Gretchen Reese (00:06):

Hey there. Welcome to Fleet FYIs, 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 and some of the industry's finest in candid conversations that will shed some light on not only two decades' worth of data insights, but 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.

Gretchen Reese (00:33):

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 (laughs), or tell us what you liked or leave us a comment or a question about what you've heard in today's episode.

Gretchen Reese (00:58):

But 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 episode. If that sounds good to you, let's get back to the show.

Gretchen Reese (01:14):

Hello again. Welcome back to another daily recap of the Utility Expo on Fleet FYIs. Day two was almost as great as day one. And honestly, I didn't know that much could be done to outdo (laughs) what we saw yesterday. But I think they came pretty close, if not right on par. Both Michael and I said, when we first walked into the Utility Expo this morning, it almost seemed like an entirely new show. You know, there were new vehicles, there were new booths set up and new exhibitors, and it was pretty amazing to see. I mean, it literally felt like an entirely different show.

Gretchen Reese (01:54):

And we started to make our way through quite a few of the exhibitions, or not necessarily exhibitions, but I should say exhibitors that, uh, we didn't see yesterday and some more of the outdoor lots. Um, we got to see some really interesting presentations. And overall, it was just a really great day.

Gretchen Reese (02:11):

But first, I want to kick it over to Michael again. So (laughs) Michael, I'm glad that you're back with me again. Uh, what did you think of day two? Tell me how it went for you.

Michael Carr (02:21):

Absolutely. Thanks, Gretchen. Um, well, it was another great day at the E-, Utility Expo down in Louisville. That's for sure. Uh, beautiful day to spend among the people of the utility space, learning about their products, the, the operations and the insights.

Michael Carr (02:37):

Um, I thought my feet would be (laughs), would be sore after yesterday, but I was pleasantly surprised at how ready to, uh, rock and roll I was this morning.

Michael Carr (02:46):

Um, let's see. A few highlights from today. Um, well, I absolutely note that we saw the live demonstration, uh, that Planet Underground put on, um, in the, that part of the outdoor area that they called the Job Site. Super cool. Um, we got to watch a live installation of a utility, like, infrastructure that it was just incredible to see.

Michael Carr (03:10):

Um, they had guys out there dig out a, a big swath of land and then do a real life installation. Uh, really, really, really cool. Uh, granted I've, I've seen this done before, but never in a live environment and so close, um, where you can, like, feel the heat from the exhaust, um, and, and hear those machines just roaring. Uh, definitely, definitely a highlight.

Michael Carr (03:35):

Um, also got to chat with some folks who were familiar with Utilimarc, which is always nice. Um, absolutely a pleasure meeting them. Also got to, uh, chat with some folks, some new folks and, uh, learn about what they were doing and, uh, share some stories from the Utilimarc side, which was tremendous.

Michael Carr (03:51):

Um, oh, I also got to see this machine, uh, from Terex called the Terex Commander, uh, which was this digger derrick. Uh, and it had a, a turret mount and this, uh, spiral auger attachment. Uh, pretty much they, they use ... The use case there is to, like, dig a deep enough hole where they can then use the same machine to place a, a pole down in there to transmit a, a current through it over the wires, um, and, uh, all, all with the same truck, which is tremendous.

Michael Carr (04:21):

Uh, s-, and wa-, like, this operator was good, i-, incredible at his job, surgical with this thing. Uh, I w-, I watched (laughs) as he picked up a balloon, so that was sitting, uh, if you can picture this, sitting on top of a traffic cone, so, um, spiral point, facing up, balloon sitting on top. Uh, a gentle breeze could've knocked this thing off.

Michael Carr (04:45):

But, um, that did not sway the operator, eh, by any means. He very, very, very gently picked it up and, uh, then without popping it or putting too much pressure on anything, brought it over to a bucket that was on the other side of the, uh, demo exhibit area, um, and gently b-, dropped the balloon into the bucket and, uh, went back, re-, returned the, the piece of equipment back to its, its resting position. And it was, it was truly, truly an expert showing on his part. Um, really cool to see.

