'Ridin' The Storm Out' At RTA Connect 2022

When the storm hits, some falter, and some rise above adversity.

How well is your fleet prepared to handle a crisis? How are you handling technician shortages? Are you prepared for electric vehicles? Do you have a plan in place for when staff members retire?

This was the focus at RTA’s annual users’ conference, RTA Connect, that was held from Oct. 4-6 in Mesa, Ariz. Under the theme of “Ridin’ the Storm Out,” RTA CEO Josh Turley and keynote speaker Marc Canton discussed the importance of being prepared for challenges and how to thrive and survive.

On Wednesday, Turley opened the event by recapping what RTA has accomplished over the past year, including reviewing the advances made on the company’s RTA Web solution. RTA’s product and development teams made great strides over the past year to add numerous new features to the solution, including tools surrounding work orders, vehicles, and parts.

Canton opened Thursday’s agenda by challenging fleet professionals to take a closer look at their data and analytics to put a plan in place that will help them survive storms that might come up ahead. He challenged attendees to start preparing for EVs and take a deep dive into vehicle replacement costs and long-term planning.

The annual three-day conference featured all-day training sessions on Tuesday, followed by breakout sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Attendees had the option of attending classes focused on leadership and Fleet Success, data and analytics, budgeting and financials, and training sessions on the RTA system.

More than 140 users coming from the United States and Canada attended this year’s event.

Next year’s event will return to Las Vegas in October 2023.