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Doylestown, Pa. —The Philadelphia Regional Limousine Association (PRLA) welcomed nearly 30 attendees to its September 25 meeting at Fred Beans of Doylestown. CD Business Development Manager Jeff Rafkin and Editor Madeleine Maccar were among those at the evening event, which was sponsored by Lancer Insurance and Prevost/Volvo Motorcoaches.
PRLA President Johnny Donohoe of Sterling Limousine welcomed everyone, paying particular mind to introducing the association’s newest member, Darla Malik of Advantage Chauffeur Services, as well as the evening’s sponsors (Lancer Insurance and Prevost/Volvo Motorcoaches) and Chris Burns, Fred Beans’ Leasing and Sales Consultant.
With a broad range of items on the agenda, the evening’s educational component ranged from discussing the association itself to nurturing industry relationships to the risks inherent in putting vehicles and people on the road every day.
Donohoe talked about what the association itself does for members, as the PRLA is currently accepting nominations for its Board of Directors. He encouraged interested parties to nominate themselves or a peer, explaining how the association relies on active participation to keep offering its members a unified voice, cohesive network, and ongoing education. The new board will be implemented January 1.
Both Burns and Prevost representative Jay Snead discussed their respective companies’ relationships with the luxury ground transportation providers they serve. Burns explained how Fred Beans has been keeping an eye on its inventory of the discontinued Lincoln MKTs that the industry relies on so that there won’t be an immediate hole to fill while members vouched for the dealership’s dedication to operators; Snead talked about how “you want Prevost for when it’s broken,” particularly since the company advocates for proactive maintenance rather than reactive repairs.
Bob Crescenzo of Lancer Insurance then gave a presentation on risk management that illustrated how “the risks you take every day by driving people around is the nature of your business” and the importance of minimizing those inherent hazards.
After asking a few questions that confirmed how easily it is to lose focus while driving, Crescenzo clarified and explained the three types of driving distractions—visual, manual, and cognitive—and why any successful chauffeur training program should address how to handle them. He also explained how important it is to remain diligent in maintaining strict guidelines for a driving team, especially as a safeguard in the event of an accident.
“What matters is that someone’s attorney wants to make you look like a bad company if one of your chauffeurs is involved in an accident,” Crescenzo explained. “If you’re letting your drivers get away with going even five to eight miles over the speed limit or if you’re not firing them over serious customer complaints, it will reflect badly on you and your company.”
Crescenzo also outlined common distractions like fatigue and technology, discussed the most common accidents and how to avoid them, and went into detail about “change blindness,” or “missing something right in front of your eyes because your brain anticipates a familiar route being one way and then something else happens that you don’t expect.”
At the end of the meeting, Maccar talked about what operators can expect at the upcoming Chauffeur Driven Show in Boston and, since it was Rafkin’s first meeting since joining the CD team, he introduced himself to attendees. They raffled off a pass to the show, which was won by Glenn Centolanza of Limo Today.
The next PRLA meeting will be November 13.
Visit prlainc.com for more information.
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Marlton, N.J. —The clock is ticking: The deadline for the National Limousine Association’s (NLA’s) 2020 NLA Board of Directors election is a little more than 24 hours away, so get those applications in now! All completed nomination submissions—including all of the requisite forms—are due October 9, 2019, at 11:59 PDT.
The following seats are open for the upcoming Board election for the 2020-2023 term:
* At Large: 1 seat (any state in U.S.)
* U.S. Central Region: 1 seat (AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, OK, SD, TX, WI)
* U.S. Northeast Region: 2 seats (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT) [For the Northeast Region, the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected to a 3-year term; he candidate with the next highest number of votes will be elected to a 1-year term]
* U.S. Southeast Region: 1 seat (AL, DE,D.C., FL, GA, KY, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
* U.S. West Region: 1 seat (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY)
According to NLA Bylaws (Article 6, Sections B and C), all prospective directors must meet the following criteria:
—The individual must be a corporate officer or principal of a Regular Active Member company that has been a Regular Active Member for at least two consecutive years;
—Any Regular Active Member sharing common ownership with another Regular Active Member can only have one representative on the NLA Board of Directors at one time;
—A member of the NLA Board shall not be a member of another board of directors that is competitive to the NLA or the limousine industry; and
—Membership dues must be current for the Regular Active Member.
