FleetWeek

The Wheels MasterCard fuel card is one of the newest enhancements to our comprehensive Fuel Management Program in Puerto Rico. We launched the card to many of our fleets in Puerto Rico during a beta test, and have subsequently rolled out the new program to almost all clients on the island.

The card simplifies the fueling process for drivers due to its high acceptance rate at fueling stations, and it eliminates the need for drivers to pay out-of-pocket and keep fuel receipts to be reimbursed when they can't locate a station that accepts their branded card.

The new fuel card delivers a convenient mechanism for expensing fuel while receiving data that can be consolidated with other fleet expenses. It also provides multi-level security for fraud protection and the ability for you to set various purchase limits for program control.

Fuel transactions are displayed in FleetView. You can use that data to run standard or custom reports to monitor activity, and setup Dashboard Alerts to monitor exceptions.

This fuel payment solution is the result of ongoing research that Wheels performs to understand the unique needs of our clients and drivers, and we are receiving very positive feedback from users.

One of the many ways that Wheels sells vehicles and maximizes returns for clients is through Promotional Sales events. This unique remarketing strategy actively promotes the sale of Wheels vehicles at premium auction facilities across the country. These sales are target-marketed to a specific selection of dealers who have historically purchased the types of vehicles available during the event.

Each Promotional Sale is attended by a Wheels Remarketing Sales Manager who determines the running order for the vehicles and negotiates each sale to ensure maximum resale proceeds. We strategically open these events after the winter holiday season and hold them throughout the first half of the calendar year to take advantage of the steady resale market.

Wheels sold nearly 2,600 vehicles via this method in 2007, and sale proceeds exceeded Black Book Commercial Index by an average of 9%.

The 2008 Promotional Sale season started in January and will culminate with the following events scheduled during May:

May 9
Charleston Auto Auction - Moncks Corner, SC

May 14
Manheim's Harrisonburg Auto Auction - Harrisonburg, VA

Clients are welcomed and encouraged to attend these exciting and educational events; please note that there is still plenty of time to sign up for many of the April Promotional Sales events as well.

If you're interested in attending a promotional sales event, please click on the following link and complete an online response at https://surveys.wheels.com/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.cgi?idx=BW6UNJ.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that it will make available nearly $50 million in grant funding to help establish clean diesel projects and reduce emissions from the nation's existing fleet of diesel engines.

The sum was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and funded for the first time this fiscal year. The program will be administered by EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC), EPA regional offices and the agency's public and private sector partners.

In recent years, the EPA has set dozens of new particulate and nitrogen oxide standards, which the agency claims will prevent more than 20,000 premature deaths and yield more than $150 billion in public health benefits each year when fully implemented.

The EPA says that state, local, regional and tribal governments can apply for the grants, as well as non-profits and institutions with transportation, educational services and air quality responsibilities.

General Motors has announced there will be a very short production run for its model year 2009 medium-duty trucks. Please note the following:

• Due to increased demand, GM has rolled 6,000 2008 orders to 2009 production.
• Production for C-4500 and C-5500 rollover models is scheduled to begin July 14.
• The order banks for C-4500 and C-5500 Regular and Crew Cab models opened March 18, and new orders are expected to begin production in late August.
• GM is not accepting orders for any other medium duty trucks at this time.
• GM will cease all medium-duty production September 19, 2008.

Please also note that GM plans to sell off its medium-duty truck products to International Trucks, who will produce medium-duty models at its own assembly plant beginning with the 2010 model year. Such vehicles will continue to be branded with GM logos.

The International plant is not scheduled to open until January 2009 at the earliest. International has not announced when order banks for 2010 models will open, and there will be no planned rollover from 2009 to 2010.

General Motors

GM has announced the following extensions for some of its light-duty trucks (U.S. only):

All Chevrolet Silverado & GMC Sierra Pick-up models:

The final order cutoff date has been extended to May 23, 2008 for regular production options (RPO); the order cutoff date for special equipment options (SEO) will be April 25, 2008.

Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7:

The final order cutoff date has been extended to April 25, 2008.

Chevrolet Express Cargo & Cutaway, GMC Savana Cargo & Cutaway:

The final order cutoff date has been extended to April 16, 2008.

Ford Motor Company

Ford has announced that April 21, 2008 will be the final order cutoff date for the following 2008 models:

Ford Econoline Van
Ford Econoline Van w/ 6.0L Diesel
Ford Econoline Wagon
Ford F-250
Ford F-350
Ford F-450
Ford F-550

Chrysler LLC

Chrysler has announced that April 25, 2008 will be the final order cutoff date for the following 2008 models:

Chrysler PT Cruiser
Dodge Journey (early '09 model)
Jeep Commander
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Chrysler Sebring Convertible
Chrysler Sebring Sedan
Dodge Avenger
Dodge Caliber
Dodge Nitro
Jeep Compass
Jeep Liberty
Jeep Patriot
Dodge Dakota
Chrysler 300
Dodge Charger
Dodge Grand Caravan Cargo
Dodge Grand Caravan SE
Dodge Grand Caravan SXT
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Ram
Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 6' Bed
Dodge Ram 4500 Chassis Cab
Dodge Ram 5500 Chassis Cab
Dodge Ram Chassis Cab

Please review the Industry Reference section of the Wheels website for a complete list of 2008 final order cutoff dates and projected 2009 production startup dates.

Please keep in mind that these dates are tentative and subject to change. Therefore, we recommend you place your orders as soon as possible. Placing orders early will help to ensure production of your vehicle and avoid missing the cutoff date due to sudden changes by the manufacturer.

An order submitted by the final order cutoff date does not guarantee production by the manufacturer. Any orders received after the cutoff will be placed on a will-try basis, assuming a will-try period has been allotted by the manufacturer.

If you have any questions, please contact a member of your account team.