NAFA Connection

• Access to the best prospects for your products in all industry segments.
• Networking opportunities with your current customers, potential buyers and industry leaders. Conference programming that draws buyers.
• Complimentary registrations (one conference and three exhibitors per every 100 sqft.)
• Listings in the Official Show Guide, which acts as a year-long buyers guide for attendees as well as online.

• 85 percent of attendees recommend/specify or have purchasing authority.
• Seven out of 10 attendees are responsible for fleet maintenance services.
• Seven out of 10 of the fleet managers of the largest commercial truck fleets attend NAFA I&E.
• I&E attendees manage $45 billion dollars in assets.
• Three in four attendees have light-duty trucks in their fleets.

• Two days left to save $50 - Enroll in NAFA's October Fleet Management Seminar or Advanced Fleet Management Seminar by Sept. 19 and save $50.
• Enroll in the October FMS and AFMS and SAVE with the package enrollment price; a $200 savings!
• Enroll in the AFMS and take the CAFM test for FREE!

Several automotive manufacturers are installing reverse backup sensors into their newer models including Ford Motor Co., which plans on implementing Blue Oval's Cross Traffic Alert in 2009. This system is designed to help drivers when backing out of a parking spot and can detect other vehicles within 65 feet of either side of the vehicle's rear bumper.

The move paves the way for Michigan Truck to convert to a car plant that will begin producing global C-car based vehicles in 2010.  The plant's 1,000 employees will be transferred to Wayne Assembly Plant, where a third crew will be added in January to accommodate increased production of the Ford Focus. 

Clean Energy Fuels Corp., entered into a agreement with American Honda Motor Co., Inc., and The FuelMaker Trust to acquire FuelMaker Corporation of Toronto for $17 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to be completed within 25 days.

FuelMaker manufactures, distributes, installs and services vehicle refueling appliances (VRA) and accessories for fueling vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG). The consumer version of the VRA is the Phill, a home refueling device that compresses natural gas from the home gas line for fueling vehicles. Recent prices for consumers using the Phill at home in Southern California were as low as $1.60 per gallon.

Though August total sales were down 20 percent, when compared with July, total sales were up 31 percent, retail sales were up 32 percent and fleet sales were up 29 percent. Last August's sales performance was influenced by significantly lower fuel prices and a 0 percent APR for 60 months offer on pickups.

Overall, GM August truck sales (excluding crossovers) declined 25.6 percent compared with a year ago. Chevrolet retail car sales were up 18 percent, Pontiac retail car sales increased 11 percent and Cadillac retail car sales were up 10 percent compared with last August. GM hybrid vehicles continue to gain in popularity, for the month a total of 1,629 hybrid vehicles were delivered with 7,096 hybrids sold so far.

Overall, during August, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicle sales totaled 151,021, down 26 percent. The decline primarily reflects lower demand for SUVs (down 53 percent) and trucks (down 39 percent) and lower sales to fleet customers (down 31 percent).

Ford plans to produce 890,000 vehicles in the second half of 2008 (420,000 vehicles in the third quarter and 470,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter).  The second-half plan is 50,000 vehicles lower than the previous plan. The reduction primarily reflects lower sales to daily rental companies, lower production associated with the transfer of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator from Michigan Truck Plant to Kentucky Truck Plant, and a downward revision to the company's U.S. industry sales forecast.

The cuts were made after Ford's sales dropped for the crossovers, while consumers looked for fuel-efficient alternatives. This is the second time Ford has announced job cuts at the Oakville, Ontario facility. Retirement packages were offered in 2004 when 700 employees opted for the packages.

• Continuing to work on an achievable plan to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020 and cut air pollution in half by 2015.  Included in the plan is the first-time law for industry to meet tough emission reduction targets, and national caps for industrial emissions of four air pollutants.

• The implementation of the Liberal green shift, a bold plan to shift Canada's economy away from fuels that pollute and contribute to the climate change crisis, and toward more efficient and cleaner energy. Within this plan, pollution will be taxed by putting a price on Greenhouse Gas emissions that cause climate change and fuels like coal and natural gas.

