KAILUA, Hawaii -

Bishop Fleet Optimization — a company specializing in GPS vehicle audits to help companies right-size their fleets — has hired former SmartAuction and FLD executive Grace Appleton to be the company’s vice president of business development for North America.

Appleton has worked in the auto business for more than 20 years, including positions where she has sold cars, leased to fleets and crafted auction websites.

She is responsible in her new position for introducing BFO to the U.S. and Canada.

Explaining more about BFO, officials noted that its audits of fleet sizes can help companies save money and reduce carbon footprint. They contend that BFO usually finds vehicle surpluses ranging from 14 percent and 37 percent.

Its global offices are in Australia and New Zealand, and the corporate office is in Hawaii. However, the company recently opened an office on the mainland in Florida.

“We are excited to have someone of Grace’s caliber and industry insight on our team,” stated BFO managing director Derrick Bishop.

Appleton noted: “The timing for introducing a company like BFO to the North American market place is perfect … This is the first GPS utilization service on the market that does not require the expense of adding a permanent GPS and associated ongoing monthly service costs.”

She added: “BFO does not use outdated methods like log books or mileage records which can be inaccurate, incomplete and time consuming for the employees. We capture all the data on our loggers and provide dynamic Web-based reports that are detailed and yet easy to use.”