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Mike Antich
Former Editor and Associate Publisher
Automotive Fleet's former editor, Mike Antich, shared his opinions and ideas on the overall commercial fleet industry and draws interesting comments from fleet managers and other industry professionals from across the country. Mike was inducted in the Fleet Hall of Fame in 2010.
Although gas prices started to decline in August, the year-to-date cost of fuel in 2008 has increased 30 percent compared to last year. The price for replacement tires rose 5-10 percent in 2008 due to higher oil prices and the shift by manufacturers to larger diameter tires. Also, fleet maintenance and repair costs increased across the board in 2008. The cost for non-warranty maintenance services was up 5 percent for fleets.
Read More →Replacement tires are the third-largest expense category for fleets. In the past three years, this expense category has grown as a result of multiple price increases from all major tire OEMs. In 2008, year-to-date tire replacement costs have increased 4-10 percent. This follows a 3-4 percent price increase in 2007 and an 8-10 percent price increase in 2006. The consensus is replacement tire prices will increase again in 2009.
Read More →The number one threat to fleets continues to be the price of fuel, despite the fact that fuel prices have been declining due to the global economic slowdown. Year-to-date, the cost of fuel has increased 30 percent in 2008 compared to 2007. The Energy Information Administration is projecting fuel to average $3.82 per gallon in calendar-year 2009. Fuel is the potential game changer of the fleet industry. Consider two recent examples as harbingers of things to come.
Read More →Today, Oct. 7, the Federal Reserve Board announced that it is invoking emergency powers to create a special fund to support the U.S. commercial paper market. The announcement by the Federal Reserve allows corporations to bypass the current credit gridlock gripping the nation’s economy. This has an impact on the fleet market since one source of financing for large fleets is the commercial paper market.
Read More →Reducing unnecessary idling is the simplest and easiest way for a fleet to reduce fuel costs. Besides wasting fuel, excess idling also causes unnecessary emissions, noise pollution, and needless engine wear-and-tear. The amount of unnecessary idling varies by fleet, but some fleets have recorded idling as much as 35 percent of the time.
Read More →The bread-and-butter customers of out-of-service fleet vehicles are buyers with C and D credit, namely subprime buyers. However, funders have tightened underwriting standards to manage these higher risk borrowers. Some lenders have caps on how low a FICO score they are willing to fund, which is often above the threshold of subprime borrowers. If this continues, it will have significant long-term implications for the sale of used fleet vehicles.
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