Posts Tagged ‘president obama’
Federal Staff Banned from Texting and Driving
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
There’s been a lot of talk about texting and driving lately. Now a major step has been taken in the war against this distracting practice by President Obama, who signed an executive order on September 30th banning the practice among all federal employees.
The order covers federal employees whenever they are using government-provided vehicles or phones or conducting government business. In addition to this order, the government plans to issue a similar ban to drivers and truckers who travel across state lines and may even ban them from using cell phones altogether in non-emergencies.
Transportation secretary Ray LaHood says the new orders are intended to offer some relief from what he called “a deadly epidemic” of distracted driving.
“This meeting is probably the most important meeting in the history of the Department of Transportation,” Mr. LaHood said at the end of a two-day conference in Washington, D.C. He added that the order to restrict text messaging by federal employees behind the wheel “sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable.” President Obama’s order is immediately effective and applies to 4.5 million federal employees. The order for commercial truckers and other drivers will take longer to implement and will be more nuanced to fit the needs of computer-based systems in some trucks. The distracted driving conference provided a forum for a range of interests hoping to raise awareness of distracted driving and discuss how to fix the problem. The speakers included Senators Charles E. Schumer, (Democrat of New York), and Robert Menendez, (Democrat of New Jersey), who have introduced legislation to force states to ban texting while driving or lose federal highway funds.
Photo courtesy of indyplanets under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: Charles E. Schumer, Department of Transportation, DOT, president obama, Ray LaHood, Robert Menendez
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New Standards Mean New Future for American Fleet
Friday, September 4th, 2009
New higher mileage and emissions standard set forth by the Obama administration are set to change the nature of the American auto fleet in the near future. The new rules take effect in 2012 and are to be fully achieved by 2016, and will mean and end to the days of large, inefficient vehicles as a mainstay of American life.
Under the new standards, the average fuel economy of an American vehicle will have to be 35.5 miles per gallon, 10 mpg more than today. Passenger vehicles will be required to get 39 mpg, and light trucks must step up to 30 mpg. This translates to a fundamental change in the nature of our vehicles. Cars and trucks will have to be made smaller, lighter, and overall more efficient.
These changes will have a large impact on the way people purchase and use work and personal vehicles. Eric Fedewa, vice president of global powertrain forecasting for auto consulting firm CSM Worldwide, predicts that pickup trucks will become so much more expensive that they will be almost exclusively used for work. And families will have to make new choices as SUVs become obsolete in the wake of passenger vehicles like the Mazda 5 small van.
Some consumers are concerned about the change’s effect on their businesses. Dixie Bishop, who runs a plumbing business in San Antonio, worries the new requirements will drive up her costs at a time when customers are cutting back on repairs. She asked, “Are they going to take my horsepower down? I have to be able to carry old water heaters and toilets. It’s not beneficial for me to haul one water heater at a time. We need the power to pull these heavy items.”
Changes will begin with smaller vehicles and improvements to the internal combustion engine, and will soon branch out into many other venues, including hybrid and electric vehicles. But with fuel prices still relatively low, consumers may not be ready to invest in hybrids that sacrifice performance for efficiency. When gasoline reached 4 dollars a gallon last year, sales of hybrid vehicles skyrocketed. Now that prices are down to just over 2 dollars, the efficient vehicles are barely selling. The administration is confident that the higher price tags of the newer vehicles, an average of about $1,300, will be recouped in gas savings over three years.
Photo courtesy of eviltomthai under the Creative Commons License.
Tags: CSM Worldwide, emissions standards, hybrid, hybrid vehicles, Obama administration, president obama
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »
Cash-for-Clunkers Bill Becomes Law
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Now called Car Allowance Rebate System
President Obama signed the Cash for Clunkers bill into law on June 25, which the NHTSA is now calling the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS).
The program was designed to get millions of gas guzzlers off the road by helping people to pay for a new, more fuel efficient car or truck with the trade-in of an older vehicle.
