| Video News & Views
PEOPLE & IDEAS TO WATCH | Global Fleet Best Practices | | If a fleet does something really well in North America, it may be able to work elsewhere and if something works really well elsewhere, we should want to consider trying it here in our marketplace. |
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June 17, 2010
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| Fleet Trends & Issues |
Opportunities & Successful Fleet Management |
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PHH Truck Fleet Survey Now Open Survey of private truck fleet managers to gauge state of the industry PHH Arval invites managers of medium and heavy truck fleets to participate in the 2010 Truck Fleet Survey. This industry-wide survey of private truck fleets tracks fleet managers’ views on their major challenges and issues, current and future plans for their fleets, response to environmental requirements, and more. The 2010 Truck Fleet survey is available online at www.phharval.com/trucksurvey . The survey is open from June 3 through July 30, 2010. It takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Participants who take the survey will be entered to win a Netbook companion PC. Results will be announced in August via press release and on www.phharval.com .
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| Managing Your Fleet Selector |
OEM & Equipment Manufacturer
Products & Services |
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2011 Audi A8 The 2011 A8 promises a leap ahead in refinement, efficiency, comfort, and style. The all-aluminum 2011 Audi A8 will boast a sumptuous interior and the latest in driving dynamics and active safety technology. The A8 will offer a system Audi calls Autonomous Partial Braking, which uses a forward-facing camera to detect shapes of pedestrians, other vehicles, and rapidly approaching objects. The system combines what it sees ahead with information from other sensors, including speed, weather, driver inputs, and vehicle dynamics. Read more
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2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe The Cadillac CTS, the marque's lowest-priced luxury car, was originally offered only as a four door sedan. For the 2011 model year, a coupe is on the way. Unique exterior design elements are many. Most notable are the nearly horizontal rear glass, the windshield, which is laid back at a more extreme angle, and the hardtop styling that lacks center B-pillars. The base engine in the CTS coupe will be a direct-injected 3.6-liter V6 making 304 horsepower
and delivering 27 mpg on the highway on unleaded gasoline.Read more
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2011 BMW 5 Series The all-new 2011 BMW 5 Series carries softer ends and more chiseled sides. In terms of handling, ride and control BMW's own 3 Series was the bogey for nimbleness, and entirely new front suspension, updated rear suspension and available active controls of same should provide excellent ride quality. A full load of technology is on the palette too, with
safety controls, variable cooling openings in the grilles, and existing bits such a the head-up
display, latest-iteration (and much improved) iDrive, lane departure warning, park sensors, rear
camera and night vision. Read more
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| Association News & Views |
Activities, Events & Success Stories |
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NAFA Bestows Lifetime Honorary Membership to Tom Lubas Lifetime Honorary Membership is one of NAFA’s most esteemed awards. It is presented to people who have made outstanding professional and personal contributions to the Association. Many times, the award goes to an industry leader at or near the end of their career, but on Sunday, April 25, the award was presented to Tom Lubas , a professional still very actively involved in fleet and in NAFA. The presentation took place during the Association’s annual Institute & Expo in Detroit. Over the past 25 years, Lubas has dedicated his time to the fleet industry in general and to NAFA in particular, on both the national and chapter levels. Nationally, he has served on and led nine NAFA committees, including the Audit Committee, Nominating Committee, Alternative Fuels Task Force, Curriculum Committee, Law Enforcement Group, and Education Steering Board. He was elected and served three terms as a Regional Trustee and three as Vice President. In addition, he has been a speaker and moderator at several conferences. Lubas personally wrote NAFA’s Staff Compensation Policy and both he and his staff were behind NAFA’s upcoming Law Guide. On the chapter level, Lubas has served at least three years as New York Chapter Secretary, four years as Vice Chair, and five years as Chair. He has donated much of his time to participate on numerous chapter committees and helped with many chapter activities through the years. In fact, the face of NAFA would literally look different without him as Tom and his staff volunteered to create the Association’s current logo. More recently, they have contributed their talents to redesign the logos for the CAFM and CAFS programs. "This award means that I will never have to worry about being able to continue to participate in future NAFA activities. My membership is now for life," said Lubas. "It is absolutely wonderful to be a NAFA member and the most precious gift in the world, in the business world, is to receive the esteem of one's colleagues and friends. In receiving this award, my wonderful friends at NAFA truly made me rich and I will be forever grateful for this generous award and recognition."
