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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

6 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...

Multiple Authors

2 contributors

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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•August 14, 2008

Upfitters Increase Prices 3%-8% Due to Higher Commodity Prices

The high cost of materials has caused price increases for truck bodies, trailers, van interiors, liftgates, and other upfit equipment. Prices have increased, on average, 3-8 percent. Upfitting prices have risen multiple times and some truck equipment manufacturers are guaranteeing current prices for only 90 days. Worldwide, prices have soared for commodities used in upfitting, such as steel and aluminum.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•August 12, 2008

Real World Strategies: 60 Ways to Reduce Your Fuel Spend

Fleets are adopting compensatory strategies to offset high fuel costs. These include selector modification, revised vehicle specs, increased personal use charges, streamlined fleet operations, and modification of driver behavior.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•August 7, 2008

More Factors Point to an Impending Used-Vehicle Shortage

The past two weeks have produced a dizzying string of announcements ranging from Chrysler Financial stopping lease financing, Chase Auto Finance no longer providing lease financing for Chrysler brands, Wells Fargo ending lease financing, all major OEMs decreasing truck production volumes, and HSBC Financial Corp.’s decision to stop funding auto loans. All of which may be good news for fleets remarketing vehicles two to three years from now.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•August 5, 2008

How to Develop a Corporate Culture of Fleet Policy Compliance

The best time to control cost is before it occurs and the way to do this is by establishing policies and procedures that inhibit unnecessary spending and protect corporate assets. Adherence to fleet policy is crucial and it should be part of each company’s overall business strategy. The best managed fleets tend to be those whose drivers adhere to a written fleet policy. Does your corporate culture encourage compliance with fleet policy?

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 31, 2008

Will You Need Fewer Fleet Vehicles in an Era of Hyperconnectivity?

In Tuesday’s blog, I likened predicting the future to a billiard game to illustrate that seemingly unrelated events can influence the future direction of the fleet market – events we may never see coming. With this in mind, let’s rack up our hypothetical balls, placing the “fleet ball” in the center of the rack. Let’s whack the cue ball to see what new fleet scenario may unfold from this catalyst. In this new analogy, the cue ball catalyst is a relatively recent concept called hyperconnectivity.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 28, 2008

Is the U.S. Destined to Follow the U.K. Fleet Model?

Predicting the future has been likened to a billiard game. The cue ball is the catalyst – representing a seminal event – that upon crashing into a racked set of balls triggers not only the initial reaction, but numerous unanticipated secondary and tertiary reactions. When the cue ball strikes its target, it unleashes unanticipated dynamics of balls deflecting off other careening balls, ultimately changing all of their trajectories. Let’s expand the analogy by making “fleet” one of the balls.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 25, 2008

Fleet Management Circa 2018

The greatest catalyst for change in fleet management in the next 10 years will be "technology." It is getting increasingly expensive to operate a fleet. There are diminishing opportunities to reduce cost and enhance fleet efficiency using traditional fleet management techniques. A growing number of companies are investigating (or are more receptive) to technology-based fleet solutions. Looking ahead, here are my predictions as to how technology will change fleet management in the next 10 years.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 21, 2008

Rising Commodity Prices Threaten to Increase Truck Prices

The high cost of raw materials, in addition to the high cost of fuel, is starting to make a financial impact on fleets by increasing costs for truck chassis, bodies, trailers, liftgates, and other upfit equipment. On July 9, Navistar announced that rising commodity costs have forced the company to increase prices of International truck models. Is this another in a series of commodity-related price increases that we will see from other OEMs, upfitters, and trailer manufacturers?

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 18, 2008

Bleak New-Vehicle Sales to Usher a Strong Used-Vehicle Market

Today's new-vehicle market will generate (ultimately) the used-vehicle market of tomorrow. If there is a decrease in new-vehicle sales, there will be a corresponding decrease in the future number of used vehicles in the marketplace. Even though there is a lot of nervousness in the market, no one is anticipating a dramatic decrease in new-vehicle commercial fleet orders for the 2009 model-year. However, the same cannot be said for the retail new-vehicle market.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 15, 2008

A Perfect Storm Pummels Truck Resale Values

A combination of market forces have converged to create a “perfect storm” to drive down resale values for pickup trucks by 15-25 percent. These convergent forces are higher fuel prices, tighter consumer credit, and a stagnant construction market. As a result, the pool of buyers (hence market demand) for used trucks has contracted, putting downward pressure on resale prices.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 11, 2008

Will High Demand for 4-Cylinder Engines Increase OTD?

Although fleet is extremely important to automakers, the reality is that retail sales and retail considerations drive many OEM decisions. Currently, retail buyers are demanding four-cylinder engines in what appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to paying, on average, $4.03 per gallon for gasoline. Franchise dealers just don’t have enough four-cylinders in inventory to meet this demand and they are clamoring for more product.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•July 7, 2008

'Location Privacy' Threatens to Emerge as a Major Fleet Issue

I believe “location privacy” has a strong potential to become a hot-button societal issue in the next decade. It will focus on privacy infringement and potential abuse due to the pervasiveness of GPS-based products and services. These long-term implications frighten many privacy advocates. Unfortunately, I believe fleet management will be swept up into this controversy.

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