Gretchen Reese (00:12):

Hey there. Welcome to the Fleet FYIs podcast, the weekly podcast by Utilimarc that reveals how you can make the most of your data for smarter fleet management. My name is Gretchen, and every week you'll hear from me or some of the industry's finest in candid conversations that will not only shed some light on over two decades worth of fleet data insights, but also some of the industry's hottest talking points and key metric analysis with the aim to help you better understand your fleet from every angle.

(00:52):

But before we begin, if this is the first time you've heard our show, thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad you decided to come along for the ride with us. But I've got a quick favor to ask you. Once you finish today's episode, if you could take a few minutes to leave us a review on your favorite podcasting platform, we would really appreciate it. Give us a rating, five stars I hope, or tell us what you liked, or leave us a comment or a question about what you've heard in today's episode. If we haven't yet covered a topic that you're interested in hearing more about, let us know. We would be happy to go over it in detail in a later show.

(01:34):

Hello everyone and welcome back to a short and sweet update from the Fleet FYIs podcast. Just a quick disclaimer, this is not your standard Friday episode content, so if you are looking for that, you'll be able to see that in a couple of days coming this Friday. But for now, I'm going to give you a short and sweet recap of the Fleet Forward Conference and Fleet Safety Conference that the Utilimarc team attended in Santa Clara, California last week. So if you're ready to learn more about the conferences itself, what the team got up to, and even a really exciting panel that we were able to be a part of, you're in for a treat. Let's dig in.

(02:37):

So firstly, let's just get started with the background of the conference in itself, because I think if you're interested in sustainability, if you're interested in fleet technology and basically anything that points forward in the world of fleet, and like I said, so sustainability similar to previous episodes. My definition of sustainability, if this is the first time you're listening, is very full faceted. It's not just electric vehicles, it's not just alternative fuels, but it's how you can be profitable and able to be around for the long run in order to make these greener changes that everyone talks about.

(03:11):

But basically the idea is that this conference is surrounding the future of fleet. So that is connectivity, it's autonomy, it's safety technology, anything you can think of that is forward-thinking, that is what this conference brings to you. And the cool part is that it brings together industry leaders from all across the US whether it's from the Utilimarc team or we were on a panel with some folks from Wheels and Booster just this last week. There's so many exciting things that come as part of this conference, and it's always an event that we look forward to attending.

(03:48):

This year in particular, I really, really enjoyed the fact that there was a lot of focus, not just on future pointing technology, we did cover that. But what I'm really excited about is that the mood and the energy of the show seemed to be a little bit less EV obsessed. And by EV obsessed, I mean that the future is only electric. That's the only way forward. It is a one size fits all option, because I think there's, sure that can work for some people, but it's not exactly the way that all fleets can approach going green and having this sustainable strategy. So it was really nice that the mood and the energy matched that more tangible and proven technology strategy that cannot only have an immediate effect, but a long-term impact as well. So this is where we're really starting to look at those fleet safety metrics, the fuel management side of things and alternative fuel opportunities.

(04:42):

A really cool piece I think, is that even a client of ours is trialing this renewable diesel, which if you remember from a couple of episodes ago, we did a podcast on alternative fuels and what they are, what they mean. And where biodiesel and renewable diesel differ, it's the way that it's manufactured, but basically you have more of a higher energy efficiency rating in this renewable diesel than biodiesel. So it could potentially be a great option for folks that are looking to go the alternative fuel route, but they still have this heavier duty equipment that they need to power, which requires a diesel based fuel. And best part is, it's all done from animal fats. So sustainability side there and then it's also a lower emissions fuel. But anyways, again, going back to the alternative fuel side, there was a lot of buzz around this type of new fuel and also not just renewable diesel in itself, but alternative fuel opportunities and especially the safety aspect I really, really enjoyed.