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Janice Sutton, Editor
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You will see some familiar faces in The Fleet Spot this week; we talked with Chris Amos, Tony Gratson and Randy Shadley at NAFA I&E. While you have previously met Chris and Tony in Fleet Management Weekly, it is my pleasure to introduce Randy to you, though I bet you may already know him. We met him years ago and have always thought he was one of the sharpest - and nicest - fleet professionals in our business. We were delighted when we heard that he had taken his many years of fleet and safety experience to Corporate Claims Management. Mark Conroy, VP of Sales and Marketing at Union Leasing , recently sent us a vintage photo of some fleet folks and we got to thinking that some of you may have photos lying around that you would like to share with us. I have a few of my own. If you do, please scan them or mail them to me. .We will publish them in an upcoming issue. I'm counting on you! A Reminder: CALSTART Webinar Series EPA’s New Criteria Emissions Rules - Industry and Fleet Impacts and Opportunities: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PST. Non-members registration fee is $50. CALSTART members register for free. Contact either Gina Ochoa or Brenda Lozoya at CALSTART - 626/744-5600 to sign up and get webinar registration details. For webinar questions, please contact Susan Romeo sromeo@calstart.org. Janice Sutton
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| Places, Sites, and People for New Ideas
& Applications |
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Reducing Costs by Managing E*Tolls State and local governments are under intense budgetary pressure. Virtually every state is looking for opportunities to cover off revenue shortfalls and cut costs. The new cashless E*Tolls are becoming more prevalent – and have the potential to impact your fleet. Don’t get caught paying extra fines and penalties – with disastrous results to your budget. Read PHH Arval’s white paper, “Reducing Costs by Managing E*Tolls for ideas on how to deal with this issue. Read more
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Employee use of company autos: Uncontrollable? It is unfortunate but true; poor decisions by an employee can result in legal problems for your business. If an employee kills or injures someone while driving your vehicle, you may be held legally and financially responsible for the accident. If negligent entrustment can be proved, you may be held liable for damages awarded through legal action. This can include punitive damages, which may or may not be insurable in your particular jurisdiction. Read more.
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Chris Amos, CAFM
City of St. Louis
Commissioner of Equipment Services, President of NAFA
Building a Body of Knowledge
Chris says his personal philosophy about involvement in NAFA is that he doesn't want to spend time doing things he's good at; he wants to find out what he doesn't know. He says, "Working as a group we become experts together." Chris needs no further introduction from us.
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Randy Shadley, CAFM
Corporate Claims Management
Director of Safety Programs
Risky Business
Some companies have said that the biggest lawsuits they have had were not in company vehicles, but were people driving their own vehicle on company business or were renting a vehicle while traveling on company business. The potential liabilities caused by a problem driver are enormous.
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Tony Gratson
Ford Motor Company
Government Sales Manager
Focus on Government Fleets
Ford has been a shining star, racking up impressive sales gains while some crosstown competitors have struggled to keep afloat. Tony focuses on government fleet sales and talks about the exceptional lineup of vehicles targeted to this market.
