You read that right: this is the final issue of the FleetFOCUS newsletter and NAFA Executive Director Phillip E. Russo, CAE explains why the changes are happening and why you're going to love what comes next.
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NAFA has big plans for 2013, and a part of those plans appeared in the brand-new issue of FLEETSolutions, complete with an intriguing video teaser!
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Early submissions to NAFA's seven new industry awards are offering exciting potential nominees. Winners will be announced during NAFA’s First Annual Fleet Excellence Awards Night on Tuesday, April 23 at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. The gala event will officially kick off NAFA’s 2013 Institute & Expo. Nominations deadline Is February 15, 2013.
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A great stepping stone, this Seminar provides you the opportunity to learn the fundamental principles and practices of successful fleet management. NAFA's FMS is now a two-and-a-half day event, providing attendees even more hands-on experience!
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01/08/2013 - North Central; 01/10/2013 - Mid-West; 01/15/2013 - Ontario; 01/15/2013 - Mid-America; 01/16/2013 - Western Canada; 01/17/2013 - New England; 01/22/2013 - Quebec; 01/22/2013 - Philadelphia; 01/24/2013 - Great Lakes; 01/24/2013 - St. Louis Gateway; and 02/12/2013 - North Central.
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NAFA's New England Chapter hosted their annual round table discussion and holiday reception on December 12, at the Holiday Inn in Mansfield, MA. Chapter Chair Kevin O’Loughlin, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, led the discussion through topics. Afterward, the Chapter held their holiday celebration.
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NAFA's Philadelphia Chapter held their holiday luncheon at Maggiano’s Little Italy in King of Prussia, PA on Tuesday, December 4. Guest Presenter Thomas Webb, Chief Economist at Manheim Auto Auction, discussed the emerging trends in the wholesale used vehicle market.
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The North Central Chapter December meeting, a manufacturer product update, holiday event, and fundraiser held at dining and entertainment venue Pinstripes, included a presentation from Sharing and Caring Hands.
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Lisa P. Jackson is stepping down as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency after a four-year tenure that ended with a series of rear-guard actions to defend the agency against challenges from industry, Congress and, at times, the Obama White House. The announcement was made on December 27, 2012.
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Rental car giant Avis is buying Zipcar for $491.2 million. Founded in 2000, Zipcar is generally seen as the leader in the car-share market and now claims 760,000 members. Observers were not entirely surprised by the announcement, especially in light of the consolidation in the overall rental industry.
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The Treasury Department said on December 19 that it planned to sell off its entire stake in General Motors within fifteen months, eliminating another reminder of the bailouts precipitated by the financial crash of 2008. The news comes a week after the Obama Administration completely sold off its entire stake in the American International Group, one of the most controversial rescues of the market crisis.
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Fleet and vehicle management company LeasePlan has signed an agreement to take over the fleet and leasing business of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA). The acquisition of two entities, BBVA Renting and BBVA Autorenting, will add 20,500 vehicles to LeasePlan's Italian leasing portfolio.
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Chevrolet donated 24 Express vans, including nineteen C-20 panel vans that will be outfitted with tools and equipment donated by Lowe's and the Robert Bosch Tool Corporation in Charlotte, NC on their way to the New York metro area. Chevrolet also donated five 15-passenger Express vans, according to a statement released by Habitat For Humanity.
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Rhode Island plans to install at least thirty public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in 2013. The state Office of Energy Resources (OER) is directing the project to expand EV use across the state. Building EV charging stations, the OER says, will create jobs, reduce pollution, and "accelerate Rhode Island’s transition to electrified transportation." The charging stations are also part of a larger push to reduce petroleum consumption.
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Indianapolis is set to become the first city in the U.S. to require the purchase of either electric or plug-in hybrid cars for all its fleets except the police. An executive order signed by Mayor Greg Ballard in December 2012 will see around 500 sedans replaced with the low-emission vehicles, saving taxpayers an estimated $12,000 per vehicle over the 10-year life cycle of each car.
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Fiscal cliff agreement extends tax incentives, allows bonus depreciation, and extends employer-provided transit and vanpool benefits from $125 to $240, so that it would be the same as the exclusion for employer-provided parking benefits.
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Lethbridge City Council has approved the purchase of five low-emission diesel transit buses, which will be replacing aging buses coming up for retirement from service. Also, beginning March 2013, drivers of electric vehicles will be able to charge their cars at the Kamloops Visitor Centre.
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Vehicle remarketing services provider Manheim released the Simulcast multi-browser feature, which enables customers to enter a Simulcast sale on a Mac computer, in mid-December. This advancement gives customers the ability to attend a Simulcast sale on multiple browsers, including Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Apple Safari.
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Toyota Motor Co. has announced an agreement worth more than $1 billion to settle a lawsuit involving unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles. Under terms of the settlement, Toyota will install a brake-override system in an estimated 3.25 million vehicles and compensate car owners for the alleged reduced value of the vehicles, among other terms.
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According to a Ford press release from December 10, "an intensive, cross-discipline engineering team" discovered the root of the problem lay in "an original cooling system design [that] was not able to address a loss of coolant system pressure under certain operating conditions, [and] which could lead to a vehicle fire while the engine was running."
