Automotive Fleet views itself as a facilitator to provide a platform for different voices from the industry to sound-off on today’s challenges. This regular column is designed to encourage discourse for fleet professionals to let their voices be heard to their peers and other industry professionals. Here is what is top of mind for fleet professionals on the upward pressure on fleet costs.

Money is Our “Green” Focus

I watched the July 19, 2021, edition of the State of the Fleet Industry video series entitled “Everything in Fleet Revolves around Money.” It brought back a memory I will never forget at an AFLA event, when a seasoned fleet exec on a panel for a large company said, “sure we have a green strategy, and it’s all about the money.”

Mike Pitcher, Former CEO, Author, Keynote Speaker and Consultant

Phenomenal Job

I watched the July 19, 2021, edition of the State of the Fleet Industry video titled, “Everything in Fleet Revolves Around Money.” In that video, Mike Antich does a phenomenal job describing some of the challenges we face today while “following the money” – where are you spending your money?

•     Acquisition (costs are increasing)

•     Maintenance (costs/downtime are rising)

•      Fuel (at a seven-year high)

How do you control your expenses? If you don’t measure it, you don’t manage it! The bottom line is if you don’t start managing your fleet, it’ll continue managing you (and your bottom line)

Will Maccabe, Account Executive for  Enterprise Fleet Management

Eye-Opening Data

Michael Bryan,  director of client relations for ARI, recently shared a study that found one fleet’s 5% worst drivers experienced ~15% lower fuel economy and 30% higher non-collision maintenance expenses! It was eye-opening.

Likewise, in the June 2021 article entitled “Fleet Safety is the Gateway to Achieving Other Fleet Goals,” it goes to show that Mike Antich is right: fleet managers have a great opportunity to achieve multiple goals using interrelated data sets.

Adam Seifert, CAFM, Business Intelligence and Analytics ARI

<<Editor's Reply>> The biggest obstacle to fuel efficiency, fleet safety, and sustainability initiatives is often the company drivers themselves. By training drivers to practice safe driving techniques, you will also contribute to reduced fuel consumption and decreased emissions. A safe driving program allows a company to leverage constrained resources and reduce liability exposure by lowering the incidence of preventable accidents.

Most company drivers average 20,000 miles per year and driver behavior is a major influence in both the incident of a preventable accident and fuel consumption. There’s a direct correlation between safe driving and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The safer the driver, the fewer preventable accidents, the greater the fuel efficiency and the lower the GHG emissions.

--Mike Antich,  Editor of Automotive Fleet Magazine

Uptick in Staged Accidents

I have never seen anyone break down staged accidents as well as Mike Antich has in his Market Trends blog in the August 2021 issue of Automotive Fleet. Defending ourselves against fraud should be standard training and procedure for every business vehicle driver out there.

Brendan Dawson, Founder & CEO for AccidentPlan

No Silver Bullet

There is no silver bullet to safety. It is a continuing journey to which we have to stay committed! Oftentimes, safety improvements start as a reaction to an incident, and that incident become a catalyst for change. Learning how to unravel the root causes of each crash allows a fleet to better plan ahead, and take a more proactive approach in order to eliminate not just one, but the next series of incidences. As a result, the added bonus is an improvement of operational efficiency, safety, and employee morale. The last of which certainly affects the entire organization.

Just like you would plan your route for a road trip ahead of time, it’s essential to plan ahead with your safety goals and initiatives.

Lori Olson, CAFS, Senior Customer Success Specialist Geotab

I Couldn’t Have Said It Better

I watched the State of the Industry video for the week of July 13, 2021, that was entitled “Fleet Manager Uncertainty About MY-2022.”  Good show!

I couldn’t have said any of this any better, especially the  part dealing with 2022 incentives. I think for the first time in years the incentive offered will be based on the clients actual volume, rather than everyone just gets the maximum.

Steve Armstrong, (Retired) Manufacturer Relations Consultant for Mike Albert Fleet Solutions