Wheels, Inc., a leader in the automotive fleet management and services industry, was named on the 2013 InformationWeek 500 list of the top technology companies in the U.S. This is the 13th consecutive year Wheels ranked in the top 500.

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology through its annual 500 listing. The publication also uses the information it receives from applicants to track the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies.

“Wheels’ very disciplined and focused IT development approach is uniquely effective at ensuring that our clients have access to the best online tools and technology in the industry,” said Dan Frank, President of Wheels Services and the company’s Chief Technology Officer.

Frank said that Wheels has three client-facing technology product innovation teams within its IT department, and that the company also reaches out directly to its clients in multiple ways to ensure that their input is sought throughout the research and development process.

“Through steering committees, usability panels and beta testing, we proactively ensure that all of the technology we develop is designed to specifically deliver our clients’ needs,” Frank said.

The shared development approach Wheels uses with its clients has helped yield a number of the company’s products that are considered cutting-edge in the fleet management industry. These include the Selection Modeler online vehicle selector development tool, the ChangeDriver interactive driver behavior management program and Sentinel, the company’s new collaborative performance management application that helps fleets easily track and assess the results of their major fleet initiatives.

"The theme of this year's InformationWeek 500 is digital business. It's a movement, rooted in data analytics, mobile computing, social networking and other customer‐focused technologies that are turning companies and industries on their ear," said InformationWeek Editor-in-Chief Rob Preston. "Every enterprise is now a digital business — or needs to become one fast. The organizations in our ranking are leading the way."

This year’s InformationWeek 500 honorees were revealed earlier this month in a special digital issue on the publication’s website.