New Fleets

By Cindy Brauer & Grace Lauron

A front-line participant for four decades, Helene Kamon, VP of sales for AmeriFleet, shares observations of past and future changes in the fleet industry, as well as women’s experiences in the field.

Tags: Fleet Manager, Women

By Mike Antich

More than 400 commercial fleet managers throughout the U.S. and Canada responded to NAFA’s 2009 Economic Survey. Results show that despite the economic downturn, fleets are making the best out of the worst situations.

Tags: Acquisition, Economic, NAFA, survey

By Cindy Brauer

Once a tedious manual process involving faxes, telephone calls, and e-mails, moving Siemens fleet vehicles around the country to new assignments is now almost entirely automated, thanks to a Web-based management system.

Tags: Auto Driveaway, Chevrolet Malibu, Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Fusion, Siemens, Vehicle Relocation

By Richard D. Alaniz

Efforts to increase productivity can make a company more vulnerable to potential lawsuits. By identifying areas of potential liability and addressing those risks, employers can maximize employee productivity while minimizing exposure.

Tags: Lawsuit, Productivity

By Automotive Fleet Staff

Top viewed stories included "Top 6 Fleet Trends in the Medium-Duty Truck Market," "How to Develop a Fleet Safety Award Program," and "Reducing Risk with Driver Assessment Programs."

Tags: driver safety, fuel, GPS, Green, texting ban

By Staff

In a tough economy, cash is king, and one way a company can create cash is by selling a fleet and leasing it back. The timing of such an arrangement must be carefully considered.

Tags: Leaseback, Sale

By Karen Healey

Drivers trained and motivated to adopt fuel-efficient driving habits can improve a fleet’s fuel economy by as much as 20 percent. Even small individual gains can total significant savings.

Tags: fuel, PHH Arval

By Al Cavalli

It’s important today’s fleet management understand fleet managers in days past were, in fact, managers and not merely administrators as the acronym NAFA may have suggested. Much of their experience is relevant and instructive today.

Tags: fleet management

By Mike Antich

Diverse vehicle selectors offering multiple makes and models are relatively common among European corporate fleets. Could the future hold the same for the U.S. fleet market over the next decade?

Tags: ARI, Audi, Donlen, Mazda, Toyota, Wheels, Inc.

By Lauren Fletcher

Male fleet managers continue to earn higher salaries than their female counterparts. The average annual salary difference between genders is currently more than $12,000.

Tags: Gender , Salary, survey

By Grace Lauron

Assessing employees a deductible fee for preventable accidents has advantages and disadvantages. Read on to weigh the pros and cons to decide for yourself.

Tags: AmeriFleet, CCM, CEI, Deductible, Fleet Response, PHH Vehicle Accident Services, Preventable Accident

By Lauren Fletcher

The number of fleets restricting personal use of company-provided vehicles decreased from 2008 to 2009.

Tags: driver charges, personal use, survey, take-home vehicles

By Jim Frank

During these times of financial upheaval, fleet managers may have an opportunity to make changes that would not have been considered in the past — to address challenges with a positive approach.

Tags: Christy Coyte , Fleet Manager of the Year, Jim Frank, Wheels, Inc.

By Cindy Brauer

The cost of on-the-job crashes to employers is jaw-dropping. Companies can significantly reduce their rates of preventable accidents with proactive, comprehensive safety programs to positively impact the bottom line.

Tags: accidents, Network of Employers for Traffic Safety , NSC

By Lauren Fletcher

In 2008, 17 percent of commercial fleet managers earned more than $100,000 per year, 8 percent of which earned more than $120,000. Fleet managers with MBAs earned an annual median salary of $90,000.

Tags: Commercial Salary, Salary, study, survey

By Lauren Fletcher

Rising costs prompted inVentiv to increase personal use fees and begin a spousal use charge. Creating a tiered fee program, fleet worked with all relevant company departments to ensure a smooth program rollout.

Tags: fleet policy, inVentiv, personal use, tiered fee program

By Mike Antich

Many of those millions laid off during this recession’s corporate downsizings drove company cars. The process of reassigning vehicles retrieved from terminated employees can lead to errors. Here’s how to avoid them.

Tags: AmeriFleet, Musical Cars, PARS, vehicle reassignment

By Cindy Brauer & Lisajoyce Vergara

Managing fleets that cross oceans, continents, and national borders presents many challenges, including language, diverse vehicle requirements and expectations, and uniform policy development.

