WEX Wrap-Up: November 2016

As we enter the final month of the year, it’s important to look back and see what has been happening around the world at WEX. As always, we are pleased to present the WEX Wrap-Up, a monthly recap of all the news and views from our business lines.

WEX Fleet

• What Self-Driving Beer Delivery Means for the Fleet Business: Following the longest trip completed by a self-driving tractor-trailer in October, the question persists: How will self-driving trucks impact the fleet industry? This blog takes a look at the safety and technological considerations that need to be made before autonomous vehicles hit the main stage, and the bigger picture if and when they are ready to be driving alongside humans.
• The Honor of Transporting the White House Christmas Tree: Every truck driver understands the value of each load they carry and their responsibility to safely transport the freight from shipper to receiver. We take a look at the person, company, and truck responsible for bringing the Capitol Christmas Tree from Idaho to Maryland.
• Who’s Spending Too Much on Fuel?: What industry is spending more on fuel than they should? According to data provided by the WEX ClearView fleet Analytics Platform, the answer is retail, whose drivers purchase more premium fuel and higher-priced fuel on average than other industries. This is compared to telecommunications, insurance and government fleets who keep overspending in check.

WEX Index

November is traditionally a month that’s not very kind to crude oil markets, and the same can be said for gasoline and diesel. The start to this November was different, especially for gasoline as prices spiked in response to the explosion and shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline late in the afternoon on October 31st.

WEX Travel

• The Right Payment Strategy Is Critical to Travel Brands Post-Brexit: Barring the unexpected success of any midnight-hour legal challenges to the UK invoking Article 50, the United Kingdom’s decision to remove itself from the European Union will become a reality within the next two years, as leaders from UK and the remaining 27 countries in the EU work toward a hopefully hospitable, mutually agreed upon exit. See how this will affect travel brands and travelers.
• Answering All the AI Questions You’re Too Scared to Ask: Do you need a brief primer on Artificial Intelligence? We answer seven questions on AI pertaining to the travel industry and the future of technology as a whole.
• Four Cruise Trends for Holiday Season 2016: October was a global ‘Plan a Cruise Month.’ With nearly 1,000 cruise ports and destinations around the world and one of the busiest times for vacations/holidays on the horizon, WEX Travel presents four trends and tips for cruise brands to watch during Winter 2016/17.
• 3 Duty of Care Best Practices for Today’s Corporate Travel Managers: In light of recent terror attacks and natural disasters around the world, traveling can be worrisome for even the most seasoned business traveler. In this uncertain environment, it is important to have a plan in case something was to go wrong. WEX Travel Looks into three important considerations for travel managers to watch during these tumultuous times.

WEX Health/Healthcare Trends Institute

• Leveraging the cloud to Deliver Employee Benefits: Cloud-based services are really catching on for businesses everywhere. The idea is relatively simple, it allows the storing and accessing of data and applications over the Internet versus a computer’s hard drive. Take a look at how this move affects the benefits community as a whole here.
• Can Smart Devices Make a Smart Company?: As the world continues its move to implement Internet of Things (IoT) Devices, there are important considerations into how the data is used, how it can be used, and how an organization can build a strategy around it. Learn more about the Internet of Things and its impact on the benefits community here.
• Benefits Innovation Key to Reducing Employee Stress: Today’s employee benefits must satisfy a wide-range of workforce needs. Many workplaces are comprised of multi-generational, diverse employee populations that require a wider variety of innovated benefits than in years past. The Healthcare Trends Institute looks at how companies can innovate to deliver benefits that are well-tailored to the employee.
• How Agents Can Tap into the Small Business Market: There are currently approximately 30 million small businesses that employ 56.8 million workers, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). They are defined by the SBA as having fewer than 500 employees and account for an unimaginable 99.7% of all businesses in the U.S. How can agents target these businesses? Learn more here.

Survey: Healthcare Benefits Trends Outlook 2017

Calling all benefits leaders: The Healthcare Trends Institute needs your opinions. As 2016 winds down, the Healthcare Trends Institute seeks the opinions of benefits leaders across the US in order to present its findings in its annual Healthcare Benefits Trends Report, which includes predictions and best practices for building a strategy in the coming year. Help them out by taking the short, anonymized survey, and stay tuned for a whitepaper and webcast highlighting the trends.