Auto Fleet Market Trends Blog

March 16, 2010

Reimbursement has re-emerged as a fleet issue. One reason is that Runzheimer has a rival, which means two competitive sales forces are aggressively selling vehicle reimbursement programs. Also, the recession, corporate downsizing, funding/credit constraints, OEM viability, and economic uncertainty have renewed senior management's desire to re-examine reimbursement.

Tags: reimbursement, Runzheimer

March 9, 2010

In the commercial fleet industry, the most common amortization rate used for establishing a depreciation reserve is 50 months. Recently, some major fleets extended amortization rates on new-vehicle orders.

Tags: Amortization, Depreciation Reserve, PHH Arval, resale

March 2, 2010

Maintenance costs increased in 2009 due to higher cost of replacement tires, PM oil changes, and labor rates. However, the biggest factor was widespread deferment of vehicle replacement, resulting in the operation of older units.

Tags: GE Capital Fleet Services, maintenance costs

February 18, 2010

The new reality of a tighter corporate operating environment has forced fleet managers to pursue two different types of cost-cutting goals - cost deferral and cost elimination. However, many cost-cutting decisions for fleet are made for the short-term, with very little consideration for total cost of ownership. Sometimes senior management is more interested in the fiscal, rather than economic, consequences of their decisions.

Tags: cost-cutting, operating costs, replacement cycle

February 2, 2010

Goldman Sachs was the first to forecast a $100-plus-per-barrel crude oil price when the bank issued a research report last November, which called for a $110-per-barrel average price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude in 2011. Morgan Stanley released a similar report in January and targets $95-per-barrel of WTI futures by December 2010, with an average price of $100 per barrel in 2011.

Tags: crude oil, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, OPIS

January 25, 2010

In 2009, of every $100 spent on fleet, $5 was consumed by taxes. This compares to $4.10 in 2006 and $3 in 1983. The recession has caused sales and property tax revenues to plummet creating widespread shortfalls in government budget funding. States and other governmental jurisdictions are scrambling to find new ways to generate new tax revenues. Again, commercial fleets are in their cross-hairs.

Tags: Budget, property tax, revenue, taxes

January 8, 2010

There continues to be economic uncertainty among fleets manifested by extended cycling, right-sizing initiatives, and intense pressure to control costs. The consensus is the worst is behind us, but 2010 will be a tough road.

Tags: challenges, commercial fleets, fleet industry

January 4, 2010

Barring the occurrence of unforeseen calamities beyond our control, here are my predictions as to how current fleet industry trend lines will play out in the next 12 months.

Tags: 2010 predictions, depreciation, fuel, Maintenance, replacement tires, state of the industry

December 22, 2009

The global economic downturn created havoc in the fleet markets in Europe, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Here's a summary of each of these regional markets and a forecast of what to expect fro 2010 based on a recent meeting in Barcelona with lessor representatives from each of these regions.

Tags: fleet industry, fleet leasing, Global Fleet, overseas

December 1, 2009

Turnover in diesel fleets happens slowly. The average service life for a medium-duty truck is 5-10 years, while a short-haul owner-operator heavy-duty truck typically has the lifespan of 18-20 years. Despite the 2007 and 2010 diesel emission standards, tens of thousands of older, dirtier trucks will remain on the road into the next decade. Is there a way to accelerate the turnover of pre-2007 diesel trucks? One way is a Cash for Clunkers program specifically for work trucks.

Tags: CARS program, Cash for Clunkers, Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program, replacement vehicles, vehicle lifecycle

November 16, 2009

During economic uncertainty, senior management demands expense reductions and limits capital expenditures. Since fleet is usually among the top 10 corporate capital expenditures, there is pressure to defer vehicle replacements. However, this cost-containment strategy misses the point that all fleet-related expenses, both fixed and operating, are influenced by when a vehicle is replaced. Cost reductions in acquisitions are often offset by rising costs elsewhere.

Tags: budget constraints, downsizing, vehicle lifecycle, vehicle replacements

October 30, 2009

A record number of resolutions were filed during the 2009 proxy season by investor groups to get companies to voluntarily disclose data about their "carbon footprints," which includes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused directly and indirectly by their operations. These investors argue companies that disclose and mitigate GHG emissions will be rewarded with higher valuations and a lower cost of capital. At many companies, fleet represents a sizeable percent of their carbon footprint.

Tags: carbon footprint, emission tracking, Green, shareholder

October 23, 2009

With the 2009 model-year behind us and 2010 model-year ordering in progress, how will 2010-MY order-to-delivery times (OTD) fare? Some foresee the 2010 model-year being a challenging one for OTD (not as challenging as 2009-MY, however), but one that could result in longer than normal delivery times.