(05:52):

Now, for what I'm most excited about, or selfishly, what I'm most excited about because I participated in this panel, was the panel on Environmental Social Governance or ESG beyond electrification. And as you can probably gather from some of the podcast episodes we've done in the past, or even if you've talked to me at a show or even our team in general, you'll know that we as a company and as a team, and even me personally myself, are super, super, super passionate about giving people as many options as they possibly can have when it comes to going green or being more sustainable. Because the thing is, and like I've mentioned quite a few times on this show, is it's not just about green strategy, right? It's about being profitable and being able to have the longevity so you are around to make these green changes.

(07:00):

So sometimes that boils down to data management. And data management, honestly I mean, that's our bread and butter if you know Utilimarc already, which hopefully you do, but it's our bread and butter. And it's amazing because you can do so much with data in itself and whether it's on the sustainability front, you can see what vehicles have the best candidates for replacement in regards to electric vehicles or alternative fuel options. You can see how you're trending over time in terms of lowering emissions or eliminating them. You can also even see if any one sustainable strategy is right for you. And the cool part about this panel was I was speaking with Frank Mycroft of Booster and Sara Sweeney of Wheels, Donlen. And it was really, really interesting to gather insights from not just my two co panelists, but also from the room around us after the panel had ended about how people are really feeling about the sustainability movement.

(07:59):

And one thing that really struck me was, and this actually came as a question during the panel was, "do you think this is a fleet manager's responsibility alone?" And my answer for that was, "NO." All capital. Capital N, capital O, NO. It is not just a fleet manager's responsibility to go down this sustainable route because if you think about it, not only are they managing fleets, but you're asking them to be an analyst for all of this data that comes from it. You're asking them to research new fuel types, new vehicles, candidates for replacement. You're asking them to deal with more lead times on top of what they're already trying to manage. It's a team effort.

(08:37):

And that's one thing that we were really trying to stress not just last week at Fleet Forward, but also as we're speaking with customers, potential customers, and even just folks like you or myself that's out there in the fleet universe or vehicle universe. There's so many, so many, so many approaches and there's so much support for sustainability. Whether it's policies, whether it's grants, whether it's attitude, or even if you just want some help trying to figure out what's best for you, there's multiple ways to approach it and it's not just going electric.

(09:09):

So, like I said, selfishly, I was really excited about the panel. I thought it was great. And if you'd like to hear a little bit more about what the panel entailed, if you want some more information on it in general, or if you really just want to talk about ESG beyond electrification, we're going to have a roundup over on our blog, which is www.utilimarc.com/blog. And there we'll break down the panel content, what all was actually discussed, some of the main questions that we got from the audience after the panel concluded. And then you'll also be able to find a way to get in touch if you'd like to chat about it further.

(10:13):

All in all, Fleet Forward and Fleet Safety Conference 2022 was a fantastic show and we really, really, really enjoy taking the Utilimarc team every year, and we look forward to it every single year as well. If you have any questions about Fleet Forward, Fleet Safety Conference or Utilimarc's participation in it or even ESG beyond electrification, you can send me an email. You can tag me on LinkedIn, use the hashtag UtilimarcFleetFYIs, or you can send me a carrier pigeon. We all know how I feel about those. But anyways, make sure you stay tuned for Friday's episode that will be coming out this week. And then also, if you want to learn more about the events that Utilimarc is participating in every year, make sure you keep an eye on our website. Like I said, it's www.U-T-I-L-I-M-A-R-C.com, utilimarc.com. We have an events page where you can see all of the events we'll be planning for 2023. Where we'll be, where you can find us. And then if you would like to engage in a speaking opportunity, feel free to let us know. Ciao guys.

(11:38):

Hey there, I think this is the time that I should cue the virtual high five because you've just finished listening to another episode of the Fleet FYIs podcast. If you're already wanting more content, head over to utilimarc.com, which is Utilimarc with a C, U-T-I-L-I-M-A-R-C.com for this episode's, show notes and extra insights coming straight from our analyst to you. That's all from me this week, so until next time, I'll catch you later.