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- Category: Industry News
Danielle Smith Joins Lancer Insurance Company
Lancer Insurance Company recently announced that Danielle Smith, a longtime transportation safety consultant and regulatory expert, has joined the company. According to the announcement, she will represent Lancer at trade association events as a featured speaker and presenter on the topics of safety, driver training, and regulatory compliance.
Smith is best known for her role at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the Commercial Passenger Carrier Safety Division. Her decades of expertise make her an in-demand speaker across the transportation industry, including at the CD/NLA Shows. Lancer notes that she was instrumental in planning and developing national program initiatives aimed at enhancing passenger carrier safety, served as a subject matter expert for the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Rulemaking Team—providing critical technical specifications, implementation procedures, and policy guidance for the ELD mandate—and was named as a key presenter for the National ELD Roadshow by the FMCSA Deputy Administrator.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Danielle’s caliber join the Lancer team,” says Lancer Vice President Steven O’Shea. “Her extensive experience and subject matter expertise will undoubtedly bring tremendous value to our industry partners, furthering our commitment to promoting safety and compliance standards.”
Visit lancerinsurance.com for more information.
[08.07.23]
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Without a doubt, one of the most popular experiences at the CD/NLA Fall Show (scheduled for October 22-25 in Orlando) is our Operator Mentoring Program. Each year, attendees are enthusiastic about the opportunity to sit down with a successful and forward-thinking CEO to ask questions, get advice, and swap ideas with their peers. But why settle for one Mentor when you can get two?
Each table will be led by two distinguished Mentors, one an “under 45” dynamic market leader as well as an “over 45ish” experienced and skilled veteran—both seasoned professionals—for a vigorous conversation with perspectives spanning the generations. This interactive event, scheduled for Sunday, October 22, will definitely be among your show favorites.
The 2023 Mentor pairings include:
- Maya Adrine of Golden Limousine and Jay Erlich of Europe Limousine
- Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide and Kelly Callahan of Jax Black Car Transportation
- Brett Barenholtz of Above All Transportation/Boston Car and Erica Bugbee of ExecuStar World Class Services
- Kristina Bouweiri of Reston Limousine and Frank McNish of Signature New Orleans
- JR Garza of Diamond Limousine and Anthony Asaro of Desert Rose Worldwide Transportation
- Athena Grimm of BAC Transportation and Derek Stafford of Elegant Image Limousine
- Joe Gulino of Gem Limousine Worldwide and Evan Blanchette of VIP Global
- Tiffany Hinton of MOTEV and Denny Leinhos of Avant Garde Limousines
- George Jacobs of Windy City Limousine & Bus and Japneet Singh of Executive CLS
- Karim Maachi of The Cardel Group and Jason Messinger of BBZ Limousine Service
- Jeff Nyikos of Leros Transportation Group and Fernando Carlison of Mundi Limousine
- Gus Ortis of Executive Transportation and Quentin Bassey of RSTQ Transportation
- Tracy Salinger of Unique Limousine and Hashim Abdi of Mint Life Limousine
- Douglas Schwartz of Executive Ground Transportation and Brittni Kirk of All Points Limousine
- Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide and Christina Nguyen of Concierge Limousine
- Mike Vargas of DH2 Chauffeured Transportation and Nick Boccio of Buffalo Limousine
- Dave Uziel of Urban Worldwide and Mike Gibbon of Elite Coach Transportation
- Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine and Karl Guenther of Statement Limousine
The Operator Mentoring Program does require pre-registration, and all slots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. You’ll want to register early for your best chance at picking your preferred Mentor team, but note that the roster may be subject to change. In the event that your group is full, you will be accommodated and welcomed into another group.
Registration for the 2023 CD/NLA Fall Show, which will be held October 22-25 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Orlando, is now open. We’re thrilled to offer you an exclusive Early Bird Rate of only $449 through September 8, and NLA members can save even more with an additional $75 off the registration price. Also, we’ve secured a block of rooms at our host property for the room rate of $249/night—including resort fees. Our blocks always sell out, so be sure to book early to secure your room. Many thanks to all our generous sponsors, including Title Sponsor Volvo.
Visit cdnlashow.com for more information.
[08.02.23]
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- Category: Industry News
Air travel is on pace to surpass the numbers last seen in the summer of 2019, but will the rest of this summer be a repeat of 2022’s awful spate of delays and cancellations by airlines? Beyond the usual bad weather and problems with equipment (not to mention persistent wildfires in Canada) so far this year, airlines seem to have worked out their dire staffing shortage in the past year. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), US passenger airline employment is now at its highest level in over two decades, thanks in part to an aggressive post-pandemic recruitment effort and averting strikes with pilots.
While airlines have been slashing flights for certain routes and “right siding” their operations as corporate travel continues to evolve, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is facing a lingering, yet critical challenge: air traffic controllers. It’s an issue across the country, but the situation is especially serious in Miami and New York, the latter of which has had to cut up to 10 percent of flights so far this year because it could not handle the traffic with its current workforce. The problems also extend to Canada to a lesser but important degree.
Congress is currently working on the FAA reauthorization bill, which expires this year. The bill resoundingly passed in the House in late July, but unfortunately, the Senate left for its August recess before passing its version—despite urging from organizations like the US Travel Association (USTA). It’s slated to be picked up when the Senate returns after Labor Day.
“…[M]illions of Americans have missed trips and lost time with family and friends this summer due to delays and cancellations caused by years of government inattention. The whole of the US economy pays a price when a trip is delayed—or avoided entirely due to air travel hassles,” said USTA President & CEO Geoff Freeman in a July statement. He continued, “American travelers cannot wait any longer for Congress to fix the numerous, systemic issues that have plagued the US air travel system and constrained economic growth.”
Both version of the bills not only aim to accelerate the hiring of more air traffic controllers, they also spell out additional passenger rights, such as ensuring that adults traveling with children under 14 be seated together and that ancillary fees are clearly disclosed. Further, the Biden administration is pushing for airlines to pay for lodging and meals of passengers delayed by situations within the airline’s control (i.e., not weather related). The FAA is currently being led by an acting administrator.
Additionally, in the US, the FAA and Department of Transportation are requiring airlines to invest more than $630 million to upgrade or replace fully certified onboard avionics equipment on thousands of aircraft to mitigate the risks of 5G rollout near airports, according to IATA, an issue that is not impacting other countries. This is adding to delays.
“Ottawa and Washington, D.C. need to take ownership of the issues under their direct control and lead in resolving them. Appointing a permanent FAA Administrator would be a first and major step in urgently addressing the US aviation/air traffic control infrastructure constraints, which are hindering airlines from delivering the service travelers expect. Furthermore, refraining from doubling down on costly and poorly thought-out air travel consumer rights regulations in both countries, would free up resources across the entire value chain, in order to enhance the customer experience,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.
Visit ustravel.org or iata.org for more updates.
[08.01.23]