PHH Arval and First Fleet Corp., subsidiaries of PHH Corp., have formed a new dedicated truck group called PHH FirstFleet.

Services will include a variety of financing options including Logic Lease, which allows customers to replace trucks on the basis of usage instead of age. Maintenance, fuel and accident management services will be offered through a network of third-party providers. In addition to trucks, the company will offer trailers and material handling equipment.
“The overall solution from PHH FirstFleet is proper life cycle analysis, right sizing of the fleet, and adding value with ancillary services,” says President and General Manager Michael Lewis. “Really, it’s knowing trucks and the right way to structure the fleet.”
The impact of stricter emissions on vehicle cost and performance has exposed the need for quality asset management, he says. “The for-hire carriers have a pretty good grip on life cycle costs and fleet management, but many of the private fleets aren’t up on the latest developments.”
The No. 1 priority for fleets is fuel management, says Lewis. PHH First Fleet expects to have a fuel management program up and running this year. Sometime this fall it will release results of an 18-month study that is using advanced telematics to monitor fuel consumption patterns under real world operating conditions. The study includes trucks with pre-2002 and post-2002 engines and covers a multiple of operating terrains and temperatures.
PHH FirstFleet is based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., with operations in Sparks, Md., and Mississauga, Canada. The truck group will have its own dedicated sales force but will draw from the resources and expertise of PHH Arval, one of the country’s largest fleet management services providers, focusing mainly on light cars and trucks. First Fleet became a part of the PHH group in 2004.