Santa Monica, Jan. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, 14 of the nation’s leading fleets announced the formation of the ACT Fleet Forum, an educational initiative to share best practices between participating fleets, as well as top technology providers and fuel suppliers on adopting advanced, clean transportation technologies. Facilitated by clean transportation consulting firm Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA), the ACT Fleet Forum is an extension of the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event. The ACT Fleet Forum provides education via webinars, workshops, and in-person site visits to leading fleets year-round.
“Best-in-class fleets who regularly attend ACT Expo were seeking opportunities for more high-value education, networking, best practice sharing, and peer benchmarking throughout the year,” said Erik Neandross, CEO of clean transportation consulting firm and producers of ACT Expo, GNA. “The ACT Fleet Forum provides a unique platform for fleets to identify the exact technologies, vehicles, fuels, and innovative products they most want to learn about. We’re then able to facilitate discussions for fleets to share crucial industry knowledge with other leading fleets, while learning from the technology and fuel suppliers who are building solutions to meet their same needs.”
The ACT Fleet Forum provides a range of value and business benefits by enabling participating commercial fleets to stay at the cutting edge of advanced clean fleet technologies, regulations, funding and low emission fuels. The Forum brings together commercial fleet operators throughout North America working to deploy such technologies in their operations. Fleets who join not only benefit by learning from others, but also share learnings from their own advanced technology projects.
In its debut year, the ACT Fleet Forum will cover efficiency improvement strategies, gaseous and renewable fuels, advanced engine and vehicle technologies, electrified drivetrains, connected technologies, artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance, and more. The ACT Fleet Forum programming consists of live monthly webinars, in-person site visits to fleet facilities nationwide, and an exclusive fleet-focused discussion at ACT Expo 2020.
“Meeting our company’s operational and sustainability goals will require us to leverage the most advanced technologies,” said Mike O’Connell, Vice President, Service and Distribution, PepsiCo. “As early adopters in the industry, we leverage a group like the ACT Fleet Forum to identify solutions and share best practices as we work to innovate the fleet industry.”
The fleets who have launched the premiere ACT Fleet Forum include:
- Ability Tri-Modal Transportation Services
- C&S Wholesale Grocers
- EVO Transportation & Energy
- J.B. Hunt Transport
- Matheson
- NFI Industries
- Penske Transportation Solutions
- PepsiCo
- Ruan Transportation Management Systems
- Schneider National
- Sysco
- Total Transportation Services, Inc.
- Walmart
- Waste Management
“The clean fleet technology and equipment landscape is moving at lightning speed, and we need to innovate to stay ahead of the curve,” said Bill Bliem, Senior Vice President of Fleet Services at NFI. “As early adopters of such technology, we recognize the challenges. It is vital that we share solutions and connect with one another. This group facilitated by GNA gives us the opportunity to do so as we make strides towards a more sustainable industry overall.”
In addition to the 14 best-in-class fleets, technology leaders supporting the ACT Fleet Forum include Kenworth, Cummins-Westport, Toyota, Trillium, Agility Fuel Solutions, AMPLY Power, and Uptake. Once fleets select the topics of most interest and agree on the annual Forum agenda, GNA then invites technology leaders to prepare fleet-focused educational sessions covering how fleets can leverage technologies in order to meet the evolving needs of fleets.
“Penske is committed to the advancement of vehicle electrification. Participation in the ACT Fleet Forum with this diverse group of fleets provides the opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other,” said Craig Sieber, Penske Truck Leasing New Products Manager. “The sharing of knowledge among industry leaders reduces the learning curve for others and helps to advance technologies to move the industry and commercial electric vehicle adoption forward.”
The ACT Fleet Forum is open to other invited fleets that are peers of current members who are adopting advanced and clean technologies that members can learn from. To learn more about the ACT Fleet Forum, including the 2020 Forum Program and how to join, visit www.ACTFleetForum.com.
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About Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA)
GNA is a leading North American consulting firm specializing in market development for low-emission and alternative fuel vehicle technologies, infrastructure and fuels for both on and off-road applications. The company’s core practice areas are technical support, government relations, grant writing and administration, communications strategy, and market outreach and education. For more than 25 years, GNA has pioneered the nation’s largest and most innovative alternative fuel vehicle projects, including the development of several successful clean fuel corridor projects. In addition, the company produces a series of advanced transportation and clean energy conferences—including the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo—and manages the ACT News media publication. www.gladstein.org