In 2005, the third edition of the multi-client study, titled, The U.S. Commercial Fleet Market Forecast, found that 68 percent of fleet administrators used the internet for researching vehicle options. The migration in purchase patterns to the internet was well underway.

In 2014, a follow up study took a deep dive into the satisfaction levels of fleet administrators regarding the research available through the internet. Two findings were striking.

First, fleet administrators found that the information they were looking for was siloed, spread across various supplier, government, trade association, and media websites. The process of gathering data was time consuming and incomplete, often leading to indecision when making purchase decisions. What fleet administrators wanted was a single-point resource for conducting research.

The second finding was that fleet administrators wanted the website to be free of advertising bias. This would require a wiki style design.

Traditionally, these shortcomings would be overcome with face-to-face meetings, trade shows and conferences. Covid restrictions have curtailed many of these events. These information gaps are opening up at a time when the transportation industry is going through a structural change.

Disruptive technologies are every savvy marketer’s dream, cue Elon Musk. Tesla’s market cap is now 3 times that of Toyota. In the commercial fleet market, two technologies are emerging as game changers, electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicles.

Climate change will prove to be the perfect storm, primarily because of government grants and incentives to promote sustainable technologies. The implications for fleet administrators are equally profound.

So why FleetWiki for fleets? First and foremost, to provide a trusted knowledgebase for fleet professionals as they sort through a myriad of new vehicle technologies. Making good purchase decisions at the right time will be a competitive edge.

So why FleetWiki for suppliers? The short answer is white labeling. Advertising is not permitted on the FleetWiki website, instead, suppliers are listed in the order in which they subscribe. This assures fleet administrators that the initial research they see is from suppliers that are engaged and responsive to their needs.

Instead of advertising, suppliers who are committed to sharing their knowledge with fellow fleet professionals, appear first. The goal is for each FleetWiki technology to have a champion.

To make this happen, suppliers are provided with a widget for their website that redirects fleets to a branded version of the FleetWiki website. Here, the features and benefits of their technology are prominently displayed.

Over the next decade, vehicle technologies will enable fleets to minimize emissions, reduce fuel costs, and improve driver safety. FleetWiki was developed as a free public knowledgebase to facilitate this transition.