ARI has published its 2017 Industry Outlook in which subject matter experts examined each step in the vehicle life cycle process to determine where the most significant trends will impact fleet professionals' business operations in the next 12 to 18 months, the fleet management company announced.

Advanced technology applications, data analytics and data integration impact every topic discussed in this year's publication. An example is the shift from generic big data analytics to intuitive intelligence that identifies trends, predicts future behavior and spots the worst case offender vehicles within a fleet.

"While increased use of technology has improved the state of the fleet industry, it is also important to focus on how to use the technology to provide a competitive advantage to your business," said Tony Candeloro, vice president of product development and client information services. "It's no longer about the big data analytics provides, but instead focuses on how to pinpoint data to manage the specific outlier vehicles driving the highest cost to fleet."

The publication also discusses how technology impacts other steps in the vehicle life cycle including supply chain management, fuel, driver safety and remarketing. For example, how supply chain decisions will be easier to understand and make if they are done in partnership with one provider who has a deep data integration with key suppliers; chip card technology will force fuel card providers to update their cards to remain compliant with card readers in gas stations; driver safety training technology must be instantaneous after an infraction transpires, and using existing vehicle data to predict when the sweet spot occurs to take vehicles out of service and gain the greatest return at auction.

Interested readers can access the publication by clicking here.