Management tools for fleet professionals

Trucking has an astonishing wealth of expertise everywhere you look. From OEMs and component suppliers, to technology developers and industry analysts, to supply chain creators, fleet executives and professional technicians and drivers, the industry’s brain trust has never been richer or more diverse.  Fleet Owner is proud to be able to help bring the voices of some of these experts to you through our program of sponsored webinars and whitepapers—some produced by Fleet Owner, others created by industry partners.

Recent webinars

Alternative power: Webinar attendees this May heard some real, behind-the-scenes pros and cons of operating various alternative power  vehicles from natural gas to hybrids, propane to all-electric, in a take-notes program sponsored by Ryder featuring guest speakers Jeff Bush, national fleet purchasing manager for Nestlé Waters North America, and Ronald Gitelman, fleet management program administrator for Yale University.

If you are serious about adding alternative power vehicles to your fleet, you owe it to yourself to hear firsthand the experiences Gitelman and Bush have to share. This level of honesty and detail about so many alternative power options can be tough to come by in a single place.

When it comes to selecting alternative power, for example, Gitelman suggests that fleets filter out sales pitches, find trustworthy Internet information, discuss fuel options with peers and ask about their successes and failures, tour local infrastructure sites, and talk to other users of the fuel(s) you are considering. You should also explore grant opportunities.

2016 outlook: ACT Research president and senior analyst Kenny Vieth took time out of his schedule to offer a look ahead at what 2016 has in store for fleets in a webinar this July sponsored by Credit Junction called “What you need to know before you buy your next trucks: Navigating demand for heavy commercial vehicles in an economic rebound.”

Economic growth, fuel economy, regulations, and the long-term driver shortage are the main factors that are having a profound impact on fleets when it comes time to purchasing trucks, Vieth notes. For the most part, however,  things are still looking pretty good for the trucking industry through 2016—and that is welcome news for fleets now making plans for the year ahead.

Fleet executives who want to see the numbers and understand the trends behind them will especially appreciate the deep dive Vieth takes into the often-surprising factors that propel the industry up to the peaks and down into valleys again and again. 

Timely whitepapers

Sometimes, you need an answer, a right-now answer that brings a critical issue into focus so that you can move ahead with more clarity. Many of the whitepapers in Fleet Owner’s library of on-demand resources are designed to do just that. Here are a few:

• Seven Tips For Improving CSA Scores. CSA scores are public, which means that carriers with better scores are often preferred by customers besides being subject to fewer DOT audits and roadside inspections. The real reason for taking CSA scores seriously, though, goes far beyond compliance, to the constant commitment to creating a good and safe operation. The seven practical tips in this report are intended to help you do just that, by focusing on the most critical CSA-related tasks from verifying CSA data to establishing management controls. (From Telogis)
• 2015 Fleet and Vehicle Management Report. What do today’s fleet professionals think of GPS tracking technology? More than 1,100 business owners, fleet operators and general managers participated in a recent survey regarding their biggest fleet management challenges and how they use technology to solve them. Read this 10-page report to learn what other business leaders and managers are already experiencing to help guide your own telematics solution decisions. (From Verizon)