Posts Tagged ‘Business Fleet’
Phoenix Figures on Frequent Fleet Accidents
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Business Fleet brings us a story about the high accident rate of a few U.S. cities. Do your part to keep the number of accidents down with safe driving practices.
Phoenix city officials say the large number of accidents involving its fleet vehicles is not surprising given the city’s massive fleet of more than 7,800 vehicles. According to the Arizona Republic, City of Phoenix vehicles are involved in at least one accident per day on average.
The newspaper’s analysis of liability claims paid by the city in the past five years found that Phoenix paid claims for 2,339 accidents involving police cars, fire trucks, buses and other city vehicles from 2005 to 2009. That cost taxpayers about $15.7 million.
It is less true for Dallas, which during the same five-year period paid claims for 2,414 accidents, at a total cost of about $5 million. Seattle paid claims for 1,200 accidents, costing about $3.1 million.
Philadelphia spent about $16.6 million for 960 accidents from 2007 to 2009. Philadelphia officials said their 6,000-vehicle fleet had been involved in 6,881 crashes since 2005.
The Public Works Department was responsible for the largest number of incidents: 639. Police were next with 582, followed by Public Transit with 573.
Phoenix-employed drivers are required to pass a training course, and most civilian drivers must brush up on their skills every three to four years.
Photo courtesy of sylvar under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: accidents, Arizona Republic, Business Fleet, drivers, fleet, officals, Pheonix
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GM Fleet Vehicles Praised
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Business Fleet has compiled an article detailing the plentiful praise that GM has been getting for its fleet vehicles this year. Take a look and see if any of these vehicles may suit your needs:
Recently, notable publications and organizations have recognized General Motors’ vehicles for overall quality, safety and engine performance. Among those named are cars and trucks important in meeting GM Fleet and Commercial Operations customers’ broad range of needs.
Consumers Digest, IntelliChoice and U.S. News & World Report selected many of the GM Fleet and Commercial vehicles for overall quality awards and recognition. GM vehicles were also highlighted for their safety standards and engine performance.
The Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, swept the full-size truck segment in IntelliChoice’s Best Overall Value of the Year awards. The Chevy Silverado 2500 HD and the GMC Sierra 2500 HD were also awarded Best Truck Value Over $28,000 in one of IntelliChoice’s nine overall categories. The Chevrolet Express 1500 LS and the LT Passenger Wagon (AWD and RWD) won in the Full-Size Van category.
The Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Malibu and GMC Sierra 1500 were included in Consumers Digest annual 2010 Best Buy rankings. Other popular fleet and commercial vehicles named include Chevrolet Tahoe and Traverse, GMC Acadia and Yukon, and Buick Enclave. Also recognized were traditionally executive fleet vehicles the Cadillac SRX and CTS, and the Buick LaCrosse. Two performance fleet vehicles, the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, rounded out the list.
U.S. News and World Report selected the GMC Terrain as one of its Best Cars to Buy for 2010, specifically noting its excellent fuel economy and impressive 32 mpg highway rating.
GM Fleet and Commercial vehicles were also recognized for their safety measures. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick in 2010 award went to both the Chevrolet Malibu in the Midsize Car category and the Buick LaCrosse in the Large Car category. This award recognized vehicles that perform the best in the Institute’s tests of protecting people in front, side, rear and rollover crashes.
Photo courtesy of richardefreeman under the Creative Commons License
Tags: Best Cars to Buy, Best Truck Value, Business Fleet, Chevy Silverado, fleet, fuel, GM, GMC Sierra, GMC Terrain, IntelliChoice's Best Overall Value, praise
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Ford Unveils New Super Duty Transmission
Friday, January 8th, 2010
Via Business Fleet:
The new transmission for Ford Motor Co.’s 2011 Super Duty pickup will be a significant improvement over the current five-speed automatic in the areas of performance and fuel economy, a Ford engineer said.
Dick Boerema, Ford engineering manager, said during a Web conference that the vehicle will be a “clean sheet” because it’s not an evolution of the current product. He added that the vehicle will be significantly improved over the current version.
Set to go on sale next spring, the vehicle is also notable in that it will be Ford’s first in-house designed diesel V-8 truck engine.
The truck will have a new body and a new six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy for the truck will be “very competitive,” Boerema added.
Although fuel economy estimates are not required on the window sticker because heavy-duty pickup trucks are in a different weight class and do not have to conform to passenger-car standards, Ford will announce more details on the fuel economy of the truck as it gets closer to launch.
Ford’s new transmission uses a one-piece case that saves 25 pounds compared with the GM Allison transmission used in heavy-duty versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The GM Allison transmission uses a three-piece case.
