ICRS Panel To Deal With Fleet Management Trends
Experts shed light on procurement, maintenance and disposal in 2020 and beyond
The car rental fleet management landscape is a forever-altering environment rife with changes. These changes includes technology, fuel prices, consumer tastes, specifications in vehicle acquisition and getting the most out of a mobile investment once its deemed no longer useful for the business.
Hoping to shed life on these changes, the International Car Rental Show, taking place March 22-24 in Las Vegas, is dedicating a seminar to the topic entitled Fleet Planning for 2020 and Beyond, moderated by Mike Muenlenfeld of United MileFleet and paneled by NP Auto Group’s Mike DeLorenzo, Car Management & Consulting Group’s Joe Lyons and United MileFleet’s Andy Wilson.
The basic discussion will focus on trends affecting the life of a rental car from its acquisition from the manufacturer to its exit from the fleet. It will also look at the latest news regarding supply, procurement, options surrounding purchasing vs. leasing and auctioning and reselling discarded vehicles. Although it’s premature to speculate on other issues surrounding the topic, talks may also focus on other developments.
Current Fleet Management Trends:
According to Automotive Fleet, a number of trends predicted a few years ago are already materializing in the industry. While fuel costs have remained low, the addition of more technological features into newer models have raised acquisition prices considerably. This has put a strain on car rental company budgets.
Rollout shifts have also become planning issues. Past manufacturing procedures with specs on new models traditionally prompted companies to order in the summer and build-outs taking place the following spring. Today, production delays and mid-year changes in specs make procurement a tougher task for car rental firms looking at new acquisitions.
The level of technology features being built into newer rollouts can also cause headaches for a car rental company. That’s particularly true for those who run their own vehicle maintenance departments. Trying to keep pace with those changes usually means that more personnel need to be trained on how to keep those vehicles running in good order. Compound that with the already daunting tasks of trying to maintain vehicles already in their fleets.
The bottom line is that such changes have made decisions on vehicle procurement more challenging than ever. By outlining the current trends in fleet management and how car rental companies can make the adjustment, this seminar could help cut down on the confusion.
Bluebird offers numerous fleet tracking capabilities in RentWorks, from rate management, user defined classes, maintenance and more. The Bluebird team will be happy to run through all these with visitors at the 2020 ICRS in a few weeks time. We hope to see you there!
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