The Fleet Lead

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of April 23: FMCSA is improving DataQ reviews Ohio publicly called out hundreds of carriers for unpaid tolls PlusAI is no longer going public A new autonomous trucking company entered the market Diesel dropped by 21 cents

Fuel costs are often top-of-mind for many motor carriers—especially with the recent diesel spike. The best way to cut fuel costs is to improve a tractor's miles-per-gallon. This episode of the Fleet Load hosts Yunsu Park, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency's (NACFE's) director of engineering, to talk about the fuel efficiency equipment and practices that make the biggest impact—and...

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of April 16: Drivers’ paper medical card exemption extended to October FMCSA is quietly allowing some states to reissue non-domiciled CDLs An episode of ‘60 Minutes’ focuses on chameleon carriers Private equity acquired Carrier Logistics A proposed bill would increase minimum insurance requirements Diesel prices FELL by 4 cents  

Legend Fleet Solutions produces van liners and floors that can increase residual value by 10-35%. These products prevent cargo damage, keeping fleet vehicles like "brand new" for resale. The Fleet Lead's Kevin Jones hosts Legend's Jerry Simpson, sales representative, and Brendand Church, chief marketing officer, to hear more. Timestamps: 01:40 — A fleet ROI case study 02:32 — How do skeptical buye...

Jason McDaniel hosts BeyondTrucks ' CEO Hans Galland and Head of Product Mariah Alf to discuss the technological evolution of the trucking industry. The company's transportation management system has a host of AI tools, from rating calculations to natural language interfacing—but, they note, AI in trucking should not just be a "hammer looking for a nail."   Timestamps: 05:59 — Growth of transporta...

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of April 9: Idaho is allowing semi-trucks to travel 80 mph The Iran War is raising aluminum prices FMCSA is working on its truck parking survey Diesel prices are up 24 cents Strait of Hormuz's potential reopening is messy

Did you miss your chance to attend the year's major trade shows? From Heavy-Duty Aftermarket Week to ATA's Technology and Maintenance Council, Work Truck Week, and beyond, the Fleet Lead's hosts talk about the major events and announcements that defined each conference—featuring Trailer-Body Builder 's Kevin Jones, FleetOwner 's Jade Brasher, Bulk Transporter 's Jason McDaniel, and Fleet Maintenan...

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of April 2: Indiana removed nearly 1,800 non-domiciled CDLs International and Ryder are using an autonomous truck for real freight Out-of-service orders will now treat ELD tampering differently EPA is removing DEF sensor requirements? Diesel prices rose three cents  

With cross-border tariffs making headlines and the average North American tractor reaching the oldest age in years, fleets are caught between a soft freight market and the impending 2027 emissions cliff.  FleetOwner was at Volvo Group's largest manufacturing plant in the world this week and sat down with Volvo Trucks North America President Peter Voorhoeve in Dublin, Virginia. He breaks down how a...

The Supreme Court took up the opportunity to standardize how states look at negligent hiring claims against freight brokers. The decision could change how brokers view the risk of small carriers. The case is Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, also known as Montgomery v. C.H. Robinson. The legal battle started with a truck collision in 2017. Hear more from FleetOwner's Jeremy Wolfe and Matt Reh, a...

Heavy-duty repair businesses are doing better, survey finds Hendrickson shows off its new wheel-end sensor In the spot market, refrigerated and flatbed rates are still up In fuel this week, diesel is up 30 cents and counting

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of March 19. Another House bill mandating English proficiency just passed committee Stoughton Trailers successfully completed a 40-mph rear impact guard crash test Trailer manufacturer Hyundai Translead is bringing manufacturing to the U.S. In the storied Motive-Samsara legal battle, Samsara recently won $30 million Diesel prices shot up 21 cent...

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers. PlusAI is taking a software-first approach to autonomous trucking, supplying its virtual driver technology to several major OEMs, rather than operatin...

A high-stakes trade dispute could reshape the North American trailer market. U.S. manufacturers say low-priced imports from China, Mexico, and Canada are harming domestic production. Importers argue the industry’s struggles stem from the prolonged freight downturn, not unfair trade. The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that domestic trailer builders have a case.   Timestamps: 1:11 - U...

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of March 12: California removed 13,000 non-domiciled CDLs. Pell Grants might pay for some workforce training Daimler producing new camera system for medium-duty, vocational trucks Harbinger Motors is launching a medium-duty cabover truck Diesel prices shot up by a whopping $0.96

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers. Torc Robotics is integrating autonomous software into the Freightliner Cascadia, the most popular Class 8 truck in the U.S. for many years. The develo...

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers. Bot Auto operates its own autonomous truck fleet to pursue a transportation-as-a-service model, vying for the business of shippers and brokers. The co...

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers. Kodiak AI is a public autonomous truck developer with a focus on OEM-agnostic upfitting and edge computing. It achieved some of the first major autono...

Here are the big stories from this week in trucking as of March 5: OEMs announced two new vocational trucks The Trump administration is changing independent contractor classification The Supreme Court is hearing arguments around broker liability Torc Robotics is moving autonomous hauls to Michigan Bot Auto is working with a broker for Texas hauls Diesel prices jumped 9 cents  

Jim Mullen is replacing Jim Ward as president of the Truckload Carriers Association in early April. How will Mullen use his deep trucking industry experience—as a former mega-carrier executive, past FMCSA acting administrator, and leader in autonomous trucking and the Clean Freight Coalition—to guide the truckload sector through a massive regulatory shift? FleetOwner's Josh Fisher sat down with Mu...

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of February 26: The Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs FMCSA is continuing its driver qualification crackdown Daimler revealed its next heavy-duty engine Spot rates increased over 2 cents Diesel prices jumped 10 cents

As EPA's new NOx standards creep nearer, Daimler Truck North America this month revealed its next generation of complaint heavy-duty engines. The Detroit-branded Gen 6 diesel engines will be available in 13-, 15-, and 16-liter options that meet the looming 35-milligram NOx limit, and will power future Freightliner and Western Star trucks. In the historic Detroit Manufacturing Plant, FleetOwner's J...

The relocation of manufacturing back to the U.S. could be a boon for domestic freight. The pandemic recently spurred business interest in reshoring, but tariff volatility also paralyzed many investment decisions. Rosemary Coates, executive director of the Reshoring Institute , explains the current state of U.S. reshoring. Timestamps: 00:42 - The Reshoring Institute's mission 04:00 - Global supply...

Here are the trucking industry's headlines this week, as of February 12: EPA finalizes removal of trucks’ greenhouse gas regulations FMCSA makes another attempt to tighten non-domiciled CDLs TCA's next president will be Jim Mullen In fuel, diesel prices rose by 1 cent

Modern work trucks have become very advanced, and OEMs' strategies to manage those trucks even more advanced. Ford Pro 's Eric Rice, general manager of U.S. fleet sales, details the industry's latest trends: driver assistance, predictive maintenance, the technician shortage, and more. Timestamps: 02:23 - Total cost of ownership 07:35 - Advanced safety tech 11:35 - The technician shortage 16:30 - M...