ACRA invites all members, including associate certified vendors and car rental operators, to our 3rd Annual D.C. Conference. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see how ACRA makes a difference for the car rental industry and to experience Washington, D.C. first hand with the assistance of seasoned lobbyists. For more information, please visit the 4th Annual D.C. Legislative Conference webpage.
ACRA’s 4th Annual D.C. Legislative Conference
ACRA Partners with Goodyear to Provide Cost Savings to ACRA Members
The American Car Rental Association, ACRA, has partnered with Goodyear to provide a National Account tire purchase program to US ACRA members. No matter what size rental fleet, every US ACRA member can now purchase Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly auto and light truck tires at national account pricing through authorized local Goodyear dealers across the US. In addition, ACRA members also receive national account pricing on auto and light truck repair and preventative maintenance services through their Goodyear National Fleet Account program.
ACRA members can take advantage of:
- Recognized brand name quality products & service
- Convenient locations nationwide
- Competitive and consistent pricing
- Invoicing to meet requirements
- Only billed for tires & service that you authorize
- Trained and qualified personnel working on their vehicles
- Nationwide limited warranty
Through Goodyear’s National Account website, www.goodyearfleetnetwork.com, ACRA members have access to over 4,000 Goodyear Company and independently owned locations ready to service your rental fleet tire and service needs.
Goodyear has made it easy for you to get started. Use the email address below providing your name and contact information and a Goodyear National Account representative will work with you to set up your individual account.
goodyearnationalaccounts@goodyear.com
How does the Goodyear National Account tire and service purchase program work?
After completing the application process, ACRA tire and service pricing becomes available to the approved member. Approved members may visit any authorized Goodyear National Account provider location, present their unique ACRA/Goodyear member number and receive their tire and service benefits. The member’s credit card will be billed and an electronic receipt will be emailed to the member.
How do I find the nearest Authorized Goodyear National Account dealer?
Visit www.goodyearfleetnetwork.com and click on the “Dealer Locator” tab. Enter the full address or zip code of your facility, or zip code of where you are located, or click on the “Use Your Location” button. You’ll then receive a listing of the nearest Goodyear locations ready to service your fleet needs. There are over 4,000 Goodyear National Account dealers nationwide. This site is also available on smartphones.
This program is offered to you at no charge as an ACRA member. Any questions should be directed to goodyearnationalaccounts@goodyear.com. Start savings on tires and service today.
ACRA’s 3rd Annual D.C. Conference
ACRA invites all members, including associate certified vendors and car rental operators, to our 3rd Annual D.C. Conference. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to see how ACRA makes a difference for the car rental industry and to experience Washington, D.C. first hand with the assistance of seasoned lobbyists..
ACRA Applauds Car Rental Recall Provisions in Highway Bill Conference Report
Washington, D.C., December 1, 2015 – The American Car Rental Association (ACRA) commended the House and Senate conferees for including “The Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act” in the federal highway bill conference report filed today. ACRA is a trade association representing 98 percent of the domestic car rental industry. This legislation, introduced in May 2015 by a bi-partisan group of House and Senate legislators, earned the strong support of Republican and Democratic legislators on both sides of Capitol Hill during debate over the federal highway program reauthorization. It is one of the most comprehensive and important public safety provisions included in the 2015 highway bill conference report.
“Customer safety is a critical part of our overall commitment to our customers and the general public,” stated Joe Knight, President of the American Car Rental Association and Executive Vice President of Fox Rent-A-Car, Inc. “And because rental vehicles travel freely across state lines in interstate commerce, ACRA has always strongly supported one federal rental vehicle safety recall standard rather than a patchwork of potentially conflicting state laws.”
“We are very pleased that the House and Senate conferees have included the ‘Safe Rental Car Act’ in the 2015 highway bill conference report,” Knight continued. “ACRA urges the House and Senate to pass the conference report expeditiously and send it to President Obama for his signature as soon as possible.”
“Passage of the ‘Safe Rental Car Act’ has been a priority for ACRA’s members for several years – a testament to our members’ commitment to the safety of our customers,” stated Sharon Faulkner, ACRA’s Executive Director. “Our members’ existing voluntary commitment to prevent the rental or sale of recalled, unrepaired rental cars will become the law of the land when this bill is signed into law – a major accomplishment for our members and customers.”
The “Safe Rental Car Act” requires car rental companies to “ground” vehicles in their fleets with open federal safety recalls and to repair or address these recalls prior to renting or selling the car. Congress opted to include a more expansive small business exclusion in the conference report, exempting rental fleets with 35 or fewer cars from the provisions in the Act (as opposed to fleets with 5 or fewer cars as introduced). ACRA supported the narrower small business exclusion in the original bills and will continue to work for coverage of all rental cars across the nation under the provisions of the Act.
