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2017-2018 TLPA President Mike Pinckard of Total TransitRockville, Md. — Mike Pinckard, a transportation executive with a track record in growth and innovation, has been named president of the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA), the world’s oldest and largest trade group of the for-hire transportation industry.
The association’s presidents are elected from within its 1,000 members—comprised of small, medium, and large transportation fleets—to serve a one-year term. Pinckard was sworn in as president at the TLPA Annual Convention & Trade Show in Denver, Colorado, on Oct. 10. He now assumes the 2017-2018 leadership role.
“Our industry is in an evolution that is enormously exciting as well as challenging,” Pinckard said. “When we all work together, when we share our ideas, and when we learn from each other, we are stronger, more innovative and more successful. Our goal of excellence is made possible by the incredible convening power of the TLPA, which gathers best practices and decades of experience under one roof.”
“To compete and win in the new for-hire transportation industry, it’s imperative that we have a strategic plan that clearly defines our role in shaping the future,” Pinckard said. “I look forward to leveraging the talent of our TLPA members and staff to reassess our plan, supporting structure, and committees to ensure they will drive our success. Our brand and value proposition must evolve to attract new, innovative, high-profile players to round out our membership and our shifting priorities. The TLPA has a proud and storied history and we have the awesome task of writing the next chapter together. I’m truly humbled by the opportunity and excited to get started.”
Pinckard joined Total Transit in 2002, serving as president until 2015. He became CEO in 2016. Total Transit provides private and public transportation, as well as a suite of transportation management services. Since 2006, the company has grown from $14 million in annual sales to $170 million today.
Visit tlpa.org for more information.
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Faribault, Minn. — ABC Companies and partner Van Hool are excited to announce the development of an all-electric version of their market leading CX series coaches in partnership with Proterra, a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles. The new Van Hool CX45E and CX35E models utilize the proven CX platform, and will feature Proterra’s E2 battery technology along with a fully-electric drivetrain designed to deliver exceptional operational, environmental, and passenger benefits. The CX Electric Vehicle partnership will bring together the resources of three market leaders each committed to technology innovation.
The all-electric CX Series offering is well aligned with the stakeholders’ vision and mission of forging and integrating cleaner technologies that move the needle forward in mass transportation with zero-emission technology. “ABC and Van Hool are eager and poised to adapt Proterra’s best-in-class solutions that can help operators expand market reach and enhance the passenger experience,” said Roman Cornell, ABC Companies’ chief commercial officer. “We recognize the growing consumer demand for zero-emission products, particularly as it applies to moving populations throughout communities in the U.S. and North America.”
“We are responding to the demand for a truly zero-emission solution that can improve environmental quality and reduce operating costs, while continuing to deliver all the performance, reliability, and safety the Van Hool CX Series product line is known for,” said Jay Oakman, senior VP/commercial operations at ABC. He added that the decision to offer a fully-electric product is a direct reflection of changing market needs driven by clean-energy initiatives, sustainable transportation solutions, and green-technology consumer preferences and desires nationwide.
Van Hool has chosen Proterra as its technology partner for the CX Series Electric Vehicle project. “Van Hool is truly excited and proud to partner up with Proterra, a pioneering company in the development and production of battery technology,” said Filip Van Hool, CEO of Van Hool. “The diesel CX45 coach has a proven track record and has become a benchmark coach in its own right in the industry. Integrating Proterra’s proven battery technology in the CX will take this coach to the next level. It is a clear statement as to Van Hool’s long term commitment to the North American coach market and a testament to Van Hool’s responsiveness to the overall demand for zero emission vehicles at large and over-the-road coaches in particular.
“As corporations set ambitious sustainability agendas, the opportunity for all-electric fleets continues to mount,” said Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra. “We’re pleased to enter the motorcoach market with proven market leaders, Van Hool and ABC.”
According to Oakman, the CX platform offers an unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on their most successful equipment offering in recent history. Both CX Series models will be offered with Proterra E2 battery technology. Introduced in early 2000, the CX product quickly became a market leader, precipitating the need for an additional Van Hool production facility to keep pace with growing orders and meet market demand. The European-based Van Hool plant features dedicated assembly and production lines for the CX products and other U.S. models. Operators nationwide utilize the CX45 and CX35 models in a variety of applications including large Silicon-valley employee-sponsored shuttles and commuter operations in major metro regions throughout the country.
Featuring Proterra’s advanced electric vehicle technology, the Van Hool CX45E is designed to:
- Be the most efficient and highest performing long-range eCoach offered in the U.S. market
- Eliminate hundreds of thousands of pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year
- Save customers tens of thousands of dollars on fuel and maintenance costs
- Provide a more comfortable and quieter coach experience for riders
- Outside dimensions same as current CX diesel models
- Passenger seating same as current CX models
- One door version is standard, 2nd door is optional
- Center positioned ADA lift is optional
Visit abc-companies.com for more information.
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Nearly 70 guests attended the October 16 meeting and dinner Toronto — When the Ontario Limousine Owners Association (OLOA) threw open the doors of The Royal Woodbine Golf Course for its annual general meeting October 16, nearly 70 members, supporters, sponsors, and family members were in attendance for the yearly get-together.
The evening included an array of vehicles on display (including offerings from Ford-Lincoln and a 2017 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from Inkas, as well as a Cadillac XTS and a 2018 Escalade), presentations, prizes, and plenty of food and mingling. After guests were finished examining the executive vans, SUVs, and sedans that were available for closer perusal, OLOA President John Dahdaly of Cullitons Limousine Service delivered an industry update.
Dahdaly’s primary speaking point mirrored that of the association, which is finding the sweet spot of what the optimal ratio of sedans to limousines is for an Ontario operator best meet both their clients’ and affiliates’ demands—which is “on the top of [the OLOA’s] priority list,” according to OLOA Treasurer Phil Bozzelli of Corporate Livery Toronto.
Some of the vehicles on display at OLOA’s annual general meetingThe annual general meeting also saw the addition of a new director, whose formal introduction to the board will be announced after the executive election at the OLOA’s November 8 meeting.
OLOA will hold its annual brunch in April 2018.
Visit oloa.ca for more information.
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