ACFO has joined the new global Fleet Consortium Network to promote operating best practice internationally.

The brainchild of the United States-based Automotive Fleet and Leasing Association, the Fleet Consortium Network to date also comprises the Australasian Fleet Management Association, the Mexico-based Asociación Mexicana de Arrendadoras de Vehículos, and the China Road Transport Association. It is also expected that the Indian Vehicle Operating Lease Organisation will also join.

The organisations to join the Fleet Consortium Network have to-date signed a memorandum of understanding, ahead of the group’s first strategic planning meeting being held in Florida in June, 2017.

The all-day meeting, which will be led by two facilitators, will seek to identify the next steps in developing the Fleet Consortium Network and the initiatives to be adopted.

ACFO chairman John Pryor said: “The UK fleet market is perhaps the most mature in the world. Over the years ACFO has been contacted by fleet organisations from around the world - as well as individual fleet operators - seeking help and advice. We have also hosted visits by fleet decision-makers from overseas and made reciprocal visits.

“Technology is rapidly shrinking the world and in the developing age of business mobility, connectivity, ‘big data’ and autonomous vehicles, global boundaries will increasingly disappear.

“Many of the issues confronting fleet decision-makers in the UK will be the same as those being tackled in the United States of America, Australia, Mexico, China and India, so it makes logical sense to pool our collective knowledge, experiences and advice and communicate best fleet management practice worldwide.”

ACFO, along with other organisations joining the Fleet Consortium Network, has agreed to:

• Support and promote each other’s conferences and educational events to their membership.
• Exchange non-proprietary information and best practices concerning their respective fleet markets, including reciprocal links to each associations’ websites and exchange of newsletters.
• Share ‘local’ fleet market information with each associations’ members.
• Establish regular communication between the leadership of Network member associations.

Furthermore, study tours could be held enabling fleet decision-makers to better understand ‘local’ operations.

Pryor said: “The Fleet Consortium Network is in its infancy. However, ACFO believes that developing an international network of like-minded organisations to promote and share fleet operating best practice around the world can only be beneficial.

“Due to the maturity of the UK fleet market and the established standing of ACFO both domestically and internationally, I would expect ACFO to play a full part in the Fleet Consortium Network as it develops in 2017 and into the future.”