As ACRA monitors industry issues across the country, two areas of current focus are the nearing sunset of full personal property spending and the electrification of rental vehicles.
Logo: ACRA/Photo: Canva
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a keystone as “the central stone at the top of an arch that holds it together”.
keystone of the arch
As I looked around the packed conference room of the U.S. Capitol in mid-September during the DC 2022 Car Rental Conference, I realized that “keystone” was the best way to describe ACRA, the national trade association. rice field. Whether this is a symbiotic relationship between car rental operators and the companies that provide goods and services to those operators, membership of large multi-billion dollar global car rental operators in the same trade association. True, whether it be the political alliances inherent in A single location and he operator with 15 vehicles. Or the operational lessons newcomers to the industry can learn from industry “veterans” who faced the same challenges years ago and overcame them.
In both cases, ACRA is a cornerstone of the US car rental industry. Operators of all sizes belong to his ACRA, from Enterprise with over 50 years of operation and his million rental vehicles, to Xclusive Auto Club with his 15 rental vehicles in one year of operation, Operators who contribute to its success and learn from their peers.
Within ACRA, from airport operators to insurance agents and local rentals, operators renting vehicles to Uber and Lyft drivers, operators renting vehicles on peer-to-peer platforms, Edge (movie industry) and my company, Bandago (entertainment industry). All these ‘stones’ of the ‘arches’ of the US car rental industry are anchored together by ACRA’s ‘keystones’. Without that keystone, the arch wouldn’t work. That keystone makes the arch very strong, supporting the weight of the many stones above it.
Notable Legislative Issues
ACRA leaders are focused on growing ACRA, both in terms of membership and serving members both large and small. In the Capitol and in state capitals across the country, businesses large and small are joining forces to promote laws that benefit their industry and improve the bottom line for each ACRA member company. For example, two central focal points of the DC conference are the looming sundown of full spending on private property (which is set to drop to 80% in 2023) and national rentals, whether at airports or locally. It was the “electrification” of the vehicle.
In states, ACRA members large and small are mobilizing to push for laws that benefit the industry and oppose proposals that harm U.S. car rental companies. Last year, the industry scored a big win in California through new legislation that strengthens loss immunity. This year, as I write this column, an industry-backed vehicle license fee bill is awaiting signature by the Governor of New York. But in 2023, ACRA members will raise discriminatory car rental excise taxes in Massachusetts, California, and other “leadership” states, as states begin to seek new revenue amid economic downturns. or should be monitored for proposals to change sales tax treatment. of the acquisition of a rental car.
Future prospects
Together, ACRA members will continue to look to ACRA as the industry’s ‘keystone’ beyond 2023. Over the past few years we have achieved a lot together. The future looks bright for industries working together to drive growth, demand and consumer satisfaction.
Editor’s Note: This blog was featured in the 2023 Auto Rental News Fact Book. Find more industry insights and statistics online today.
author
