Technology Is The Change Agent For The Fleet Management Company Executive Panel

The Fleet Management Company (FMC) Executive Panel returned to the Institute & Expo yesterday morning, providing attendees with a unique glimpse into both today's and tomorrow's concerns for fleet.

The moderator for this presentation was Pamela Sederholm, Executive Director of the American Automotive Leasing Association. This panel included: 

Dan Frank, President, Wheels, Inc., Des Plaines, Illinois
Kristi Webb, President and CEO, North America, Element Fleet Management, Sparks, Maryland
Chris Conroy, President and CEO, ARI, Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Tom Callahan, President, Donlen, Chicago, Illinois
Norman Lyle, President, EMKAY Canada, Toronto, Canada
Jeffrey Schlesinger, President and CEO, LeasePlan USA, Atlanta, Georgia

Frank was first up and began with a common theme among all the executuves: the fundamental and unavoidable changes that will happen for every aspect of driving, be it for business or otherwise. Frank disputed the assertion that we will, some day soon, be in a zero asset ownership environment because of car sharing (like Uber and Lyft). To his point, he cited that law enforcement may never be without drivers.

But in the world of autonomous vehicles, the business world has many opportunities for increased productivity: time not driving yet still moving is time where work can be done.

Lyle noted the rapid evolution of vehicle data collection, from data recorders to GPS and telematics, to vehicles with a multitude of native sensors which collect even the most granular points of data.

The fleet industry continues to "gray out" as fleet managers retire, taking their knowledge and experience with them. While millennials will fill those positions, Conroy said the biggest concern will be retaining all that valuable, accrued experience. Transitioning talent to the next generation of fleet professionals will require organizations institute mentoring if they have not already, he implied.

Starting with an anecdote about her mom and her hesitance before buckling the seatbelt to this day, Webb noted that she did eventually buckle up. So it is for some drivers who have seen dramatic technology and equipment changes over the years. Yet Webb also noted how easily accustomed she'd grown to using backup cameras on a very slick Minnesota morning.

Still, drivers need to retain their skills and remain vigilant, even when technology makes it so easy to let the car do the thinking. As proof, she noted that even though your car with all this advanced equipment can keep you from swerving into other lanes, the person in the car on either side -- while talking on the cell phone -- may not.

Callahan stepped out into the risky waters of our current political condition, stating that there may be great benefits derived from the Trump administration's "practical, not ideological" approach. The steer toward deregulation and/or loosening of regulation might also be good for OEMs and the business world, he claimed. Still, "every day is a new Tweet," Callahan quipped, suggesting that Pres. Trump favors the element of surprise.

"One person-one car" is, to Schlesinger, a fleet model that isn't just changing but is already intrinsically changed. From fleet management to fleet mobility, the sharing economy is here to stay. Fleets will succeed depending on their ability to adapt and "embrace change."

NAFA once again thanks these fleet executives for taking the time to share their perspectives with us.