November 18, 2021

Last week we wrapped up our 9^th annual Results+ Fleet Performance Summit, celebrating and profiling select customer successes and lessons learned over the past year. “Our methodology for selecting the successes that are included at the Results+ Summit involves careful consideration,” said Suresh Rajapakse, vice president of account management. “We partner with our clients to understand their businesses and goals, and then work together to create solutions to help them reach those goals.” Wheels’ senior director of account management Shonn Glenn adds, “The end result of our collaborative, innovative relationships is then celebrated and shared at the Summit. We are so proud of all of our partnerships.”

Understanding how to best respond to the continued issues the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the global supply chain has been a challenge for everyone. We’ve continued to work hard to help our clients drive savings, innovation, efficiencies, and success. With topics including ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), Risk Mitigation, Compliance and Operational Efficiency, attendees told us this was an insightful event. Read on for an overview of each day’s topics and take-aways.

DAY 1: UPDATES AND POSSIBILITIES
Dan Frank, the former CEO of Wheels, kicked things off by discussing the Wheels merger with Donlen. He spoke about his new role as Vice Chair of the Board, expressed his gratitude to everyone for being part of the Frank family business for over 80 years and assured continued successes and increased capabilities to come from the merger.

The newly appointed CEO of both companies, Shlomo Crandus discussed additional details of the merger and shared our commitment to a client-centric, minimal-disruption integration. He noted that the integration process will continue to be thoughtful and strategic – always with our two biggest assets, our clients and our employees, in mind.

Attendees were then treated to a thought-provoking and inspiring presentation by #1 New York Times best-selling author Ben Nemtin, “Five Steps to Making the Impossible Possible.”

DAY 2: ESG

Day 2 focused on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), an important topic for many clients and for Wheels. Laura Jozwiak, senior vice president of sales & client relations at Wheels, discussed the Wheels’ ESG journey, which not only focuses on helping clients achieve their ESG goals but deepening our corporate commitment in this space.

Bob Gonke, senior manager of account management at Wheels moderated a panel on Environmental Sustainability. Panelists included Aleece Beaulieu, senior program manager of transportation at Genentech; Mariana Siddiqi, finance and procurement analyst at Novo Nordisk Canada; and Katie Keeton, fleet manager with Siemens. All panelists shared their progress in moving to a fully electric fleet which included strategies such as driver engagement and lessons learned from charger installation.

There was a discussion around the lack of data with recharging a battery that used to be gained by a driver using a fuel card, and the challenge with sourcing and transparency around where the electricity is coming from for EVs and hybrids. Is it renewable, sustainable? This kicked off a general discussion around sustainability, and what each company is trying to do to further their related goals. Some steps mentioned included re-using on-site water, solar panels, and commuter buses for employees.

DAY 3: RISK AND COMPLIANCE

Shonn Glenn, Wheels’ senior director of account management, gave an overview of risk and driver safety, describing Wheels’ comprehensive approach to helping clients manage risk. He went on to say that adapting to continual change is a big part of success, and that a holistic approach to risk management includes considering supplier partners, fleet leaders and vehicle drivers.

He shared how Wheels views risk and work to proactively manage it through cross-functional teams that constantly assess and respond to risk.

Scott Edidin, senior manager of account management at Wheels, then kicked off the panel with Sabrina Masse, fleet manager for Bath Fitter; Mike Camnetar, global fleet manager for General Mills; Michael Holz, global fleet leader at Danaher; and Mark Peabody, global fleet manager at 3M.

The panelists shared details about how they have built a more robust safety and compliance program, including identifying risky drivers and motivating behavior changes, overcoming internal resistance in the steps that entail building a more safety-focused culture, and measuring program success.. One key aspect that was mentioned was continuous MVR monitoring, as you don’t want a driver on the road who received a serious violation that isn’t discovered until several months later.

Cell phone use while using a company vehicle was a hot topic in the Q&A session. Hands-free is allowed at most companies, but total cell phone bans are being considered, and are already in place at other companies.

DAY 4: OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Ahsan Rahim, chief operating officer of Wheels, led the day with a detailed Wheels product update, including Wheels CheckOut, a pool vehicle sharing and management solution; Risk Level Change Communications which offers customized messaging around risk levels; and our unique Cents-per-Mile Driver Tax Compliance program, which may yield lower driver tax liability.

This was followed by the introduction of the Operational Efficiency Panel, moderated by Chrissy McGrath, senior manager of account management at Wheels.

Panelists included Jonathan Kamanns, account director of fleet and safety at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals; Marca Brown, senior manager of fleet optimization at DTE Energy; and Gerard Bartolotta, fleet manager at Securitas.

Efficiency was discussed from several time- and cost-savings perspectives, with the unified goal of operating smarter and better than ever before. It was pointed out that efficiency of processes affects everything else in the business and that you never want to waste time—especially driver time. Some companies focus on the target numbers/goal first, and then implement best-in-class procedures to reach those enterprise-wide goals.

It was agreed throughout the panel that the right tools, the right communications, the right processes all play into efficiency.

Service and optimizing delivery times in this challenging supply chain environment were also hot topics, with so many vehicles unavailable. Generally, upfitting, adding resources, standardization, flexibility and innovative thinking practices all helped combat these challenges and drive better efficiency.

TURNING 10 NEXT YEAR

Wheels would like to thank all our panelists, speakers, and participants for attending this year’s virtual Results+ Summit and look forward to our 10^th year celebration next year.

On November 29, Wheels will integrate two of our most popular operational efficiency tools: Fleet Request and FleetView™ Mobile.  

Soon, Fleet Requests will be integrated into the FleetView Mobile, providing the following functionality: 

• View the status of open and recently closed requests, including estimated completion dates, descriptions and comments.
• Create new requests for commonly requested items. 
• Snap a picture of a required document on your phone and attach it to a new or existing request. 

Are you hitting the road for the holiday? Please remember that holiday celebrations mean an increase in vehicles, congestion and distracted driving. 

Wheels shares a few holiday driving tips to help keep everyone safe while on the road. 

Wheels’ U.S. offices will be closed Thursday, November 25 in observance of Thanksgiving.  

Our Driver Services Center will be open from 7:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. CST. Our Canadian offices will be open for normal business hours.  

Drivers enrolled in our maintenance and/or collision programs have access to 24/7 assistance for emergency roadside services, accident reporting, repair approvals and rental vehicles.