, KBB.com, Kelley Blue Book, Labor Day, Lexus RX 350