In addition to NLA Bylaw qualifications, the individual must be able to devote the required time and be able to pay the travel/related expenses (that are not reimbursed by the NLA) to attend board meetings. NLA Board members receive a per diem reimbursement for travel expenses.
The board meets on a monthly basis, either via conference calls (8) or face-to-face meetings (4). Per the bylaws, any director who fails to attend two (2) regular meetings due to an unexcused absence may be removed from office by a majority vote of the directors. Additionally, board members are requested to support fundraising efforts for the NLA PAC and the Harold Berkman Memorial Fund.
The following documents MUST be submitted by ALL applicants:
* A brief biography that describes your background in the limousine industry.
* A paragraph that explains why you want to serve on the NLA Board of Directors and what your goals for the NLA will be if you are elected.
* A high-resolution headshot of yourself (in electronic format).
* Proof of legality in the cities/states/airports in which Regular Active Member operates. (Example: state, city, or airport permit or license)
* Certificate of insurance verifying Regular Active Member compliance with the state/federal requirements.
* Proof of your corporate officer position. (Example: Corporate resolution or articles of incorporation listing officers/shareholders)
* An explanation of anything the nominating committee should know about you that might reflect adversely on the NLA.
Applications can be submitted at limo.org/page/NLABODApplication. Applications submitted without all of the above documents will not be valid.
Visit limo.org for more information.
[CD1019]
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- Category: Industry News
Hayward, Calif. — Motor Coach Industries (MCI) offered a sneak preview of the battery-electric, all-accessible MCI D45 CRTe LE CHARGE in Hayward, CA October 1. The occasion is the first Reliability Symposium for West Coast operators at the MCI Service Center.
The Hayward center, one of MCI’s busiest serving Bay Area’s growing Silicon Valley employee shuttle operations, public transit agencies, and dozens of tour and charter companies, featured a demonstration of MCI’s move into all-electric transit at the Symposium.
“We are in the midst of very significant product launches, combined with service initiatives that have specific focus on the Bay Area market,” said MCI Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Service Patrick Scully. “MCI’s move into battery-electric is one of our most significant, and our all-electric J4500e and D45 CRTe LE models that inaugurate the MCI CHARGE product lineup will be game-changers in private and public transportation. Our expertise in electric comes with our reliability reputation and the expertise in electric transit buses from our sister company New Flyer.”
At the Oct.1 event, operators also had the chance to test ride the latest J-Series models, which now includes the 45-foot J4500, equipped with efficient Cummins X12, and the smaller 35-foot J3500. Both models feature electric cooling (e-fan) systems for fuel efficiency improvements and the latest-generation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) plus 360-degree camera systems as options.
MCI also showcased other NFI Group brands including New Flyer’s Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric low-floor transit bus operated by AC Transit, and Alexander Dennis’ double-deck bus for North America.
The first-ever battery electric J4500e and the MCI D45 CRTe LE CHARGE Commuter Coach will feature the high-torque Siemens electric drive motor with a power rating of 260 kWh and maximum torque of 3,320 LB FT, powered by 63 Ah NMCI lithium-ion ultra-high energy cells by XALT. To meet long-distance commuter needs, this model’s high-power plug-in battery charges in approximately 4 hours. MCI plans to have its 100 percent battery-electric coaches in the market with passenger service and ready for start of production in 2020, and ultimately plans a broad range of electrified vehicles.
MCI also plans a next generation D-Series high floor coach—the MCI D4520 in 2020 and MCI D45 CRT with a mid-lift in 2021. Other variants include a Buy-America compliant, high floor commuter coach with mid-lift in a 40-foot version.
MCI has equipped its Bay Area location with services important the marketplace, offering flexible service hours, complete coach maintenance agreements, and access to on-call MCI mobile maintenance assistance. Services also include scheduled preventative maintenance and repair along with inspections and oil sample analysis as required by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and CHP (California Highway Patrol). A state-of-the-art bus wash system is underway at the facility which also features the newest diagnostic equipment and offers warranty service, engine repair, brake and air systems service, and HVAC services, audio/visual installation, and upgrades.
Visit mcicoach.com for more information.
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