What Were Fleets Thankful For in 2012? - Copy

With the end of the year on the horizon, Teletrac tries to summarize a few major positive advancements this year in the world of fleet management.

New Compliance Regulations
Last month, the FMCSA introduced an expanded version of its Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), making it easier for more motor carrier companies to access PSP records, with driver consent.

• A PSP record includes three years of crash history and five years of roadside inspection history for a commercial driver.
   
• PSP is available to eligible intrastate motor carriers and companies directly involved in the pre-employment screening and hiring of commercial drivers.

The program expansion means important driver safety data is now more easily available to companies that are responsible for hiring drivers who get behind the wheel of large trucks and buses. 

New Safety Regulations

• Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed an amendment that would allow the agency to suspend or revoke the operating authority registration of motor carriers that disregard safety compliance.  

Greener Fleets
2012 was the most green year on record for MPG gains in the United States, according to AutoBlog.com. The website notes that 2012 model-year vehicles achieved  an average of 23.6 miles per gallon, which is up 1.1 mpg (or 5%) from the previous record of 22.5 mpg for the 2011 model year.

• Auto sales for the 2012 model year reached 14.1 million units, an increase of more than 10 percent (1.7 million) from the 2011 model year.
   
• Less than a third of model year 2013 vehicles with higher MPG are compacts or subcompact vehicles, meaning that automakers of larger vehicles are heeding the green call in a significant way. 
   
• Some fleets, like Ryder Systems Inc., have solidified their environmentally conscious business practices this year. Last week, Newsweek once-again named Ryder as one of the leading sustainable companies in the United States in their annual Green Rankings.

 
Now that's a lot to be happy about!