Tags: Brown-Forman, Cardno TBE Group, Ecolab, global fleet management, Johnson Controls, Inc., Merck & Co., Regis

By Lauren Fletcher

Fleets are improving gas mileage by as much as 50 percent, decreasing operation costs by 30 percent, and positively impacting the environment by reducing fuel usage and expense.

Tags: FedEx, Frito-Lay, fuel expense, Hilarides Dairy , Owens Corning, UPS

By Cindy Brauer

This upstream remarketing channel, which offers out-of-service fleet vehicles not only to drivers, but also to the broader purchasing pool of other company workers, saves money and provides a valuable employee benefit.

Tags: employee sales, LeasePlan USA, Mission Foods, Westfield Insurance, Wheels, Inc.

By Staff

Eleven qualified fleet managers were nominated to compete for this year’s award. The field will be narrowed to three finalists and the winner announced April 26 at the NAFA Institute & Expo in New Orleans.

Tags: Award, Best Buy, Carestream Health, Christy Coyte , Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Comcast, ConocoPhillips Company, Dean Saunders, Fleet Manager of the Year, Forest Pharmaceuticals, Hewlett-Packard, Jack Scott, Jason Pucely, Jeffrey Hurrell, Joe Fiorelli, Johnson Controls, Inc., Michael Sims, Milton "Bud" Reuter, nominees, Parsons, Sue Burke, TBE Group Inc., The Wackenhut Corp., Theresa Belding, Thersa F. Anderson

By Mike Antich

Replacement tire costs rose 5 percent and labor rates increased 3-4 percent in 2008-CY. Although extended OEM warranties protect powertrains against catastrophic failures, expanded maintenance requirements may increase cost.

Tags: brakes, extended powertrain warranty, fleet expense, labor rates, maintenance, OEM warranties, preventive maintenance, Tire

By Lauren Fletcher & Grace Lauron

Telematics has proven useful to fleets in reducing fuel consumption, idling, and emissions, and keeping track of company vehicles.

Tags: AirIQ, Amtec LLC, Davis Instruments, Desert Services, EasyTurf, EJ Ward, fuel consumption, GEM Plumbing, Genuine Parts, GEOTAB, GPS, GPS Insight, Honeywell, idling, Light Tower Rentals, Networkfleet, Plumbing Plus and Remodel Works Bath & Kitchen, SC Johnson, Telematics, tracking, U.S. Postal Service, ValleyCrest Companies, Verizon Inc., Viking Termite and Pest Control, Wal-Mart

By Staff

Fleet drivers pose potential financial, safety, and liability risks. Managing those risks begins before an employee driver is hired and involves all stakeholders in the development of a driver assessment program.

Tags: Driver Risk, risk management

By Cindy Brauer

With pressure-filled jobs during good times, commercial fleet managers share how today’s economic turmoil has impacted their professional and personal lives.

Tags: economy, fleet reductions, staff downsize, stress

By Stephen Bennett

Fleet policy may not cover what happens to a driver in the period between a DUI citation and conviction or dismissal. It’s an issue to address and clarify.

Tags: citation, DUI, EPN Program, MVR

By Shelley Mika

Eastman Chemical selects First Vehicle Services to oversee its maintenance operations, share customer service best practices, and identify ways to increase vehicle availability within its fleet.

By Dan Kratz

From hybrids to electric vehicles, it is important to have the right fuel to drive down fuel costs.

Tags: all-electric trucks, biodiesel, Biomethane, Foton, Freightliner, hybrid, hydrogen, International Truck and Engine, natural gas, UPS, Work Truck Engines, WorkStar, Zero-Emission Trucks

By Lauren Fletcher

Utilized as advertisements or mobile billboards, vehicle graphics can give fleet vehicles an identity. The pros advise not to make designs too busy or complicated, and communicate needs and requirements clearly.

Tags: Signature Graphics Inc., SkinzWraps Inc., Vehicle Graphics, VSP Marketing Graphics Group

By Sean Lyden

Each material offers benefits and drawbacks. Aluminum may be less expensive, but fiberglass reinforced plywood (FRP) is sturdier. Evaluate your truck application to determine which factors matter most.

Tags: Aluminum Sidewall, Fiberglass Reinforced Plywood Sidewall, FRP Sidewall, Truck Body, Truck Body Sidewall