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Automotive Fleet Magazine

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Oct 20-22, 2026 | MD

Driving Notes

Knowing about a vehicle is one thing; driving it is quite another. Getting behind the wheel gives yo...

Multiple Authors

3 contributors

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FleetTakes

FleetTakes is exactly that — a take on what fleets need to know when it comes to the latest in autom...

Chris Brown

Associate Publisher

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Insight Lane

Insight Lane delivers Colin Sutherland’s perspective from the intersection of leadership and innovat...

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Market Trends

Automotive Fleet's former editor, Mike Antich, shared his opinions and ideas on the overall commerci...

Mike Antich

Former Editor and Associate Publisher

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Remarketing Streams

Remarketing Streams reports on the flow of used vehicles moving through the consignor-auction-dealer...

Martin Romjue

Managing Editor

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Market Trends•by Mike Antich•October 23, 2009

Forecast of Order-to-Delivery Times for 2010-MY Fleet Orders

With the 2009 model-year behind us and 2010 model-year ordering in progress, how will 2010-MY order-to-delivery times (OTD) fare? Some foresee the 2010 model-year being a challenging one for OTD (not as challenging as 2009-MY, however), but one that could result in longer than normal delivery times.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•October 20, 2009

Forecast of Fleet Operating Costs for 2010 Calendar-Year

Fuel costs, the largest fleet operating expense, declined dramatically in the 2009 calendar-year due to a sharp decline in worldwide fuel consumption. Also, many fleets downsized, due to widespread corporate layoffs, which lowered overall fuel spend. However, maintenance and repair costs increased in 2009, primarily due to vehicles kept in service for longer periods as a result of corporations slashing capital expenditures. Open the blog for a forecast of 2010 operating cost trends.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•October 13, 2009

Ban Texting While Driving, But Beware of Inadvertent Consequences

The popularity of texting has skyrocketed over the past four years. All agree that texting and driving are incompatible. However, a texting ban could have unintended consequences of interfering with productivity devices business drivers and truckers rely on. There are numerous ramifications to overzealous prohibitions on the use of on-board electronic communications that potentially may be counter-productive to driver safety. Let's target unsafe driving behavior, not on-board productivity tools.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•September 29, 2009

2009 Order-to-Delivery Times Battered on Multiple Fronts

The multitude of factors buffeting order-to-delivery (OTD) times for commercial fleets during the 2009 model-year were breathtaking and historic. To say the 2009 model-year was a difficult year for new-vehicle deliveries would be an extreme understatement.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•September 22, 2009

The Hidden Cost of Personal Use

Many companies are wondering whether they are charging enough for personal use. At some companies, this discussion is long overdue. When re-evaluating personal use charges, a common mistake is to focus solely on the cost of fuel. However, doing so ignores the other “hidden” costs of personal use, which have also risen.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•September 8, 2009

The ‘Gray Areas’ of Fleet Management

Let's face it, some companies don't take fleet as seriously as they say they do. For them, fleet is not core to their business. The refrain is: We're in the "widget" business, not the car business. Internal corporate politics introduces many gray areas to fleet management such as making fleet decisions based on favoritism, giving lip service to safety, greenwashing, and pressuring suppliers for favors.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•August 31, 2009

2009 AFLA Conference Delivers ROI to Commercial Fleet Professionals

This is an exciting time for the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) as it gains widespread recognition as a strong voice for the commercial fleet management industry. For the past five years, AFLA has experienced year-over-year growth in membership and conference attendance. As its president, I'm especially proud of AFLA's growing stature and believe its best years are still ahead of it. The upcoming 2009 conference epitomizes the ROI that AFLA offers commercial fleet managers.

In Memoriam: Coach's Insights•by Ed Bobit•August 24, 2009

Puzzling Thoughts On Compensation vs. Education

While I'm a distance from being called an academic, I've always felt that education is the road to professionalism; and that professionalism leads to increased compensation. There are many variables, but my recent re-review of the salary surveys that we conduct raises some interesting questions.

In Memoriam: Coach's Insights•by Ed Bobit•August 18, 2009

Comparing the CFO With the Fleet Manager

Most of my life, and until quite recently, I have always unconsciously felt like there were many levels that separated the two positions within a company. A few weeks ago, I altered my reasoning and actually found a number of similarities between the two responsibilities.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•August 11, 2009

What Fleet Managers Find Rewarding About Their Jobs

In these challenging times, you might think the rewards of being a fleet manager are few and far between. However, this is not so with many fleet managers. There are six common themes to what fleet managers find fulfilling about their jobs.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 31, 2009

Are Fleet Managers Still Having Fun?

Any long-time fleet manager knows change is the norm in the fleet management profession. However, in the past 12 months, fleet managers have had to deal with unprecedented challenges. In the wake of tumultuous events buffeting the auto industry and ongoing market uncertainty, do fleet managers still think their jobs are fun? Here are their confidential responses.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 21, 2009

More Diverse Vehicle Selectors: Will the U.S. Mirror Europe’s Fleet Market?

Diverse vehicle selectors offering multiple makes and models are relatively common among European corporate fleets. One of the many reasons is the fragmented fleet market shares of each OEM. In Europe, a large number of nameplates compete for the same commercial fleet business. Could the same future unfold for the U.S. fleet market over the next decade?

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