NAFA Connection

NAFA News

Welcome to the new FleetFOCUS! We hope you will like the new and improved design -- part of many changes to NAFA publications that you'll notice in the next few months.   These changes were based on NAFA's Strategic Plan, suggestions from NAFA Members and Affiliates and results of several surveys over the past year.  We think you'll like the direction we're headed and welcome your feedback.  Please send comments to: publications@nafa.org.

As you can see, FleetFOCUS has been completely updated with a more modern, streamlined look that puts the entire issue at your fingertips for easy access.  Everything you've been accustomed to seeing in FleetFOCUS is still here. 

Not to be outdone, Fleet Executive is also changing.  In fact, the September issue will be the first under the new name of FLEETSolutions.  Published bi-monthly, FLEETSolutions represents a change towards making each issue a truly educational resource that will help you run your fleet better and more efficiently.  Articles will be based on the eight core competencies of fleet management (Asset Management, Maintenance Management, Business Management, Professional Development, Fleet Information Management, Risk Management, Financial Management and Vehicle Fuel Management.)  In addition, guest articles from some of the most important people in the industry will provide additional outlooks and insight. 

FLEETSolutions online will also be getting a facelift.  A new and exciting interface will allow you to flip through the pages just as if you were reading the magazine. The introduction of FLEETSolutions and changes to FleetFOCUS is thanks to a partnership with Naylor LLC,, a company that currently publishes magazines for more than 500 associations. 

NAFA's Fleet Management Seminars have provided fleet professionals with the most comprehensive information and training in the industry. Due to high demand, NAFA has created an Advanced Fleet Management Seminar for seasoned professionals or those enrolled in the CAFM program.  

"NAFA is fielding its best CAFM instructors for the Advanced Fleet Management Seminar.  Attendees who have already worked as fleet professionals for several years, attended the Fleet Management Seminar, or reviewed the CAFM curriculum will appreciate that the time will be spent on advanced topics in each discipline," added Amos.

Open to all fleet management professionals, the Advanced Fleet Manager Seminar is recommended for fleet managers with five years or more of experience. The seminar will be broken down into eight sessions, each session covering one of the discipline modules of the CAFM program. The modules covered include Asset Management, Business Management, Financial Management, Fleet Information Management, Maintenance Management, Risk Management, Vehicle Fleet Management and Professional Development.  Members of the Certification Board will also take place in a question-and-answer segment at the end of each session.

Fleet managers with less than five years of experience can spend a week immersed in fleet education by attending the NAFA Fleet Management Seminar on Oct. 15-17 and also by attending the Advanced Fleet Manager Seminar. A package deal for both seminars (which will save attendees $200 if they sign up for both by Sept. 19), is available from NAFA. In addition, fleet managers who either sign up for the Advanced Fleet Manager Seminar or sign up for both seminars may take the CAFM exam on Oct. 20 with the exam fee waived.

• A $10 coupon good toward any NAFA product – as long as your name is in the SPONSOR line of a new application.
• A chance to win a free registration to the 2009 Institute & Expo in New Orleans, April 25-28, 2009. Up to five lucky participants will win this prize!

For each new fleet manager a NAFA Member recruits between June 1 and Nov. 30, 2008, one ticket will be entered in a drawing to win a free I&E registration.  Be a promoter and spread the word! To get Membership Drive details, download applications and review ideas on how to get started, visit www.nafa.org/2008drive. Winners will be announced January 2009, and up to five free registrations will be awarded.

Headline News

Bill H.R. 6487, titled the Diesel Tax Parity Act, will reduce the federal tax on diesel fuel from 24.3 cents per gallon to 18.3 cents per gallon. The bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a temporary reduction in the tax imposed on diesel fuel.

U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine), ranking member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, introduced the Diesel Tax Parity Act, S. 2896, the Senate version of this bill, earlier this year.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recently introduced the bill and received praise from the National Federation of Independent Business for her efforts because the bill would help small business owners that depend on diesel-operated vehicles to run their businesses.

Mazda North American Operations became the first automotive company in the industry to offer live chat functionality on a third-party Web site.  Launched on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com automotive Web site, users will be able to click on a text link that will direct them to a Mazda live chat shopping assistant, helping Internet-savvy car buyers get one step closer to sliding into the driver's seat of a new Mazda vehicle -- without ever leaving their home or office.

The Mazda Shopping Assistant program is the first in the industry to provide potential buyers with an actual quote -- from the customer's choice of dealer -- for the vehicle they have chosen, as opposed to other manufacturers' programs that simply offer the manufacturer's suggested retail. The MSA program connects consumers with Mazda Personal Shoppers, who can answer specific product questions and provide personalized shopping experiences through live Web-chat sessions.

Through the help of these in-house Mazda employees, buyers can configure a vehicle, select a dealership, search vehicle inventory, acquire an actual dealer quote, schedule a sales appointment and get information about financing the Mazda vehicle of their dreams.  Once a price is agreed upon between the customer and the dealer, the Personal Shopper arranges an appointment time at the dealership for final paperwork to be signed and the vehicle to be delivered.

SPOTLIGHT ON LEGISLATION

ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE

A transition to hydrogen vehicles could greatly reduce U.S. oil dependence and carbon dioxide emissions, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Research Council, but making hydrogen vehicles competitive in the automotive market will not be easy. 

According to the committee, it will take many years before hydrogen vehicles will significantly penetrate the light-duty fleet, even though technological developments have been progressing rapidly.  Production of hydrogen vehicles could increase significantly by 2015.  The maximum practicable number of hydrogen vehicles that could be on the road by 2020 is 2 million, says the report.  By 2023, the total cost of fuel cell vehicles, including the cost of hydrogen fuel over a vehicle's lifetime, could become competitive with conventional vehicles.  At that point, the number of hydrogen vehicles on the road could grow rapidly, to nearly 60 million in 2035 and 200 million by 2050. 