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Government Fleet Expo & Conference
Hilton Austin/Austin Convention Center
Austin, TX
June 21-23, 2010
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FedFleet 2010
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, AZ
July 13-15, 2010
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Plug-In 2010 Conference & Exposition
San Jose Convention Center
San Jose, CA
July 26-29, 2010
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AFLA 2010 Conference
JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa at Summerlin
Las Vegas, NV
September 8-10, 2010
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Green Fleet Conference 2010
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
October 18-19, 2010
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| Conference Planning Guide |
Exhibitors, Educational Sessions, & Events |
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Plug-In 2010 Conference & Exposition Get on the cutting edge of current and future plug-in hybrid and electric transportation technologies by attending and exhibiting at the Plug-In 2010 Conference & Exposition – an interactive international gathering of automotive manufacturers, component suppliers, electric utilities, government agencies, the environmental community and academia. Unparalleled breadth and depth of content will make every breakout session similar to a mini-trial on the topic – delivered right from the working experts. The conference will cover all critical areas of plug-in vehicles including batteries, vehicles and infrastructure, and discussions will be structured around technology aspects, market research, policy initiatives, and commercialization. Don’t miss attending the 2010 event: July 26-29, San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California Click here for more information
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Stats and Smart Charts
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Energy Outlook – 2008 to 2011
[Click to enlarge graphic]
 - Energy Information Administration projects US real gross domestic product will grow by 3%
- And world real oil-consumption-weighted GDP will increase by 3.6% in 2010
- Both of which are 0.2% higher than in previous EIA Outlook
- EIA expects West Texas Intermediate crude oil prices to average about $84 per barrel during 2nd half of this year, rising to $87 by end of next year
- Natural gas expected to have largest price increase by next year at 9.3%
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Last Minute News
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Chrysler launches phone apps Jeep Grand Cherokee -- there's an app for that. Chrysler Group LLC today announced it is introducing a smartphone application to download vehicle information, starting with the 2011 Grand Cherokee -- the newest vehicle in the automaker's showroom. The Grand Cherokee information will be available starting Saturday and there will be a free app for all Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles by the end of the year as part of the new initiative introduced by Mopar for the U.S. market. Read more from The Detroit News Ford: Electrics could be 25% of 2020 fleet In a decade, Ford expects that as much as a quarter of its global sales volume will be electrified, with hybrids dominating its electric fleet. By 2020, Ford expects that between 10% and 25% of its volume will in some way run on advanced batteries compared with about 2% today, Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification, said. Of those vehicles with batteries, 70% will be hybrids, another 20% to 25% will be plug-in hybrids and the rest will be all-electric vehicles. Gioia noted that the range is wide because there remain unanswered questions about the access to, and affordability of, electrified vehicles. Read more from Detroit Free Press
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Fleet People Going Places
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David Funston
CODA Automotive
Vice President, Fleet and Commercial Sales
CODA Automotive, a California-based all-electric car and battery company, hired David Funston as Vice President, Fleet and Commercial Sales. Funston is charged with marketing the all-electric CODA sedan to commercial fleet customers including institutions, corporations and municipalities. An automotive industry veteran, Funston has more than two decades of experience in fleet sales development, vehicle remarketing, distribution, logistics and business management. Prior to joining CODA Automotive, David was President of Funston Fleet Services, Inc. a fleet sales and vehicle remarketing consultancy that he founded and operated since 2002.
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Mike Lewis
Donlen
Vice President and General Manager, Equipment Leasing
Donlen has named Mike Lewis as Vice President and General Manager, Equipment Leasing. Mike comes to Donlen with more than 20 years of truck and equipment leasing experience. Prior to Donlen, he held positions such as President at PHH First Fleet, Executive Vice President at First Fleet Corp., and Senior Vice President at The CIT Group where he led the transportation asset finance business.
Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Park College and an MBA, Finance, from Boston University. He is active on various committees with the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) and the Truck Rental and Leasing Association (TRALA), and is involved in inner city youth mentoring programs in the city of Little Rock, AR.
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| Managing Your FleetTrends, Issues & Opportunities |
Ford Intros New CNG/LPG Prep Packages for Super Duty Pickups
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Ford is the industry leader in commercial and government fleet sales and the only manufacturer offering fuel-efficient powertrains and other sustainable technologies with all fleet vehicles this year. These include battery-electric, hybrid, natural gas, propane, E85, biodiesel and EcoBoost™, making Ford the greenest full-line fleet provider. Ford has now expanded its CNG/LPG prep package lineup.
