In this 43rd episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet, Erin interviews IntelliShift’s new CEO, Henry Popplewell. Henry comes to IntelliShift with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Erin and Henry cover everything from Henry’s background, why he came to IntelliShift, how IntelliShift stands out in the industry against its competitors, to insights into fleet industry trend and innovations. Henry shares about IntelliShift’s Mission to Zero Accidents and the impact it is having on customer...

Erin switches it up in Episode 41 of Straight Talk on Fleet Podcast to talk about how association membership and involvement can boost career success. Research shows that active participation in professional associations offers a range of benefits that can positively influence career development and advancement. To talk about how NAFA supports this idea, Erin hosts Bill Schankel, CEO of NAFA Fleet Management Association. Fleet Professionals can expect to hear how to take advantage of what...

In this 39th episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet, Erin interviews industry expert and Fleet Manager of the Year Finalist, Sharon Etherington. Sharon is Sr. Manager, Regional Administrative Services at Roche. In her role, she manages travel, fleet, and credit card services for the US and Canada. Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. This episode promises to deliver pro tips, stories and great conversation...

In this 38th episode of the Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin hosts Matt Vesey, Director of Professional Services at Wise Systems. Wise Systems, a partner to IntelliShift, is an Autonomous Dispatching and Routing solution that empowers operations teams and drivers to improve fleet efficiency and customer service, seamlessly adapting to the everyday challenges they encounter. Matt and Erin dig into the topic of route optimization for fleets. Successful routing can increase safety and...

In this new episode of the Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin breaks down the what, why and how of using ROI analyses to improve project management and ongoing success measurement. She talks about the key components of a fleet safety technology ROI analysis and how the tool can and should be used as a living, breathing document. Erin shares what fleet, safety and operations leader should expect from supplier partners as it relates to building an ROI model that will them up to win inside...

In this 36th episode of the Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin hosts a guest, Matt Glaser who is the VP of Product Management at Car IQ. Car IQ is a partner in IntelliShift’s partner network. At Car IQ, they have created a payment solution developed specifically for vehicles and fleets. Their platform enables vehicles to autonomously initiate, validate and complete payments for services such as tolls, fuels, parking, and more. In this episode, Erin and Matt will talk about the challenges...

In this 35th episode of the Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin celebrates how far she’s come in being a new podcaster and influencer in the fleet and safety industry! She shares the mission and pillars of the podcast, recaps some of the hot topics covered so far, and the three themes that tie all of her content together. Erin calls the fleet community to action as well by asking for more engagement, best practice sharing, comments and suggestions. Enjoy this recap of the Straight Talk on...

As a fleet leader, a top concern is fighting distracted driving. You have all the right things in place, but it’s still an issue. You’re not alone. National numbers of distracted driving-related events are still rising despite the laws, technology, and campaigns. What is it we’re not seeing? What if we are unintentionally encouraging distracted driving by: Understating policy and training Lacking technology solutions Ignoring driver feedback and engagement In this 33rd episode of...

Join Erin for the 32nd episode of Straight Talk on Fleet. In this special episode, Erin hosts Shelley Forney. Shelley is a Motivational Distracted Driving Awareness Safety Speaker who lost her 9-year-old daughter Erica to a distracted driving crash. In this episode, Shelley and Erin will talk about distracted driving, Shelley’s loss story, the science behind the problem and much more! Learn about cognitive distraction, some staggering statistics and take the pledge to end distracted...

Join Erin for the recorded version of her latest Straight Talk Live podcast episode! She interviews Kimberly Fisher, a longtime friend and fleet industry expert and recent finalist for AFLA’s Fleet Manager of the Year Award. Kimberly will share her journey in fleet management and provide insights on how to build and execute a winning fleet program. Most importantly, they will dig into that KPIs fleet manager should be using to ensure their own programs are a success.

In this podcast short, Erin records live from the NAFA I & E in Baltimore as a guest on the Fleet Safety Geeks podcast. Erin gives a short keynote on all-things fleet safety. You can expect to hear about the critical aspects of a successful fleet safety program to include tools, technology, processes, data and more. All shared in a fun and interactive environment at the fleet industry’s top fleet management conference. For a deep dive on fleet safety and building safety culture in your...

In this 29th episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin interviewed her long-time friend and fleet industry colleague David Hayward, live from the Wheels, Inc. coffee lounge at the 2023 NAFA I&E in Baltimore. NAFA I&E is one of the industry’s top learning and networking events. David is the Global Fleet Manager at ABM Industries, a global facilities services company. Erin and David shot a sort of “podcast short” covering: How David got into fleet management What...

In this 28th episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin interviewed her long-time friend and fleet industry colleague Laura Jozwiak, live from the Wheels, Inc. coffee lounge at the 2023 NAFA I&E in Baltimore. NAFA I&E is one of the industry’s top learning and networking events. Laura is the SVP of Client Relations and Sales at Wheels, Inc. and comes with many years of fleet industry knowledge and expertise. Wheels is one of the largest fleet management companies in North...

In this episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet, Erin hosted Straight Talk Live with an audience of fleet professionals coming together on the topic of fleet maintenance. In this recording from the live podcast, Erin shares the present and future states of fleet maintenance. With her extensive experience in the field, you can expect valuable insights and real-world examples. In this podcast, you will learn: Erin will share her fleet maintenance framework for success, and share: 1. What...

In this episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet, Erin comes to you from NTEA’s Work Truck Week 2023 in Indianapolis, one of the industry’s largest fleet expos. The interview takes place in Knapheide’s booth on the show floor where they were celebrating 175 years in business. Congratulations and thank you to our friends at Knapheide for hosting this episode.

Customer experience or “CX” as we like to call it these days, is crucial to successful relationships and partnerships in business. Statistics show that 70 percent of customers say they have made purchase decisions based on the quality of the customer experience.

No matter what your current tech stack is, pairing and surfacing the right data is essential to improving operational efficiency. In this recording from her live podcast episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet, Erin sheds light on why fleet/operations/safety leaders need to consolidate safety, maintenance, inspection, and fuel data, by branch and by location, to surface the data you need right now, next and later.

In this episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet, Erin hosts esteemed guest Ryan Wilkins, CMO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio and the Founder and Manager of RMHC’s National Vehicle Donation Program. Ryan is a longtime colleague and friend who inspires Erin to be a better human! Erin serves on the board of RMHC of Central Ohio and chairs the Vehicle Donation Program Committee alongside Ryan. Erin has always said that working for an organization that not only gives back but...

Changing hearts and minds around safety in organizations can be complicated and building a culture of safety can be even harder because it means something different. It means that safety is part of the very fiber of being for your organization. In this live version of The Straight Talk on Fleet Podcast, Erin will provoke thinking around safety culture as a people-first strategy and "the way we work" vs. "a way of working." Saying "a way of working" suggests there is another way. So, if you're...

On today’s episode of The Straight Talk on Fleet podcast, Erin interviews IntelliShift customer Tommy Parker. Tommy is the operations manager and a charismatic people leader at Fox Electric out of Arlington, Texas. Fox Electric was established in 1960 and has built a solid reputation for reliability and performance as electrical contractors throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Erin and Tommy discuss safety, leadership, what it’s like to be a customer of IntelliShift, and more. Tommy...

Expect a year in review from the Straight talk on Fleet podcast host Erin Gilchrist. Starting Christmas day and the 11 days following, Erin will share her favorite podcast topics and clips from some of her first 20 episodes. She’ll start by sharing the 3 main tiebacks or themes that really resonate within each episode. Having a well-developed and adopted safety program for your fleet is foundational and will drive success in every area of fleet management and requires building a culture of...