• Remaining committed to introducing a plan to crack down on big polluters, combat climate change, and protect Canada's natural heritage.  Some activities that have already taken place include the passing of the Kyoto-Plus Bill (C-377), making Canada's House of Commons the world's first legislature to adopt science-based targets to cut carbon emissions.

• Tackling climate change has become a fundamental issue for all of humanity, and Québec is determined to make its contribution, in its own way. In Ottawa, the Bloc Québécois, respecting Québec's choices, is leading the fight to enforce the Kyoto Protocol.

• November 2008 – Revenue procedure setting the standard business mileage rate for 2009.
• January 2009 – Revenue procedure providing procedures for limitations on depreciation deductions for owners of passenger automobiles first placed in service during the calendar year and amounts to be included in income by lessees of passenger automobiles first leased during the calendar year.
• January 2009 – Revenue procedure providing the maximum allowable value for use of the fleet average value and vehicle-cents-per-mile rules to value employer-provided automobiles first made available to employees for personal use in the calendar year.

The City of Wichita placed 12 Honda Civic hybrid vehicles in service, eight of which will be part of the 10 vehicles used by city employees for travel.

"The hybrids are expected to reduce fuel costs by at least $8,400 annually by saving approximately 2,400 gallons of fuel," said Jay Newton, the city's fleet manager and NAFA Member.

The other four hybrid vehicles will be placed into service in several city departments. They will help city departments evaluate hybrids in different work environments and under unique operating conditions.

The hybrids cost $22,782 each, which is about $7,000 more than the sedans the city has been purchasing.  With the fuel savings, if the price per gallon of gas is $3.50 the cost difference is expected to be paid back in a little more than five years.

Stinkweed or field pennycress is a winter annual weed that grows widely across the Midwest. It is a member of the mustard family — carrying heart-shaped, flat seed packets that yield 36 percent oil when crushed.

In the first year of trials being conducted by Innovation Fuels and Morrisville State College in Morrisville, N.Y., 10 acres of pennycress will be seeded in five locations in upstate New York. The farmers involved in the trials will plant the pennycress in September, which will be harvested in May and June.

With the delivery of a Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell Electric vehicle, the EPA will be the newest participant in Chevrolet's Project Driveway – an innovative market test that is helping to bring fuel cell electric vehicle technology to market. 

Over the next six months, the EPA Headquarters motor pool will use the vehicle to conduct business in Washington, D.C. – emissions free – while allowing the on-board electronic recording devices to track the real-world performance data.

The EPA's participation in Project Driveway is the latest partnership with GM, in which the agency has helped the automaker test advanced propulsion systems.

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. Resumes can also be emailed to Maureen Smith at msmith@nafa.org.

Those participating in the 2008 Membership Drive between now and Nov. 30 will earn a $10 coupon good toward any NAFA product – as long as your name is in the SPONSOR line on a new application. You will also have 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.

Free and open to all, NAFA's Fleet Technician Service Resource Web site is designed to assist fleet managers in identifying the educational resources needed by their service technicians. Because NAFA recognizes, encourages and promotes the certification of automotive service professionals by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), the Web site is organized according to ASE's testing categories.

By clicking on each of the categories, you or your service technicians can see a selection of the most useful books, videos, CDs and other resources designed to prepare technicians for the ASE test in that category. ASE measures the skills of automotive service professionals through its national certification program through which ASE-certified technicians prove their technical competence to themselves, to their employers and to their customers.

Visit today at www.nafa.org/ase and www.asenafa.org.

e-Communities offer members the chance to reach colleagues and share ideas when they need to -- anytime, anywhere! These virtual neighborhoods allow members to easily e-mail others within that community with specific fleet questions. As a subscriber to e-Communities, you will be able to:

• view real-time activity between other subscribed members within the group(s) you subscribe to.
• share your knowledge and assist a fellow member in need, access lists of subscribers for each group and access a history of inquiries posted to e-Communities.

Some of the topics include alternative fuels, disaster relief, fleet maintenance, global fleet, law enforcement, and many more! Come be a part of NAFA's community!

To visit e-Communities, please click here.