ARI has released its 2015 Industry Outlook, an annual publication produced by the company's Strategic Consulting team which highlights the key trends and opportunities that North American fleets should anticipate and prepare for in the coming year, the fleet management company announced.

"The Industry Outlook provides perspective on critical issues or trends we anticipate will be of importance to U.S. and Canadian fleet managers for their fleet operations in the coming year," said Chris Morgan, ARI's vice president of Global Strategic Services. "The 2015 issue touches on a wide range of topics — including fleet safety, new technologies, regulation changes and operating cost trends — and offers practical strategies on how to prepare for these developments."

A major trend affecting the entire industry is the introduction of lighter vehicle parts and components, and this year's Outlook begins with an assessment of how this change will impact a broad range of fleet management processes and strategies, from specifications design and order-to-delivery timeframes to repair and accident costs. These changes will even affect how fleets need to communicate with and train their drivers, as the changes in weight and height could affect loading, operation and performance for some vehicles.

All fleet managers, regardless of the makeup of their fleets, should be monitoring news about the rollout of the auto industry's first all-aluminum vehicles, as the impact of such changes has yet to be fully determined and has led to some uncertainty surrounding the impact to full life-cycle costs.

The 2015 Outlook also addresses trends that could affect the medium- and heavy-duty market, including new and pending regulations, new and evolving technologies and the impact a shortage of experienced drivers may have on the industry. Safety is addressed as well, and in particular a growing overreliance on technology, which can sometimes lead to a failure to follow basic safe driving techniques.

In addition to highlighting key trends and offering guidance on how to prepare, the Outlook also provides readers with additional resources to help them troubleshoot possible issues and strategies to deal with the different trends.

The 2015 Industry Outlook is available by contacting an ARI representative.