FleetWeek

The Wheels Vehicle Information and Planning Team will be presenting the second webcast in the 2013 ordering and planning series on Wednesday, July 25 at 1:00 p.m. CDT.

The upcoming webcast – titled Strategic Expertise:  Current Fleet Trends and Technologies – will complement last month’s replacement planning and acquisition webinar by highlighting some emerging fleet trends and technologies that may impact resale values, lifecycle costs and other important areas within your fleet.

If you would like to register for the webcast, you may do so here.  If you have any questions, please contact a member of your account team.

The Wheels Client Steering Council meets three times each year to discuss existing Wheels programs and services and to make suggestions for new program initiatives. Council members will meet next Tuesday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 11 for two days of discussion.

If you would like the Steering Council to address a particular topic, please contact member of your account team with your opinion or suggestion as soon as possible.

Toyota recently announced that it is recalling about 150,000 2010 Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h crossover vehicles due to concerns over trapped accelerator pedals.

Toyota said that the RX recall is related to a campaign that began in 2009 when the automaker learned that the accelerator pedals on certain models can become trapped on ill-fitting or incompatible driver's floor mats and remain “stuck” at full throttle.  Since late 2009, about 14 million Toyota vehicles worldwide have been recalled as a result of the floor mat issue.  

Each driver affected by the recall will receive an official recall notice, and can have his or her vehicle inspected and/or repaired at a certified dealership free of charge.

Please note that this communication is intended for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as an official notice from the manufacturer.  At this time, drivers with any questions related to the recall – including whether it applies to their specific vehicle(s) – should contact their local dealership.

Additional information on recalls is available at the NHTSA website at http://www.nhtsa.gov/. Please keep in mind that NHTSA now offers an e-mail notification service through which users can receive automatic recall updates for their vehicles.  Those who wish to register for the notification service can do so here.

Clients whose insurance policies expire August 1 are reminded to send their new certificates of insurance to the Wheels Risk Management Department as soon as possible by e-mailing them to RiskManagement@wheels.com or by faxing them to 847.627.8544 for processing. Certificates must list Wheels, Inc. and Wheels LT (and Wheels Leasing Canada Ltd. if applicable) as additional insureds.

It is important to send new certificates to Wheels in a timely fashion regardless of participation in our insurance programs, as current insurance certificates are contractually required and impact many fleet-related processes. For example, expired insurance certificates affect new vehicle deliveries, vehicle license plate renewals and state/province transfers. We encourage clients to contact their risk management department/insurance broker, if necessary, to expedite the certificate process.