At ARI's most recent Best in Fleet Conference, the fleet management company presented an overview on some of the top trends that could impact fleets in 2020. Some of the top trends addressed involved a strong vehicle market, railcar shortages, and impaired driving.
Strong demand for light- and medium-duty trucks in the 2019 model-year resulting in widespread backlogs at upfitters delaying some ship-thru units, impacting order-to-delivery times for both light- and medium-duty trucks.
In MY-2019, ongoing railcar shortages created huge backlogs of vehicles needing to be shipped. The railcar shortage has been a key factor for fleet delivery delays for the past 20 years. The question is when does it get fixed?
Over the past five years, nearly 800 people have lost their lives while attempting to drive across railroad tracks, which is why NHTSA and the Federal Railroad Administration have re-launched a $5.6 million awareness campaign.
In a series of tweets, CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla has gone into the trucking business.
When your vehicle runs over and crushes a soda can, it's due to a 4,000-to-1 weight ratio. That's the exact same weight ratio of a moving freight train striking your vehicle.
Here are 15 recommendations from nine subject-matter experts on how to further improve OTD times.
When I first read articles about the use of drones in fleet operations, I used to roll my eyes. But, no longer. After talking with many fleet managers, I now believe that drones in commercial applications will have a major impact in a variety of industries. At most companies, drone operations will fall outside the domain of fleet, at least initially. As FAA restrictions are eased, drones will proliferate into mainstream business practices, with the insurance and energy industries in the vanguard
One of the perennial reasons given for order-to-delivery (OTD) delays is rail constraints. This has been an ongoing issue in the U.S., but, now, with the dramatic expansion of automotive production south of the border, rail constraints in Mexico will begin to play a greater role in fleet OTD discussions.
One challenge for both the 2015- and 2014-MY has been the increased volume of fleet vehicles going to upfitters, which has resulted in capacity constraints. With the increasing demand and growth of the commercial truck and van segments – particularly among utilities and service industries – the percentage of upfitted vehicles is growing. Upfitters are feeling the pressure of increased demand.