There’s an ancient saying/curse about living in interesting times that comes to mind lately. Thinking back to the beginning of this year and how we were wondering if EVs were going to take over the market or how the hours of service regulation were going to affect transportation. 

Public and private fleets alike were hyper-focused on driving efficiency and finding every little potential savings possible. And just like that, the vast majority of the economy got shut down, people shut in, and businesses and the vehicles that service them were put on moth balls.   

Now here we are a few months later and dealing with trying to claw our way back to something that feels like normal. But we have to worry about keeping our drivers and our customers safe. Not just from accidents, but also from COVID-19, and in some parts of the country, from riots, protests, and potential lawlessness. 

Adding insult to injury, we’ve lost a lot of our basic communication infrastructure. We no longer have armies of suppliers out in the market visiting fleet operators. We don’t have the regularly scheduled in-person events that are such a great way to network and pass along information. And we don’t have local association meetings.   

We’re working around the clock here to help keep those channels open and keep the flow of information at a solid pace. We can’t make up for the chance fleet managers had to kick the tires on the new vehicles being introduced later this year, but we can create online opportunities for you to experience those vehicles in as much detail as possible. We can’t replace the incredible networking opportunities provided by regional and national events, but we can create webinars and other sources of online collaboration that will allow you to interact with your peers and your suppliers.  

In the end it’s all about getting information into your hands so you can make good decisions about managing your fleet. And as much as we’re going to miss the in-person experience while we wade through the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent civil unrest, we think there is an opportunity to build an even bigger fleet community down the road. 

There have always been tens of thousands of fleet decision makers that didn’t participate in live events or interact with their peers. Most of the key players in the fleet market are either stuck at home or working in an office but unable to travel.

So like everyone else, we’re changing our business model here and plan to launch a series of new products including webinars, virtual events, and other hosted online discussions to help maintain the flow of information until things get back to the way they were.   

We’re optimistic that the world will return to some sort of normal later this year. And we’re planning on actually hosting some small and midsize live events at that time. 

But in the meantime, look for information from the Bobit team on the new products we’re launching and the new ways you’ll be able to keep up to date on all the developments in the market from the comforts of your own home or home office.