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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

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•May 15, 2007

High Cost of Fuel Rekindles Reimbursement Debate

For most companies, it is less expensive to provide a company vehicle than to administer a driver reimbursement program. Why would a company want to reimburse an employee $600 per month for a vehicle they can operate at $500 per month? However, after attending the annual conference of the National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) last month, I heard that reimbursement is re-emerging as an issue in reaction to the high cost of fuel.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•April 24, 2007

Overloading is the No. 1 Cause of Unscheduled Truck Maintenance

Overloading creates an unsafe vehicle and increases liability exposure. When a vehicle is overloaded, its emergency handling capability is reduced, which can contribute to an accident. For instance, braking distance increases, which can cause drivers to misjudge stopping distances, and tire failure rates are higher because tires run hotter.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•April 17, 2007

Fleets Restrict Driver-Paid Options to Avoid the Expense of Replacing Larger Tires

In March, Goodyear, Bridgestone-Firestone, Continental, and Yokohama, announced they will increase the prices of replacement tires by 4-7 percent. The reason for the price hike is the ongoing increases in the cost of raw materials and manufacturing and transportation costs to move product to tire dealers.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•April 2, 2007

Top Challenges Facing Public Sector Fleet Managers in 2007

These include operating on a fixed budget in the midst of wild fluctuations in fuel prices, uncertainty about reliability of 2007 diesel engines, the dearth of technicians, and the ‘just one more year’ vehicle replacement battle.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•March 27, 2007

Top Challenges Facing Public Sector Fleet Managers in 2007

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•March 20, 2007

Top Challenges Facing Commercial Fleet Managers in 2007

Key challenges facing fleet managers are managing the high cost of fuel, implementing safety programs to reduce preventable accidents, a relentless demand by management to cut costs, and a growing pressure to go “green.”

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•March 12, 2007

High Fuel Costs are Prompting Fleets to Tighten Employee Eligibility for Company Vehicles

If you ask fleet managers what is their greatest challenge, the overwhelming majority will tell you it is managing fuel costs and identifying ways to decrease this expense. This is especially the case with fleet managers who manage fleets with heavy concentrations of diesel equipment.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•March 5, 2007

Transcending Day-to-Day Fleet Management

Each year, Automotive Fleet identifies the nation’s Top 300 commercial fleets. Typically, the focus is on the “hardware” – the total number of units managed. But the key to these successful fleets is the “software” – the fleet manager. Being a fleet manager of a Top 300 fleet is not an easy job. Throughout corporate America, fleet managers are under constant and ever-greater pressure to reduce expenses, make their fleet operations more efficient, and maximize driver productivity at the lo

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•February 27, 2007

Upfit Specs Can Reduce Workers Comp Claims

Workers comp claims resulting from use of upfitted equipment is on the rise. Poor upfitting decisions often result in expensive litigation to defend against alleged negligence. The average workers’ comp cost for a pushing/pulling injury is $10,175, while the average cost for a lifting/bending incident is $8,989. Under OSHA regs, an employer must provide a workplace (which includes upfitted work vehicles) free from recognized hazards.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•February 13, 2007

Fleet Hit With $4.1 Million Payment for Accident Caused by Distracted Driver Using a BlackBerry

A 71-year-old woman was awarded $4.1 million in December 2006 because a company driver ran a red light while he was looking down at his BlackBerry and crashed into her. The employee, driving a Berry Electric Contracting Co. vehicle, was lost and was using his BlackBerry’s navigation device to find his destination.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•January 30, 2007

Are the Benefits of Telematics Worth the Expense?

Currently, there are more than 2.5 million telematic units in service managing fleet vehicles, mobile workers, trailers, heavy equipment and other assets. The market is expected to expand to 5.8 million units by 2009, with revenues growing to more than $2 billion.

Market Trends•by Mike Antich•January 23, 2007

Is Fleet Management Devolving to Crisis Management?

Since the start of the 21st century, seven short years ago, fleet managers have been buffeted by one major crisis after another. Following 9-11, there was an overnight meltdown in residual values. Then, Hurricane Katrina triggered fuel prices to skyrocket to $3 a gallon, literally overnight. If someone told us in 1999 that resale values would plummet 30 percent in the space of months and that fuel prices would exceed $3 a gallon, we would have dismissed these predictions as Chicken Little hyster

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