The committee also calculated the investments, both public and private, that would be needed to make a complete transition from oil to hydrogen fuel.  These costs include research and development, vehicle deployment and establishing infrastructure.  The shift toward hydrogen fuel would not have a large impact on oil usage or greenhouse gas emissions until hydrogen vehicles make up a significant portion of the market.  If hydrogen vehicles eventually took over the market, there would be great decreases in both, although the overall effect on greenhouse gas emissions would depend upon how the hydrogen fuel was produced.  The greatest possible reductions would occur if biofuels, fuel-efficient conventional vehicles, and hydrogen vehicles are all pursued simultaneously, rather than seen as competitors. 

While corporations are taking green initiatives to cut back on costs, colleges across the globe are also taking part in this eco-friendly decision by adding hybrids and solar powered vehicles to their fleet.

The University of Colorado Boulder has almost a decade of experience under their belt when it comes to purchasing hybrids. Now the university's fleet consists of 4 percent hybrids, 14 percent with smaller electric or small gas-fueled vehicles like Van Go or Elec-truck, and 10 percent of its fleet consists of vehicles that run on bio-fuels. The UC is currently looking into carbon neutrality, rightsizing the fleet, evaluating each vehicle, and alternatives to mass transit.

"I believe there is more to maintaining a green fleet than just vehicle propulsion. At the University of Colorado, our vehicle maintenance facility recycles oil, anti-freeze, transmission fluid, Freon, batteries, tires, scrap metal and cardboard," said Bryan Flansburg, CAFM, director of transportation services at the University of Colorado at Boulder. "I believe that greening a fleet is reducing the pollutants put in the air, water and landfills."

Around the same time UC started implementing green initiatives, Amherst College in Massachusetts also took eco-friendly steps. The college has upgraded and converted all of its heavy trucks, grounds equipment and delivery trucks to fuel-efficient diesel vehicles. The goal was to reduce the campus's carbon footprint so they made sure that all the diesel vehicles ran on biodiesel fuel. Amherst College also replaced campus police cruisers with scooters and bicycles as part of their commitment to reducing vehicle emissions.

How green is your fleet? Let NAFA know! If you would like to share green initiatives implemented on your campus, please email Tina Perrotta at tperrotta@nafa.org.

In an effort to protect Florida's environment and reduce the state's carbon footprint, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Florida Park Service recently purchased 72 electric-battery powered Global Electric Motorcars for use in state parks. A division of the Chrysler Company, GEM creates low speed, neighborhood electric vehicles that run purely on battery and electic power.

Using the energy efficient GEM cars reduces carbon dioxide emissions within state parks since the vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions. In addition, GEM cars save taxpayer dollars, with virtually no maintenance or fuel costs and initial purchase price of less than $10,000.

The GEM eL model purchased by the Florida Park Service accommodates two passengers with a carrying capacity of approximately 750 pounds and a top speed of 25 miles per hour. Powered by a 72-volt battery system, a typical GEM car with fully charged batteries can get up to 30 miles on a single charge.

As increasing numbers of consumers look for fuel-efficient, low emission vehicle options, a test fleet of Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is making its way on the road today. Powered by lithium-ion batteries from Johnson Controls-Saft, the demonstration fleet will examine the future of PHEVs as part of a complete vehicle, home and grid energy system. The fleet is the result of an ongoing collaboration among Ford, Johnson Controls-Saft, Southern California Edison (SCE) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).

The 20-vehicle fleet will be tested first in California by SCE, and later by other utilities in the New York/New Jersey area, to help determine regional differences in vehicle usage and performance, as well as how PHEVs will affect the electric grid system and associated infrastructure requirements. The first unit was delivered to California in December; additional units will be on the road in June.

The outcome of the fleet will help to continue to address barriers to commercialization including cost, technology validation and strategies for charging the vehicles.

EPA welcomes 51 new partners as Climate Leaders, breaking the 200 mark. In addition, eight companies took the next step in the partnership by announcing new greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions goals. Together, EPA's Climate Leaders represent more than 10 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and have pledged to prevent estimated GHG emissions equivalent to 9 million cars annually.

Climate Leaders, launched in 2002, is a voluntary program that works with companies to measure greenhouse gas emissions and to set aggressive long-term emissions reduction goals. The partners represent a wide range of industries in all 50 states. 

The eight companies that are announcing aggressive new greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals are: Baxter International Inc.; Burt's Bees Inc.; Campbell Soup Co.; Cherokee Investment Partners; Cisco Systems Inc.; Deere & Co.; Millipore Corp.; and Petaluma Poultry. For the complete list of Climate Leaders partners and GHG goals, visit: http://www.epa.gov/climateleaders/partners
 

NAFA Online Store

Fleet Acquisition and Disposal Guide

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Last Chance for an Autographed Copy of "The New American Story" If you missed Senator Bradley's keynote presentation at I&E or meeting him in person, now is your time to get your signed copy of Bradley's latest book, "The New American Story." We have a few copies remaining, so order this special book today! Click here to order.

Keep Cool in a NAFA-T! This white, 100% cotton t-shirt will make all your friends jealous when they see the blue NAFA name across the front. Make this shirt part of your summer ensemble by clicking here. 

Career Corner

New Job Postings This Issue

NAFA maintains a file of fleet managers' resumes that are provided to employers who don't choose to publicly announce job openings. If you would like NAFA to have your resume on file, mail it to Maureen Smith, NAFA, Inc., 125 Village Blvd., Suite 200, Princeton, NJ 08540, or fax it to 609.452.8004.

Chapter Highlights

Membership Benefits You