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With its first light-duty diesel set to debut in a manner of months, senior General Motors officials are giving clear indications that they’re ready to launch additional applications of the high-mileage technology, including a diesel for the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
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Mercedes-Benz has become the latest automaker forced to order a recall due to a potential fire risk on almost 6,000 of its luxury sedans, coupes, and crossovers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the recall of about 5,800 of the German maker’s products, covering eight separate models sold during the 2011 and 2012 model-years, because of a faulty fuel filter flange.
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Cars.com, a new and used vehicle information website, announced on December 17 its editors' nominees for the site's highest honor, the "Best Of 2013" Award. Nominees include the BMW 3-Series, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Ram 1500, Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ, and the Toyota Prius. Winners will be announced on January 15, 2013.
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NAFA welcomes new Members and Affiliates into the Association.
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Roger Daoust, Bruce Kosaveach, Dennis W. Millerbernd, David Ogilvie, and Margaret Persad celebrate important anniversaries with NAFA in January.
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Original Post - December 17 During the 2013 I&E, CALSTART will host a specific education and training track featuring several value-add sessions for fleets looking at getting the latest information about advanced fuels and vehicles, and how to make them work for their operations.
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To introduce fleet managers to the program, Wilkins accompanied NAFA Affiliate Committee Chair and Safelite AutoGlass Strategic Account Manager Mark Klein in the Safelite Autoglass booth during NAFA’s 2012 I&E in St. Louis, MO. "One of the unique opportunities for fleet administrators is to donate vehicles coming off their fleets, rather than selling them at auction," Wilkins said.
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Fleet management services provider PHH Arval announced Michael Klingensmith as Vice President, Sales and New Business Development on December 12, 2012.
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Fleet industry veteran Keith Allen has joined ARI Fleet UK as Managing Director. Allen will initially work closely with Acting Managing Director Mark Bryan, who is transitioning back into his role as Vice President of European Integration.
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Vehicle remarketing services company Manheim named Jay Cadigan Vice President, Industry Relations. In this new role, Cadigan will report to Joe George, Senior Vice President of Product Development. Cadigan is responsible for building and maintaining strong relations with partners across the industry. He will lead the company's strategic efforts.
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Latest research from market research company Mintel shows that sales are up an astounding 73 percent, with nearly 440,000 hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electrics sold in 2012. The rapid sales growth in hybrid and electric vehicles makes the segment the fastest growing in the U.S. for 2012, supplanting the still fast growing, compact car vehicle segment.
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Alternative gas station company Propel Fuels has raised $21 million to build out its green gas stations throughout California and the west coast. The company is aiming for around 75 by the end of 2013, though it’s slower growth than the company had planned.
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ARI, a global fleet services provider specializing in car and truck fleets, announced on December 13 it recycled nearly four tons of paper and electronics on November 15 as part of America Recycles Day, a nationally recognized initiative of Keep America Beautiful.
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The NAFA store has products to help you with all aspects of fleet management. Visit the NAFA Store now!
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Northbrook, IL; NW, SW, NE, or SE Territories (4 positions); Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; King County, WA; Eastern Seaboard; County of Sonoma, CA; and New York, NY.
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LeasePlan USA, a service provider of vehicle leasing and fleet management solutions, has implemented a new company wide distracted driving policy. Employees are not allowed to use phones or smart devices while operating LeasePlan vehicles - period. In addition to launching this policy, the company is encouraging all employees to sign a safe driving pledge and inviting family members to commit to safer driving practices.
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Don't miss out on early bird savings to register for the I&E! Go to www.nafainstitute.org for all the details. The best savings opportunity ends January 31, 2013.

FleetFOCUS Newsletter © 2013 NAFA Fleet Management Association

 

 

Congratulations, you just got a promotion! Best wishes on your retirement! Now what do you do?
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Three online, searchable networking databases will put you in easy touch with all your NAFA colleagues.
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These virtual neighborhoods allow members to easily email others within that community with specific fleet questions.
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Designed to help you quickly find references and educational resources.
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NAFA cares about your privacy. If you prefer not to receive email marketing information from NAFA Fleet Management Association, you have the option to request to be removed from our records by emailing info@nafa.org with such a request. NAFA may use the information you provide for additional NAFA programs, services, and products that we see as being beneficial for you. You will have the option of responding to such an email message with a "click here" directed to info@nafa.org, if you so choose to opt out of future email messages. NAFA does not sell or rent email addresses of prospects, nor does NAFA sell or rent email addresses of our Members and Affiliates.
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NAFA's Lifecycle Cost Analysis for Fleets was created to show fleet managers how to implement the use of analytical financial modeling within their vehicle fleets.
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