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Edmunds Picks 10 'Dark Horse' Cars Worthy of Consideration
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Edmunds advises car purchasers to look beyond the top-selling mainstream vehicles and search out value and quality in a wider scope. Edmunds lists the top-10 vehicles it advises buyers to research -- including some pleasant surprises!
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| Manufacturer DevelopmentsDesign, Production, & Services |
Truck Sales Bounce Back, Sign of Economic Improvement
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When consumers are out there buying pickups, you know the financial health of the economy is in a better place. Automakers see an 11 percent gain through May. The 1.1 million 2009 sales were the lowest in 18 years.
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Several Brands Still Shaking Perceived Quality Stigma in J.D. Power Study
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Long-term dependability is of prime concern to automakers and consumers alike as buyers tend to keep their vehicles longer. J.D. Power and Associates VDS research from owners of 3-year-old models reveals some interesting driver experiences.
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| Driving Green Initiatives, Actions, & Implementations |
Fuel Economy Future Has a Price
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A recent study indicates that, while it's important to reduce the amount of fuel we use, short term measures could cost up to $9,000 per vehicle to achieve that goal. The study was sponsored by NHTSA and the National Research Council using a 2007 base vehicle.
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Predicting Traffic Patterns in Time to Redirect New Jersey Motorists
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IBM and New Jersey Turnpike Authority will test new software that predicts traffic problems up to an hour in advance while there is still time for motorists to avoid it. Data flow from multiple sources and agencies will be crunched on a PC.
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| The Intelligent Vehicle Telematics, Telecommunications, &
Technology |
Smartphone Navigation Apps Could Overtake GPS Devices
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Google Android and iPhone applications are bringing GPS navigation to smartphones and are likely to eventually overtake dedicated units from Garmin and TomTom. For now, GPS devices have an edge over smartphones by loading maps quicker, having longer battery life and having clearer audio for hands-free navigating.
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Smartphones w/ Delphi Key Fob Remote Access Vehicle Systems
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Delphi Holdings may revolutionize how consumers interact with their vehicles by using the little key fob to connect smartphones to vehicle systems for remote checks and control. This technology and possibly an in-dash computer will replace Bluetooth connectivity and embedded systems like OnStar.
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| Driver Safety Management Practices, Policy, & Training |
Brake Priority Systems May be Required for All U.S. Vehicles
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With NASA investigating Toyota software code for flaws that could result in unintended acceleration, Congress and NHTSA are moving forward to enact legislation and regulations to require smarter on-board systems. It is likely that brake pedals pressed will result in deactivating the accelerator input to prevent runaway vehicles for floor mat or other reasons.
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Tougher U.S. Auto Safety Laws Expected Before July 4 Break
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The Senate Commerce Committee approved a new bill mirroring new auto safety standards approved by the House last month. New requirements for brake override systems, event data recorders and auto electronics plus larger fines are intended to correct Toyota failures from reemerging.
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| Fleet Vehicle Remarketing Marketing Strategies, Channels,
& Sales Data |
Mercury Used Values Expected to Hold Steady
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As Ford moves to wind down the Mercury brand, dealers and Mercury owners are concerned about the effect on residual values. Analysts are comparing this wind down to that of Plymouth a decade ago. In the case of Plymouth, there was no significant drop off in used car values. Consumers did not perceive that there was a premium factored into the brand. Apparently the same holds true for Mercury, confirming Ford's decision.
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Used Prices Maintaining Momentum
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Autotrader.com says prices of used vehicles, including certified units, continued to gain ground in May. Asking prices of models most viewed climbed in year-over-year comparison. The Ford F-150 is the most popular model on the site, and its price was up 12%. The fastest climber was the Jeep Wrangler with a price leap of 17.5%.
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