Automotive Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Chris Brown

Associate Publisher

As associate publisher of Automotive Fleet, Auto Rental News, and Fleet Forward, Chris Brown covers all aspects of fleets, transportation, and mobility. Chris produces and emcees the annual International Car Rental Show, the largest event serving the auto rental industry worldwide. Chris also created and produces the Fleet Forward Conference along with regional Tour stops, the Fleet Safety Conference, and DeliveryCon, for the last-mile delivery fleet market. 

Chris has won publishing awards for editorial excellence including a Jesse H. Neal Award, three Folio: Eddie Awards, and three Maggie Awards. As an internationally recognized expert on fleets, auto rental and mobility, Chris has spoken at industry events in the U.S., Brazil, Ireland, and China. He has appeared on Good Morning America and has been sourced and quoted in national media such as Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and National Public Radio.

Articlesby Chris BrownAugust 20, 2019

Assessing the True Impact of Delivery Robots on Driving Jobs

Forget autonomous trucking, for now, delivery drones and package-carrying robots will be a reality much sooner. To what extent will they take away traditional delivery driving jobs?

Read More →
Articlesby Chris BrownAugust 13, 2019

TCO Analysis: 2019 vs. 2012 Pickups

We analyzed total cost of ownership data of Chevrolet, Ram, and Ford pickups in half-ton, three-quarter-ton, and one-ton models from 2012 and 20

Read More →
Articlesby Chris BrownAugust 6, 2019

Hot Takes: Mobility Initiatives We Could See Sooner, and Why

In this analysis of recent mobility news, we apply the “efficiencies, cost, savings, fewer tech hurdles” rule to see which new mobility models might be deployed sooner than we think.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Articlesby Chris BrownAugust 5, 2019

How Fleets Access — and Supply — the Turo for Work Trucks

Fetch is an on-demand peer-to-peer rental service for pickups, box trucks, and cargo vans. Cofounder Adam Steinberg says the commercial side is its fastest growing segment.

Read More →
Articlesby Chris BrownAugust 5, 2019

XL Adds Fully Electric Platform to 'Product Roadmap'

Eric Foellmer says XL's plan is to continue supplementing the electrification strategy of the OEMs, which includes its present hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems and eventually an all-electric system.

Read More →
Articlesby Chris BrownAugust 1, 2019

Which EVs Have the Lowest Total Cost of Ownership for Fleets?

Included in this groundbreaking total cost of ownership study for fleets are battery-electric models including BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and Tesla 3, as well as plug-in hybrid electric models such as Chevrolet Volt and Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Articlesby Chris BrownJuly 29, 2019

Let’s Not Get Too Worked Up Over an Electric F-150 — Yet

Yes, an all-electric pickup can tow 1.25 million pounds, but to deliver one with verifiable specs, at scale, and at a reasonable price point is a different equation entirely.

Read More →
Articlesby Chris BrownJuly 23, 2019

Fleet Meets Tech in San Jose

At the TechCrunch Mobility Sessions, autonomous vehicle players outlined the near future of AV deployments, while Merchant Fleet’s Brendan Keegan invited tech startups to learn more about fleet.

Read More →
Articlesby Chris BrownJuly 9, 2019

Fleet Managers: Do You Know How to Turn a Wrench? Does it Matter?

As we enter a new era that puts an increasing importance of the value of data and our ability to interpret it, some in fleet are asking if we’re losing sight of some basic skills to do the job.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Articlesby Chris BrownJune 27, 2019

Merchants Fleet Outlines Fleet Manager, FMC Roles in Mobility Era

While harvesting data and new concepts such as shared mobility may reduce fleet size, Keegan says the increased importance of utilization and return on net assets make conserving fleet spend is an imperative.

Read More →