Photo courtesy of joyoendho under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: 2011 Super Duty, Business Fleet, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford, Ford Motor Co, GM Allison transmission, GMC Sierra
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5 Ways to Save on Fuel
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Tips from fleet operators like you
BusinessFleet collected some tips of the trade from fleet operators who’ve figured out ways to save (that maybe you haven’t).
Ship it to save a trip
“We are moving toward a system in which we drop ship medical supplies to the patient’s home. Shipping costs are outweighed by alleviating the cost of having the clinician come into the office to pick up supplies,” said Larry Leahy, vice president of Foundation Management Services, a home care and hospice services provider in the Southwest.
Weigh Your Delivery
Gem Plumbing of Lincoln, R.I. weighs every delivery, says Larry Gemma, co-owner. Each truck used to haul 1,139 plumbing parts. The company removed 300 pounds of unneeded parts from each truck, and now the miles per gallon on each truck improved from 7.1 to 7.35.
Find the Cheapest Gas
The article reminds us that fuel prices can and will vary as much as 20¢ per gallon within a couple miles. So before you set out, find the cheapest gas on your route by visiting GasBuddy.com.
Email Fuel-Saving Tips to Drivers
Shelly Lofgren, a fleet manager for Honeywell International, signs off her emails with fuel-savings tips like maintaining proper tire inflation, maintaining posted highway speeds and no unnecessary idling.
Get a Fleet Fuel Card
A fuel management program not only controls fuel costs, but operating costs as well. It’s a good way to prevent unauthorized driver purchases, by regulating when, where and how it can be used. There are lots of programs out there. Be sure you find the card that fits your fleet.
Photo courtesy of Hey Paul under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Business Fleet, drop shipping, fleet fuel card, fleet manager, fleet operators, FleetCards USA, Foundation Management Services, fuel prices, Fuel saving tips, gas, GasBuddy.com, Gem Plumbing, Honeywell International, Miles Per Gallon
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‘Cash for Clunkers’ revving up on Capitol Hill
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Congress is close to agreeing on a one-year “Cash for Clunkers” plan that would give consumers up to $4,500 if they turn in their old cars, light-duty truck or work truck and put the money toward a new, more fuel-efficient replacement, according to Ken Belson in the New York Times blog.
But it can’t be just any kind of clunker to cash in. Your vehicle must be a car or light-duty truck that gets less than 18 miles a gallon. To get the full $4,500, your new car must get at least 10 miles a gallon more than your old one.
President Obama has endorsed the program, which is part of a larger energy bill, as a way to jump-start the troubled U.S. auto industry, remove 1 million older cars off the road, and begin to curb U.S. emissions.
“This legislation would give consumers an incentive to turn over their old, inefficient vehicles, saving 80,000 barrels of motor fuel every day,” Senator Collins said in the original January 2009 press release from the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office, which co-authored the bill.
BusinessFleet.com wrote that under the plan, pre-2002 work-truck pickups and 8,500 to 10,000 pound vans would also be good for $3,500 toward a new work truck in the same or smaller weight class, because newer vehicles are likely to be more fuel efficient.
General Motors said in a statement that similar scrappage programs around the world have proven to be successful in jump-starting auto industry sales.
We want to know what you think? Would the payout be enough to upgrade your fleet?
Photo copyright of Chrysler383 under the Creative Commons License
Tags: auto industry, Business Fleet, clunker, congress, Dianne Feinstein, emissions, General Motors, ken belson, new york times, president obama, Senator Collins
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9 Mistakes to Avoid When Playing Musical Cars
Thursday, March 19th, 2009
In an interesting article posted on Business Fleet on March 10th, the topic of “reverse expansion” is covered. This is the politically correct way of saying that vehicles need to be retrieved from terminated employees and reassigned. These days, some fleet managers are comparing the practice of reverse expansion to a game of “musical cars”.
The article gives managers a number of common mistakes and some basic tips when or if you find yourself in the position of having to collect and redistribute fleet vehicles.
Planning and communication are pointed out as key in dealing with HR situations involving terminated employees. The last thing you want to do is claim a vehicle from someone who doesn’t even know they’ve been terminated yet.
Coordinating insurance coverage, allowing time for an employee to purchase their company vehicle, storage advice for vehicles not in use and knowing the right vehicle to reassign to the right driver are just a few of the topics that the writer covers with great detail.
While the article appears to focus on larger fleets, the information provided seems like it could help managers who find themselves in a situation where they need to downsize – a scenario that is affecting more and more businesses each month.
Tags: Business Fleet, reverse expansion
Posted in Industry News, TrendWatch | 1 Comment »
