By Matthew Betz, Vice President Business Development, Fleet at Motus, LLC

"It's not the stress that kills you, it's our reaction to it" - Hans Selye

Most people, and certainly all of those involved in fleet, know the dangers of driving while impaired. And most people recognize major causes of impairment to be things like alcohol and drugs. Not as well understood is the driving impairment caused by stress. And according to major studies, stress can cause distraction equal to, or greater than an intense phone call. This creates an atmosphere where poor decisions, road rage and crashes become more likely.

Sources of stress
When we think about sources of stress for the Modern Mobile Worker, it's easy to understand how major life events like a death in the family, divorce or other personal problems can create short term stress that carries over into our work life. In addition, work related sources of stress, like corporate mergers, a need for higher sales numbers, or sales call quotas can create an atmosphere of stress that is much longer lasting. All of this means that as fleet professionals we need to be aware of the stressors and do whatever we can to reduce them.

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By Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor

Hans Damen, the veteran international fleet consultant, and FleetVision partner, has formed a new partnership, Fleet & Driver Care, with Eelco Van de Wiel, president of Fleet Insurance, a Netherlands-based consultancy.

Fleet & Driver Care has recently introduced Insurance Plus, a program that allows large multinationals to identify cost savings in their insurance programs and reinvest these savings into driver behavior programs, which, they say, will yield substantial savings. As of now, Insurance Plus is available only in Europe, but Damen says that the company is looking at the option of expanding to the U.S. "At the moment, we are close to an agreement with a large European multinational.”

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In the wake of a fatal accident that nearly claimed the life of comedian Tracy�Morgan earlier this year, tired truckers�received considerably scrutiny from Congress and safety advocates. On Monday,�AAA�released a new study that served as a reminder that it’s not just tired truckers that pose a threat on U.S. roads. It’s the rest of us too.

Drowsy driving is involved in more than 21 percent of all fatal accidents, according to the organization’s Foundation for Traffic Safety, which says that, to this point, the number of�traffic�deaths pinned on tired drivers�has been significantly underreported.

READ MORE to learn about the study.

Owners of electric vehicles have already gone gas-free. Now, a growing number are powering their cars with sunlight.

Solar panels installed on the roof of a home or garage can easily generate enough electricity to power an electric or plug-in gas-electric hybrid vehicle. The panels aren’t cheap, and neither are the cars. A Ford Fusion Energi plug-in sedan, for example, is $7,200 more than an equivalent gas-powered Fusion even after a $4,007 federal tax credit.

But advocates say the investment pays off over time and is worth it for the thrill of fossil fuel-free driving.

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The blistering pace of recent car sales has been one of the U.S. economy's more bullish indicators. There's new evidence that the auto industry is even hotter than many thought.

The car world tends to focus on units sold, which is to say the total number of vehicles rolling out of dealerships during any given period. This year, Americans are on pace to buy about 16.4 million vehicles, a 6 percent increase from 2013 and the most purchased in the nation since 2006.

Here's the development no one is mentioning: Americans are spending a whole lot more money per car.

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Voters on Tuesday across the country rejected speed cameras, higher gas taxes and funds for new light rail as automakers prepare for a new Republican controlled Congress.

Automakers are bracing for auto safety legislation next year in the wake of a series of high-profile recalls linked to defective General Motors cars and Takata airbags -- and a reform bill could be attached to a highway re-authorization bill next spring.

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The Automotive Fleet and Leasing Association (AFLA) annual conference was held to rave reviews September 7-10 at the M Resort Spa & Casino in Las Vegas. A record attendance of over 475 fleet professionals turned out for the chance to network with colleagues and gain valuable insight on key industry issues.

The theme of the 2014 conference; Learn, Innovate, Win: Improving Your Odds for Fleet Success, showcased industry-related presentations, keynote speakers and panel discussions.

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PepsiCo has kept 55,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by reducing�fuel consumption�in its�transportation�fleet by 24 percent since 2010, and is looking to further reduce fuel consumption for its trucks and vehicles, according to Green Century Capital Management, which has been in discussions with�Pepsi�about its�climate change�efforts.

In addition, Green Century says Pepsi has outlined several new initiatives to reduce the carbon intensity of its trucking fleet, which involve working with suppliers to seek lower carbon fuel alternatives.

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The price of gasoline is expected to continue to fall over the next several weeks as something like an old fashioned price war not seen in nearly 50 years breaks out in the global petroleum markets.

The average price for a gallon of gasoline is now $2.955 cents per gallon, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gage as the price of gasoline dropped by almost a penny. Last month, Americans were paying $3.289 cents per gallon.

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Frito-Lay, a large company with an equally large fleet, makes the switch to alternative fuel in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve fuel. After switching to electric and propane powered vehicles through the largest among the U.S. Department of Energy's nearly 100 Clean Cities coalitions, Clean Fuels Ohio, they have dramatically improved their carbon footprint.

Fleet efficiency is critical to a national convenient foods producer like Frito-Lay. The company and its parent PepsiCo, have committed to an aggressive plan to conserve fuel and reduce emissions of its delivery trucks and sales cars.

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