Think of the Private Fleet Management Institute as an invaluable business network of in-depth learning experiences.

The National Private Truck Council (NPTC) is pleased to announce the Private Fleet Management Institute (PFMI) scheduled for Jan. 16-20, 2021, at the OMNI Jacksonville Hotel in Jacksonville, Fla. This much-anticipated annual event typically attracts more than 100 fleet and supplier/vendor NPTC-member company representatives. For most PFMI attendees, this is their first NPTC in-person event and the “gateway” beginning of a long-term connection with the Council. Fleet and allied NPTC members have a pent-up demand to reconnect with one another at NPTC “live” events for the new year. With PFMI 2021 expected to draw a full house, candidates are urged to register early for this live and in-person event.

Since the COVID pandemic began, corporate transportation has been disrupted and changed. Sudden, unexpected demands on private fleet management and drivers have been extraordinary, but the job got done. Many fleets experienced a 25 to 50% increase in business overnight. Some lost business temporarily or lost in one market and gained in another. More than 50% of private fleets report demand for goods has increased, and freight volume is now higher than ever.

The crisis has reinforced the private fleet’s benefits of flexibility, reliability, and adaptability, and the need to have a trained, professional fleet management team in place to execute these advantages. In the eyes of upper management, private fleet “stock” has risen. Appreciation for drivers has grown. The prospects for continued success of private fleets look bright.

Transportation expertise now carries a higher premium with-in companies. Demand for expert fleet management talent has never been greater. Private fleets are adding capacity in virtually every industry and market. The trend of past years to outsource the private fleet has slowed, stopped, or reversed.

Several major businesses have brought back private fleets previously outsourced. Others are starting fleets from scratch. Key factors behind these decisions are expectations of superior customer service and cost controls, significant advantages found in well-run private fleets.

The jobs of private fleet management are more demanding with increased workloads and responsibilities. While total staff head counts have stayed the same or gone down, there is more reliance on third-party service providers. Overhead budgets are static or shrinking, but capital investments by private fleets lead the industry in newer equipment and safety technologies. Performance expectations and private fleet justification face a higher bar each year. Fleets do more with less as a matter of course.

Against this background, there has never been a better time to attend PFMI, a five-day intensive program of in-depth rigorous learning. Featured are courses in fleet finance, operations, legal, regulatory and safety compliance, human resources, maintenance and equipment. The program for 2021 is revised and updated to reflect changes brought about by the COVID crisis and to meet the ever-changing and demanding challenges of today’s private fleet professionals.

Attendees will be exposed to a series of general session presentations, roundtable break-out discussion groups, structured networking activities, applied learning exercises, and collaborative teamwork through case study analysis and competitive, stand-up presentations on the final day.

The Institute is also an excellent resource for those studying to take the CTP examination scheduled for February each year at some 40 locations across the country. Offered the day before (Jan. 15) the PFMI begins, the CTP Examination Preparation Work-shop provides a review of the knowledge considered essential for passing the CTP exam. This work-shop is independent from PFMI and requires a separate registration fee.

Today’s transportation and logistics environment in a COVID-shaped world demands professionals with state-of-industry expertise. They need insights into the most forward-thinking solutions of the day. The best source for this expertise is other fleet practitioners you meet through NPTC. No matter what your job title or years of experience, the recycled old ways of yesteryear will not cut it. You need to constantly upgrade your knowledge and skills to stay at the top of your game.

PFMI is much more than a one-off experience. Think of it as an invaluable business network of lasting importance to your career. You will get to know dozens of peer professionals who are also on a path of continuous improvement through NPTC’s culture. Over the years, you will stay in touch and see them as an essential resource of information and growth