Tags: forecast, order-to-delivery times, OTD

October 19, 2009

Fuel costs, the largest fleet operating expense, declined dramatically in the 2009 calendar-year due to a sharp decline in worldwide fuel consumption. Also, many fleets downsized, due to widespread corporate layoffs, which lowered overall fuel spend. However, maintenance and repair costs increased in 2009, primarily due to vehicles kept in service for longer periods as a result of corporations slashing capital expenditures. Open the blog for a forecast of 2010 operating cost trends.

Tags: fleet operating costs, fuel, survey

October 13, 2009

The popularity of texting has skyrocketed over the past four years. All agree that texting and driving are incompatible. However, a texting ban could have unintended consequences of interfering with productivity devices business drivers and truckers rely on. There are numerous ramifications to overzealous prohibitions on the use of on-board electronic communications that potentially may be counter-productive to driver safety. Let's target unsafe driving behavior, not on-board productivity tools.

Tags: cell phone policy, driver safety, driving distractions, texting while driving

September 29, 2009

The multitude of factors buffeting order-to-delivery (OTD) times for commercial fleets during the 2009 model-year were breathtaking and historic. To say the 2009 model-year was a difficult year for new-vehicle deliveries would be an extreme understatement.

Tags: 2009-MY, order-to-delivery times, OTD

September 22, 2009

Many companies are wondering whether they are charging enough for personal use. At some companies, this discussion is long overdue. When re-evaluating personal use charges, a common mistake is to focus solely on the cost of fuel. However, doing so ignores the other “hidden” costs of personal use, which have also risen.

Tags: company-provided vehicles, personal use, resale values

September 8, 2009

Let's face it, some companies don't take fleet as seriously as they say they do. For them, fleet is not core to their business. The refrain is: We're in the "widget" business, not the car business. Internal corporate politics introduces many gray areas to fleet management such as making fleet decisions based on favoritism, giving lip service to safety, greenwashing, and pressuring suppliers for favors.

Tags: company vehicle, Fleet Manager, senior management, upper management

August 31, 2009

This is an exciting time for the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) as it gains widespread recognition as a strong voice for the commercial fleet management industry. For the past five years, AFLA has experienced year-over-year growth in membership and conference attendance. As its president, I'm especially proud of AFLA's growing stature and believe its best years are still ahead of it. The upcoming 2009 conference epitomizes the ROI that AFLA offers commercial fleet managers.

Tags: AFLA, AFLA conference

August 11, 2009

In these challenging times, you might think the rewards of being a fleet manager are few and far between. However, this is not so with many fleet managers. There are six common themes to what fleet managers find fulfilling about their jobs.

Tags: career building, Fleet Manager, job perks, job satisfaction

July 31, 2009

Any long-time fleet manager knows change is the norm in the fleet management profession. However, in the past 12 months, fleet managers have had to deal with unprecedented challenges. In the wake of tumultuous events buffeting the auto industry and ongoing market uncertainty, do fleet managers still think their jobs are fun? Here are their confidential responses.

Tags: fleet challenges, Fleet Manager, job dissatisfaction, job performance, job satisfaction, procurement

July 21, 2009

Diverse vehicle selectors offering multiple makes and models are relatively common among European corporate fleets. One of the many reasons is the fragmented fleet market shares of each OEM. In Europe, a large number of nameplates compete for the same commercial fleet business. Could the same future unfold for the U.S. fleet market over the next decade?

Tags: European selector, import vehicles, nameplates, U.S. fleet market, vehicle selectors

July 14, 2009

Six key trends will determine Class 3-7 medium-duty truck lifecycle costs in the 2010 calendar-year. They are diesel prices, acquisition costs, resale, maintenance costs, replacement tire expense, and environmental regulatory requirements. Here is a forecast of what to expect.

Tags: Acquisition, Diesel, Fleet Trends, Medium-Duty Truck, regulations, remarketing, replacement tire costs, Resale Value

July 7, 2009

Drivers must collect as much information as possible when involved in an accident while driving a company-provided vehicle. Failure to do so can lengthen the accident management process and, in a worst case scenario, create unnecessary liability exposure for the company. What information should be collected? What shouldn't be said? Here are 10 do's and don'ts for fleet managers and drivers to follow.

Tags: Accident Reporting, accidents, company drivers, company-provided vehicle, driver instructions, Driver Training

June 29, 2009

The ongoing volatility of gasoline prices has prompted a growing number of fleets to transition to four-cylinder engines. This transition started in the 2008-MY and accelerated with 2009-MY ordering, when gas prices surpassed $4 per gallon in the summer of 2008. Early indications are that the migration to four-cylinder engines will continue with 2010-MY ordering. We have already seen glimpses of this trend in the 2010 RFPs submitted to major OEMs.

Tags: 2009-MY, 2010-MY, fleet ordering, four-cylinder engines, fuel, six-cylinder engines