“ACRA sincerely thanks Senators Boxer and Schumer and Representatives Capps, Butterfield, Schakowsky and Jones for the introduction of the ‘Safe Car Rental Act’ in the Senate and House and for their diligent work for its enactment,” continued Faulkner. “ACRA also thanks Senators McCaskill, Thune, Inhofe, Nelson and Murkowski and Representatives Upton and Pallone for their work to include the “Safe Car Rental Act” in the final highway bill conference report.”
Contact for Further Information:
Sharon Faulkner, ACRA — (315) 354-4250 and Sfaulkner@acraorg.com
ACRA, Auto Safety Groups Support Car Rental Recall Bill
“The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to the members of ACRA,” said Sharon Faulkner, executive director of the American Car Rental Association (ACRA). “Because our members’ vehicles travel freely across state lines in interstate commerce, ACRA supports one federal rental vehicle safety recall standard rather than a patchwork of potentially conflicting state laws. Since the primary stakeholders — customers, car rental companies and consumer safety advocates — agree on our support for these bills, we hope Congress will take quick action on them.”
ACRA Welcomes New Board Members
The ACRA board of directors voted unanimously for the following nominees to join the ACRA Board of Directors: Michael DeLorenzo, Monty Merrill, and William N. Plamondon, III. Mike DeLorenzo and William Plamondon are new board members and will begin serving a three year term immediately. Monty Merrill will be serving out Gil Cygler’s term until 2017. ACRA is very pleased to have this new representation on the board of directors. These three new members help to round out the board giving full representation of the car rental industry today.
Thank You and Farewell to Board Member Gil Cygler
I met Gil Cygler under the most egregious circumstances in 1988. The rental industry in New York was under attack and the rental car owners/operators and CEO’s were gathering to begin the strategies of war against the now infamous amendment to Section 396Z, the NY general business law, that banned the sale of LDW and worst of all, capped the amount a car rental company could collect from a renter for damage to a rental unit to an insulting, trivial, and unbelievable $100.
Over the ensuing years, almost everyone that originally met on that day, closed the doors and became rental car history. And yet, Gil Cygler and his family owned business, (Dollar Rent A Car at the time/later Allcar Rent A Car) continued throughout the years, becoming more involved politically and furthering the causes of the NY rental car industry.
Gil Cyger is a very quiet champion. In 2012 he was named the King of Kings for his active involvement in a number of civic and business organizations as well as sitting on the board of the American Car Rental Association. But, Gil would be the first to downplay his accomplishments and would blush at being called a King of Kings. When given the award, Gil credited his father for teaching him about the virtues of hard work, customer service, and integrity. Gil always believed that there is more to running a business than working in an office all day and continuously stayed involved with community affairs and rental car legislative matters.
In August 2010, Gil achieved the successful advocacy of the New York State legislature to provide a choice to consumers who need to rent a car resulting from a car insurance claim and has since helped to educate others interested in the same legislation in their states.
Gil has been an important board member with ACRA. He was the chairperson of the Car Sharing Committee, a member of the Legal and Legislative Committee, and a successful advocate in Washington, DC. If you needed a letter to the legislators, he wrote one, if you needed an opinion, he offered one, and if you needed his presence, he was there to rally the cause.
Most of all, I admire Gil’s commitment to family and his sincere concern for his friends and their families. He never fails to ask how you are, how your spouse is, and how your children are before he asks about your business. He has his priorities in the right place.
I applaud all of Gil’s accomplishments in the world of rental car. I congratulate him on the sale of his family business to Enterprise. I will miss his involvement with ACRA and the smaller company representation that he lent to our board. But I know I will have a forever friend in spite of our original introduction many years ago.
Sharon Faulkner
Executive Director
In Memoriam: Frank Colonna
Frank Colonna, long-standing ACRA board member and industry supporter passed away on March 30. Frank was the founder and owner of Triangle Rent A Car based in Raleigh, N.C. He grew his business to include 29 locations across four states; North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. Frank was a recipient of the Russell Bruno award for Outstanding Service to the Rental Car Industry. Although a southerner by choice, he was born in Brooklyn and was raised in Kingston, N.Y, and retained quite a bit of the New Yorker in him all of his life. Frank was always ready to fight ACRA’s legislative issues with intensity and integrity.
Frank was someone you could always count on to write a letter or an email proclaiming support of a bill or non-support of poor legislation. No matter how busy he was, he found the time to devote himself to the concerns of the car rental industry. Frank also made every effort to be kind to so many of his employees, friends, and fellow car rental associates. I, personally, have numerous emails from Frank that encouraged me in my work as the executive director of ACRA. I saved them because, at the time they were sent to me, they gave me what I needed to hear. Now, they give me something to remember Frank by; and they make me smile to think of him. He was a fine man with many friends and admirers; a true success story in business and in life.
Donations in Frank’s memory can be made to the Melanoma Research at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Memoriam written by:
Sharon Faulkner
Executive Director
