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VLA President Paul Walsh of Superior Executive Transportation Glen Falls, Va. — Nearly 40 members and supporters attended the Virginia Limousine Association (VLA) general meeting held February 5 at the Richmond Limousine facility. Chauffeur Driven Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela, who is also VLA’s executive director, was among those present.
Once President Paul Walsh of Superior Executive Transportation and Treasure Randy Allen of James Limousine Service dispensed with their updates and duties, meeting host John Oulton and sponsor Brian O’Neill of Grech Motors both spoke to the crowd.
The meeting also featured three keynote speakers: Keith Johnson of Reston Limousine, Virginia State Trooper Patrick H. Phalen, and Barbara Arkwright of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Johnson, Reston’s safety and training manager, kicked off the keynote portion of the meeting by discussing the increasingly important topic of electronic logging devices, better known as ELDs. Despite being in use for more than three decades, ELDs have recently become a hotly discussed issue largely in part of increasingly stringent Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations mandating their use.
L to R: Meeting host John Oulton of Richmond Limousine, speaker Keith Johnson of Reston Limousine, and meeting sponsor Brian O’Neill of Grech Motors During his presentation, Johnson provided some background on how the devices that were originally intended to track service hours evolved into a method of GPS tracking, monitoring vehicles’ speed and idleness, driver activity and habits, and more—leaving many feeling a little too closely monitored. He also outlined Reston’s preferred alternative: Automatic On Board Recording Device (AOBRD), which only tracks service hours.
Other topics Johnson covered included an overview of the regulations the FMCSA has instituted in its comparatively young 18-year history, how any automobile transporting more than nine people (including the chauffeur) is considered a commercial motor vehicle, the ins and outs of CDL requirements, and driver log books. He also further elaborated on ELDs, though it is a topic necessitating 21 pages of regulatory explanation.
Then Phalen, who has nearly 20 years’ experience as a state trooper, began his time speaking with the VLA by reinforcing and reiterating what Johnson discussed before explaining what operators and their driving staff can expect from a roadside stop. He also further clarified the differences in expectations and regulations when differentiating between “hauling property and driving passengers.”
Patrick Helvey of ETC Limousine (left) won a pass to the 2018 Chauffeur Driven Show that was raffled off by Industry & Brand Ambassador Philip Jagiela Finally, Arkwright reported that the VA DMV stings during the holiday season’s Tacky Christmas Lights Tours yielded the dismissal of two illegally operating outfits from service, as well as verifying that she was unaware of any new legislation being considered for the transportation industry in the year to come. She introduced her department’s new senior officer Mike Lewis to the VLA, too.
The association’s various committees sounded off on more internal updates. Among them: The membership committee seeks additional volunteers to assist in its aim to gain new members each month; the education committee has finalized the next two meetings’ topics; and the social media/public relations committee emphasized the value in interacting with the VLA’s posts.
Before the meeting ended, Jagiela raffled off a pass to the 2018 Chauffeur Driven Show, which was won by Patrick Helvey of ETC Limousine.
The next VLA membership meeting will be held April 2 at the Sonny Merryman facility in Bristow.
Visit vla-limo.org for more information.
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Moorpark, Calif. — Chosen Payments CEO Jeff Brodsly was recently featured on FOX Sports in a spot that recognized the company as the preferred credit card processor of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), its members, fans, and vendors. Chosen Payments handles credit card processing at all NHRA tracks including ticket sales, concession stands, and other ancillary sales that take place at NHRA tracks or on NHRA.com.
Fox Sports reporter Lewis Bloom interviewed Brodsly during the annual Specialized Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show held October 30 through November 2 in Las Vegas. The show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event of the world, and draws a crowd of 165,000 to see the latest automotive products, customized cars and builders to one place.
Brodsly took the opportunity during the interview to reveal that two-time funny car champion Tony Pedregon would be serving as an ambassador of Chosen Payments, and indicated that he is currently evaluating the sponsorship of an NHRA team. The interview with Bloom was simulcast on NHRA.com.
Brodsly says, “It was an honor to be selected to be featured on a national network along with representatives from Coca Cola, Papa John’s Pizza and other big-name companies. In fact, it was the highlight of my career!”
Chosen Payments was recently named one of the Top 10 credit card processors in the United States by Retail CIO Magazine, and is the preferred or exclusive provider in many vertical markets. The company maintains partnerships with trade associations serving many industries, including funeral care, chiropractic care, jewelry stores, moving companies, ground transportation companies, and others in the automotive industry such as car dealerships and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
Visit youtube.com/watch?v=eDBtwS7eXao to see the Fox Sports clip or chosenpayments.com for more information.
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Flip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool (© Wim Kempenaers [WKB])Faribault, Minn. — Plans are in their final stages for Van Hool to begin building an American-based production facility later this year in Tennessee for the manufacture of diesel-powered transit city buses. ABC Companies, the exclusive North American distributor of Van Hool motorcoaches, and the manufacturer agree that offering the premium quality Van Hool line for transit-based applications is a natural product extension and an exciting opportunity for market expansion. As they enter the public market, the partners will target public agencies and private operators.
"We are focused on offering a proven product that can enable rapid market expansion into broader, more diverse service sectors," adds Dane Cornell, president and CEO at ABC Companies. Additional private transit applications include providing and augmenting service for municipalities, county, state and federal agencies; corporate employee shuttles; university and school bus shuttles; connector services; and more. Roman Cornell, ABC Companies executive vice president and chief commercial officer, adds, "The new Van Hool transit product will offer a potential win-win for all stakeholders."
While Van Hool has enjoyed previous acceptance in the US and Canadian transit markets with upwards of 550 bus deliveries in past years, the new production facility is a conduit for meeting "Buy America" compliance that will establish a strengthened presence in the US market. A southeastern US location has been selected for the new plant site with plant opening and production commissioning by the year 2020. The factory will be capable of producing 400 units in its first year of operation, and is modeled after Van Hool's state-of-the-art Macedonia production facility where the market-leading Van Hool CX45 and CX35 vehicles are currently fabricated. Initial production will include diesel-powered vehicles, with plans to quickly ramp up for production and delivery of CNG and electric-powered models to buyers nationwide.
"Our experience and insights over 30 years are forming our vision for this future facility," stated CEO Filip Van Hool. "America is our second home. We love the American mind-set and we are fortunate to have a lifetime partner who shares our business philosophy and desire to see and seize new opportunities."
Visit abc-companies.com or vanhool.be/nl for more information.
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