Michael Carr (05:20):

The use cases for these things are astounding. Um, and I understand why so many people are converging on Louisville to come see, um, because there's truly a, a plethora of options that, um, when you're in the same vicin-, vincinity, as, as these pieces of equipment, these trucks and everything in between, um, it's, it's, it's just really cool to see. It's a, it's a really powerful experience. And I, I really enjoyed day two, um, and ready for day three.

Gretchen Reese (05:47):

I am absolutely with you there. Um, I'd actually almost forgotten about (laughs), uh, the demonstration with the balloon. But it's kind of funny, because looking back at some of the video that, um, you know, we were taking throughout the day, that was actually probably one of my favorite ones to record, because, um, I don't know how many of you are film geeks or just love the side of filmmaking. And I'm not saying (laughs) I'm a filmmaker by any means, but just being able to record a demonstration like that and seeing such a heavy duty piece of equipment manage to, one, not only move a balloon from A point to B point, but also to not pop it, I thought, was pretty amazing.

Gretchen Reese (06:25):

Um, but I will some of my best bits from the day, and this is one of the things that I absolutely love the most, was being able to really get to know some of the equipment that most of our clients at Utilimarc are actually using. Um, and that's one of the things that I've been really taking the opportunity at this Utility Expo. I mean, you know, what better place (laughs) than where all of the new trucks and, um, popular vehicles or pieces of equipment are all on display for people to either admire or consider shopping or, you know, purchasing for their own fleets?

Gretchen Reese (06:57):

Um, but my point is, you know, getting to the point of the story here, um (laughs), I loved learning about them all. Uh, one of my favorites was learning about the sewer sucker that had an attachment called the Guzzler on the very back of it, um, as well as some of the new electric and hybrid options, again, kind of like yesterday that are, uh, coming out into the space over the next coming years and decades.

Gretchen Reese (07:18):

Um, and I say decades, but honestly, we'll probably see them a lot sooner than that, because this electrification movement is moving so fast, and it's almost at the timeframe where, you know, six months is a long time and a year is a long time for something to really develop, um, whereas previously, you'd be waiting five, 10, maybe even 15 years for something to evolve and come out that's new and innovative.

Gretchen Reese (07:39):

Um, another one of my best bits for today was I just, I really loved connecting with a lot of the folks that were there. Um, you know, that's one thing that I'm sure you probably all know about me by now, especially if you are a frequent, eh, Fleet FYIs listener, is that I am someone that is a natural extrovert and I love to talk to people.

Gretchen Reese (07:59):

Um, so that's always a really great highlight of the day. And overall, I think really being able to surround myself and immerse myself in the education of these different types of vehicles and understand exactly how our clients are using them, meeting up with clients as well, and even, uh, fans of Utilimarc, being able to just talk about who we are and, you know, what we do, not just as a platform, but as a team is always such a special thing. And I always really, really, really enjoy getting to do it.

Gretchen Reese (08:41):

So that is all for today's daily recap of the Utility Expo, day two. If you didn't get the chance to meet up with us today, if you are actually at the show or if you're just excited to hear about what's going on tomorrow, both Michael and I will be at the show all day tomorrow and we will also be at that Bourbon, Beer, and Networking event, or Bourbon, Beer, and Bites networking event after, um, the expo concludes tomorrow.

Gretchen Reese (09:07):

Um, and we are always so happy to meet anyone that ever wants to come up and say hi. Um, we'll just be wandering around the exhibition halls, or maybe you might find us in lot K or lot E outside for those of you that can brave the heat. Um, but other than that, that's pretty much all from me today. And I will speak to you guys tomorrow. Ciao.

Gretchen Reese (09:30):

Hey there. I think this is the time that I should cue the virtual high five, because if 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 the show notes and extra insights coming straight from our analysts to you.

Gretchen Reese (09:52):

That's all from me this week. So until next time, I'll catch you later.