Jump to a topic
Welcome to the Monthly Wrap-up, a series consolidating some of the top news that could impact fleet operations. Knowing what’s going on — and what’s potentially on the horizon — can help fleets better prepare for operational disruptions and challenges to keep things running as smoothly as possible. But, because the news cycle races by, it can be hard to keep up with — and who can find the time, am I right? That’s why the Monthly Wrap-up delivers short-and-sweet reporting with links you can take a deep dive into at your convenience. Enjoy!
Fleet Industry News 🚛
West Coast Bomb Cyclone
California and Washington had a major weather event toward the end of the month known as a bomb cyclone that left at least two dead in each state and almost one million businesses and residents without power — which still hasn’t been fully restored. Between heavy flooding, road closures and debris from the powerful storm, vehicle traffic was limited by authorities in some areas.
Takeaway For Fleets
While utility fleets are working overtime to restore power, other fleets in the area may face challenges with routing and road closures. As with the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton, fleets directly affected by the weather event may need to put additional resources into asset repairs, while fleets that work in and around the affected areas may see an increase in operational costs due rerouting.
Autonomous Helicopters on the Horizon
Autonomy in aviation makes a move toward the private sector with autonomous helicopters in the works — and a couple already in use. “Rotor has built two autonomous Sprayhawks and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year. The company also is developing helicopters that would carry cargo in disaster zones and to offshore oil rigs. The helicopter could also be used to fight wildfires,” according to the Associated Press. “For now, Rotor is focused on the agriculture sector, which has embraced automation with drones but sees unmanned helicopters as a better way to spray larger areas with pesticides and fertilizers.”
Takeaway For Fleets
With a wide array of applications, autonomous helicopters could help improve operator safety when deployed in hazardous zones to provide relief or assist in disaster mitigation. For the agriculture fleets, the safety factor applies, but can also enable the business to accomplish more in less time.
Technology News 🖥️
Growing Use of AI in Fleet
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been growing in popularity across industries, and it’s a tool fleets can take advantage of to improve their operations. “A fleet facing chronic vehicle downtime might prioritize predictive maintenance AI, while one focused on logistics might look to AI for routing and fuel optimization. Identifying your pain points narrows down the search for AI tools that’ll actually make an impact,” according to Jane Clark, Senior Vice President of Operations, NationaLease. “Data fuels AI, plain and simple. But messy, siloed, or outdated data? That’s a one-way ticket to subpar results. Before you unleash AI on your fleet, get your data in order—break down silos, update records, and double-check for accuracy.”
Takeaway For Fleets
AI can be used for various operational processes, whether it’s in your fleet management or optimization platform or tackling invoices and customer questions. Fleets looking to incorporate AI into their operations should determine where and how it can provide the greatest benefits and ROI.
Apple Encourages Latest Software Update for Security Reasons
Speaking of AI, Apple recently released its iOS 18.1 update which included Apple Intelligence and already, there is a new update available to fix some security issues that arose with the 18.1 update. “Given that the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency has just made an intervention advising all users to upgrade to iOS 18.1.1 (or iOS 17.7.2) as soon as possible, it regards the security features here as important,” according to Forbes. “The first of the two fixes is for JavaScriptCore, and deals with ‘maliciously crafted web content’ that could lead to arbitrary code execution. The second concerns WebKit, which is at the heart of the Safari browser. Apple says, ‘Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to a cross site scripting attack.’”
Takeaway For Fleets
A major pain point of using technology is security, and due to its pervasive use, fleets need to take precautions to ensure the security of their data. Many fleets are using mobile devices to record data, so having a solid security policy — which includes necessary software updates — can help minimize the risk of breeches.
A secure and centralized fleet solution
Data security is a top priority at Fleetio, which is why we take proactive measures to maintain a secure operating infrastructure — all while pulling data from disparate sources into one place for easier fleet management.
Learn more
Policy News ✍️
War Escalations
Ukraine launched U.S.-supplied long-range missiles into Russia, the first attack of its kind since the kurfuffle started. This occurred shortly after Russia lowered its threshold for nuclear response. In response, Russia launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile carrying a conventional warhead but which can be outfitted with a nuclear warhead, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition to these recent escalations, we’re now seeing hostilities in Syria heat up.
Takeaway For Fleets
The long and short of it is: war is bad for business, and even conflict afar affects prices and supply at home. Should these conflicts escalate, fleets may feel the effects in the form of increased operational costs.
Easing Emissions Regulations
Back in 2020, Brookings tracked the Trump administration’s “deregulatory actions, and count[ed] 74 actions that the administration [took] to weaken environmental protection,” with a focus of tackling climate change initiatives. According to Holland & Knight, Trump is expected to expand those actions and “reverse the Biden Administration's light-duty vehicle emissions standards.” Trump’s own Agenda 47 echoes this, stating that his administration “will revive the U.S. auto industry by reversing harmful regulations [and] canceling Biden’s electric vehicle and other mandates.” Sustainability is important to many fleets, whether because of climate worries or to appeal to climate-conscious customers, but there are concerns about meeting regulatory deadlines that seem impossible to achieve.
Takeaway For Fleets
A rollback in sustainability initiates provides fleets a better — less stressful — opportunity to plan for and enact EV adoption at a pace that suits their business and operational needs and allows them to better assess the current performance of EVs already in the fleet.
Economy News 💰
Inflation is Still a Problem
Back in September, the Fed initiated two interest rate cuts, but in November, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell stated that “that they don't need to be in a hurry to lower interest rates, citing ongoing economic growth, a solid job market and inflation that remains above the 2% target,” according to FXS. “Powell further reiterated that the policy is still restrictive but argued that they need to move patiently and carefully to find the neutral rate.”
Takeaway For Fleets
Interest rates climb in a bad economy and dip in a good one. The stagnation of rate cuts indicates inflation is still up, but keeping an eye on the Fed’s interest rate movements can inform fleets of the current and anticipated economic climate.
Leading up to the New Administration
With the election over, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to look at what might be coming down the pipeline in terms of the economy under the next administration. While the 2025 economic outlook leans toward lower costs, “How the result [of the election] affects economies around the world will take time to appear and will depend on the policies the new administration chooses to adopt once in power,” according to S&P Global. “In the meantime, there could well be a near-term impact, through the pre-ordering and shipping of goods around the world to front-run the imposition of potential tariffs, notably from mainland China.”
Takeaway For Fleets
The transition of administrations can cause some market volatility and economic growing pains, so fleets should budget conservatively through 2025.
Fleetio’s Guide for Managing Maintenance
Trying to keep operating costs in check while maximizing asset uptime? Check out our Guide for Managing Maintenance to learn about tried and true methods you can implement to reach those goals.
Learn more
