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Mike Antich

Former Editor and Associate Publisher

Mike Antich covered the fleet management and vehicle remarketing markets for over 20 years. Mike has written or edited over 5,000 articles on fleet management, manufacturer fleet activities, the fleet leasing industry, and vehicle remarketing during this period.

Mike was the editor and associate publisher for Automotive Fleet magazine. 

Mike was also actively involved with a variety of fleet and remarketing industry associations and was a long-time member of the board of directors for the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA). He served as AFLA's president from 2008-2009 and was reelected AFLA president in 2021-2022. He was also the chairman of the AFLA Globalization Committee, where he was instrumental in creating the first-ever Global Fleet Networking Consortium comprised of five international fleet associations.

He was also a member of the board of directors and an officer for the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance (IARA). He was the Alliance's long-time secretary and chaired its public relations committee. In addition, he was the past chairman of the IARA certification task force, which developed the industry's first-ever certification program for vehicle remarketers. 

In 2010, Mike was inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame and inducted into the Global Fleet Hall of Fame in 2022. He also won the Industry Icon Award, presented by the IARA and NAAA.

Mike was an international speaker and has spoken at numerous industry conferences, client advisory councils, and fleet sales meetings.

He passed away on Dec. 19, 2025. 

Market Trendsby Mike AntichMarch 16, 2010

More Salespeople on the Street Pitching Reimbursement

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.

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Market Trendsby Mike AntichMarch 9, 2010

Fleets Reassess Amortization Rates

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.

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ArticlesCover Storyby Mike AntichMarch 3, 2010

Hino Well-Positioned to Expand Commercial Market Share

Hino expanded vocational applications for its lineup of medium-duty Class 4-7 trucks. In addition, it will introduce Class 4 & Class 5 hybrid cab-over models in MY-2012. Hino increased its Class 6 market share to 15 percent, up from 5 percent in 2005.

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Market Trendsby Mike AntichMarch 2, 2010

Maintenance Costs Up Due to Frequency of Repair Increases

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.

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ArticlesCover Storyby Mike AntichMarch 2, 2010

Maintenance Costs Up Due to Frequency of Repair Increases

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.

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Market Trendsby Mike AntichFebruary 18, 2010

Short-Term Cost-Cutting Strategies Backfire in the Long-Run

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.

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Articlesby Mike AntichFebruary 9, 2010

Commercial Fleet Cost Trends

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.

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Market Trendsby Mike AntichFebruary 2, 2010

Morgan Stanley & Goldman Sachs Forecast $100-per-Barrel Oil in 2011

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.

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Market Trendsby Mike AntichJanuary 25, 2010

Fleets are Facing an Era of Higher Taxation

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.

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Articlesby Mike AntichJanuary 12, 2010

DEF: A New Variable in Managing Truck Fleets

DEF is an acronym for diesel exhaust fluid used by diesel engines incorporating selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology. As of Jan.1, DEF is now required for SCR-diesels to meet 2010 EPA emission standards.

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