The official government website cars.gov lists these 5 Important Things to Know about the program:
- Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date
- Only purchases or leases of new vehicles qualify
- Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
- Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in
- You don’t need a voucher; dealers will apply a credit at purchase
If you’re interested in taking advantage of in CARS, take a moment to sift through site’s well-organized, easy-to-understand FAQ section for some important particulars, such as:
- There is a cap on your purchase. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price cannot exceed $45,000.
- The program includes leases provided the period for the new vehicle is at least for five years.
- The amount of the credit is $3,500 or $4,500, and generally depends on the type of vehicle you purchase and the difference in fuel economy between the purchased vehicle and the trade-in vehicle. Different requirements apply for work trucks.
- The program ends November 1, 2009
If you plan on participating, let us know how it goes, what kind of “clunker” you’re trading in and what you purchase in exchange.
Tags: Car Allowance Rebate System, CARS, cars.gov, NHTSA, president obama
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Calculate Your Fleet’s Carbon Footprint:
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
MSNBC.com posted an interactive feature to go along with the article concerning President Obama’s plans to require all vehicles average 30mpg by 2016.
The “Carbon Calculator” found here: allows you to calculate how much carbon dioxide you’re fleet is responsible for during it’s daily commute.
The map-based calculator will give you an estimate on the impact your fleet is having on the environment.
Photo copyright of altemark under the Creative Commons License
Tags: carbon calculator, carbon dioxide, environment, fleet, msnbc.com, president obama
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Obama and The Future of Fleet Vehicles
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Earlier today, President Obama set in motion a nationwide program to cut vehicle carbon emissions and raise mileage by 30 percent by 2016.
The initiative, backed by auto executives, union leaders and environmental activists is aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new trucks and cars.
According to an article on MSNBC, the president estimates that the program will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years.
Doing so will also allow car companies to readjust their way of doing business and their product line, providing some optimism throughout the industry that a plan is in place to help them survive the recent economic downturn.
The new program will cost consumers an estimated $1,300 per vehicle starting in 2016, but Obama claimed that drivers could save nearly $2,800 over the lifetime of a car.
Ultimately, the goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 900 million tons.
For fleet owners and managers, Obama’s figures are based on a 35.5 mpg average, however cars and light trucks would be required to rise from 27.5 mpg standard to 39 mpg and larger trucks would rise from 24 mpg to 30 mpg.
With dealer lots closing and new standards being set by the President, a lot of news could be effecting how you are managing your fleet.
Let us know how this is impacting your business and for more information, read the full article about Obama’s new emissions program here:
Photo copyright of Gustty under the Creative Commons License
Tags: carbon emissions, fleet, fleet owners, gas prices, greenhouse gas, MSNBC, president obama
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Is Your Auto Warranty At Risk?
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
With Chrysler beginning bankruptcy proceedings and GM’s financial problems continuing to loom over the auto industry, local auto dealers across the country are awaiting a fate that is seemingly out of their hands.
Chrysler is scheduled to release a list of dealers it will admit in to the new company later this week. GM is planning to notify dealers as to which brands they plan to continue – including Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet – this week as well.
As a result, dealers are facing closure though many dealers are banding together to fight back and the legal battle could delay Chrysler’s government-imposed bankruptcy by at least a month.
These dealers have aligned themselves with the National Automotive Dealers Association to meet with Congress and members of President Obama’s auto task force to see what can be done to put a stop to the impending dealer consolidation.
This could have a tremendous impact if you are running a fleet of vehicles purchased from a dealer that is put out of business, because under federal bankruptcy laws, money owed by Chrysler and potentially GM for warranty work or rebates could just disappear.
This story is likely to drag out in court for weeks if not months. For more information check out the full article entitled Auto Dealers Fight Against Closures here
Photo copyright of hesskennedy under the Creative Commons License
Tags: auto dealers, auto industry, bankruptcy, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, congress, fleet, GM, national automotive dealers association, president obama
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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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