The report, Utilimarc® Light-Duty Pickup, is now online for NAFA Members to view. We hope you find this information useful. In upcoming months look for other such reports to be provided by Utilimarc®.
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NAFA's 2013 Membership Directory allows members to easily access NAFA colleagues with listings by their last name, by company name, by business category, or by region and chapter. The NAFA Membership Directory also helps individuals network with peers in fleet by offering business and contact information, listings for officers and directors, membership, committees, and more.
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Please take a moment to log on to the NAFA website at www.nafa.org and click on My Profile to verify your contact information. Now is the time to be sure all your information is correct so that you can stay in touch with your NAFA membership peers, and they can stay in touch with you.
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Our "member-recruit-a-member" campaign is vital for the Association's growth – and it offers you the opportunity to win great prizes and spread the word about NAFA...but this is the "fourth quarter" so now's the time to make it happen!
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The Association salutes Gladys Reyes, NAFA’s Meetings Assistant, on taking the initiative and earning her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation. The CMP program recognizes individuals who have achieved the industry’s highest standard of professionalism.
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Alabama; Mid-America; Rocky Mountain; Pacific Northwest; New England; Tri-State; and Ontario.
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The Obama Administration issued a public warning on October 10 that millions of vehicles that have undergone repairs after a serious crash could pose severe safety risks due to the use of counterfeit replacement airbags. Most or all of the faulty safety devices were apparently sourced from China, according to the government, which estimates that "tens of thousands of counterfeit air bags" are now unknowingly in use in American automobiles.
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U.S. auto sales had a thirteen percent gain that unexpectedly pushed the monthly selling pace higher than for any month since the industry's 2008 collapse. Sales totaled 1,188,899 light vehicles for the month, almost 100,000 more than most forecasters had expected. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate rose to 14.9 million. That's higher than the cash-for-clunkers 14.6 million SAAR in August 2009 and the best since the near-fifteen million mark in March 2008.
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Gasoline closing in on a record $5 a gallon prompted Governor Jerry Brown to direct California regulators to relax smog controls so oil refineries could increase supplies of cheaper fuel. Retail prices began to skyrocket after Exxon Mobil Corporation’s 150,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Torrance, near Los Angeles, reduced production October 1 after a power failure.
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As the Tory government looks to put the brakes on spending, opposition parties say the $2.6-million executive fleet that provides vehicles to more than fifty senior politicians and government officials is one place to start. The government will pay up to $45,000 for a vehicle for the unrestricted use of cabinet ministers and up to $43,000 for officials such as deputy ministers and the premier’s senior political staff.
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Overall, 79 percent of new-vehicle buyers use the Internet (also referred to as Automotive Internet Users, or AIUs) to research their vehicle purchase. While nearly all (99 percent) AIUs use a desktop/laptop computer at some point in their shopping process, nearly thirty percent use multiple devices, including desktops, smartphones, and/or tablets.
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The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released a report on October 1 examining the relationship between truck fleet scores and actual crash involvement. Also, Congress has passed and sent to the President, the Military Commercial Driver’s License Act of 2012. The legislation gives active duty military personnel, military reserves, members of the National Guard, active duty United States Coast Guard, and Coast Guard Auxiliary members more flexibility in obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License.
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A proposed bill will enable municipalities to issue tickets to out-of-province vehicles caught running red lights, and will keep Ontario roads safe. Also, Ottawa Police have announced that they will be implementing Collision Reporting Centers (CRCs) across the city.
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After a disappointing summer for the used vehicle market, Tom Webb, Chief Economist for Manheim Consulting, says things look to be getting back to normal.
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"Transaction prices in September are as stable as the sales rate, while still being the highest in years," said Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Market Intelligence at TrueCar.com. "This stability is another indication of consumer demand; the data this month indicates that the automotive marketplace has found a new equilibrium that is sustainable and growing at a healthy pace."
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Chrysler Group LLC, the automaker controlled by Fiat SpA (F), said it is creating a new division within its Ram truck brand aimed at fleet buyers and small businesses as it introduces new heavy-duty pickups.
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Ford sales of Focus, C-MAX, and Fiesta totaled 24,628 vehicles in September, representing Ford’s best September for small car sales in ten years. Focus sales were up 91 percent, while the C-MAX began sales last month.
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General Motors is opening an Information Technology Innovation Center in Warren, MI, and expects to hire up to 1,500 high-tech employees over the next several years to support the company’s new approach to IT services. The GM Michigan Innovation Center is the second of four planned Innovation Centers in the United States. GM last month announced the opening of the first facility in Austin, TX, where 500 new IT jobs will be created.
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A giant Honda Accord recall will be delayed into next year because the automaker doesn't have enough parts to fix the problem. American Honda Motor Co. is expanding an earlier recall of Acura TL sedans to include 572,000 model-year 2003-2007 Accord V6 vehicles in the United States. Earlier this year, 52,615 Acura TL models were notified for recall for this same issue, but Honda has now added 573,147 Accords to the list of potentially faulty vehicles.
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NAFA welcomes new Members and Affiliates into the Association.
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LaVerne Butler, Robert W. Fields, Chris C. Mannino, William J. Hoysgaard, and Sydney Z. Pawlowski celebrate important anniversaries with NAFA in October.
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If you find yourself in a hardship situation, or if you have recently (within the past year) had to cancel your NAFA membership due to such hardships, please let NAFA know. Members have the ability to petition NAFA for a reduction of membership dues and Affiliation fees.
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Do you want to survey Members about new vehicles? What of Members' opinions about safety policies, or do you want to gather information about vehicle maintenance? NAFA’s Market Research and Survey Email Service is an option provided by NAFA to help get the information you're looking for.
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Original Post: October 1 A new public vehicle maintenance plan for Palm Beach County, FL will be utilizing the outsourcing of vehicle parts acquisition to NAPA's Genuine Parts Company, based out of Georgia. Palm Beach County commissioners approved the $2 million deal on September 11 to start providing the parts needed to maintain the county's vast fleet.
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On October 9 General Motors appointed Senior Executive Robert E. Ferguson to lead the global growth and development of the company’s iconic Cadillac brand. In the newly created position of Vice President, Global Cadillac, Ferguson will be responsible for marketing, brand management and advertising for Cadillac in markets around the world. The move is effective immediately and he will report directly to GM chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. Responsibility for sales is also expected to transition to Ferguson in the new year.
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UPS announced on October 4 the deployment of forty new hydraulic hybrid vehicles. Developed by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation and Parker Hannifin Corporation, the package cars can achieve up to 35 percent improved fuel economy and up to 30 percent CO2 emissions reduction over traditional diesel-powered vehicles that use automatic transmissions in stop-and-go applications.
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Renewable Energy Group, the largest U.S. producer of biodiesel, argues that any easing of the corn-ethanol requirement would create uncertainty for all biofuels, raising concerns in the industry about the sustainability of market demand.
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An initiative launched by the governors of Oklahoma and Colorado to encourage the production of compressed natural gas vehicles for their state fleets has produced more than one hundred bids from vehicle dealerships in 28 states, the two said on October 4.
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Virginia has signed agreements with two private fuel companies and joined in a multi-state effort to convert the state's vehicle fleet to alternative fuels. Governor Bob McDonnell announced the development October 2 to launch his conference on energy in Richmond. It ran through October 4.
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Representatives of FedEx Express, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and Dow Kokam shared ways electrification has made economic sense for their companies. The secret seemed to be overcoming barriers to electrification with innovative solutions, according to FedEx Express and PG&E.
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Nissan says it’s going to revive that affordable but innovative brand from the '50s, the Datsun. But this time they’re going to make it really, really affordable: as low as $3,000 for the car. Automakers designing for emerging markets don’t have to design to the same regulatory specifications as in the U.S. Two-cylinder engines, manual transmission, cheap interior fabrics, and trim are also ways to get a car’s sticker price below $10,000.
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NAFA's Emergency Operations Manual is specifically written for fleet managers! This brand new "how-to" guide provides step-by step instructions to develop an effective emergency operations plan, and can be yours today from the NAFA Store.
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Tacoma, WA; Hillsborough County, FL; Santa Clara, CA; Chicago, IL; Phoenix, AZ; Libertyville, IL; Coachella, CA; Houston, TX; and Charlotte, NC.
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The number of teens who drink and then drive has fallen by more than half over the last two decades, according to a new study, but there is still a problem with teens "binge drinking" before climbing behind the wheel.
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More elderly drivers will hit the road in the next decade, but family members wonder: When is it time for elderly loved ones to move to the passenger seat? With a growing population of baby boomers, officials are bracing for a surge in senior drivers. Statistics tell us that accidents increase after the age of 65, and fatal accidents are more likely after the age of 75.
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NAFA's 2013 Membership Directory, now being delivered, will keep you in contact with your peers, parts and service providers, and NAFA leadership. This members-only benefit is a resource you'll use all throughout 2013.

FleetFOCUS Newsletter © 2012 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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