The Fleet Lead
The Fleet Lead podcast features journalists from EndeavorB2B's commercial vehicle brands, including FleetOwner, Fleet Maintenance, Bulk Transporter, and Trailer Body-Builders. It aims to help fleet managers, trucking professionals, and transportation industry leaders navigate the rapidly changing industry, covering topics like new technologies, efficiency, and regulatory shifts. The podcast features expert analysis and real-world insights from trusted trucking industry editors. New episodes will offer information essential for managing fleets, maximizing uptime and efficiency, and understanding the future of trailer design and autonomous trucks.
Episodes
These are the major headlines in trucking, as of December 4:
- FMCSA improves ELD review
- Truck orders continue to plummet
- FCMSA removes 3,000 CDL training providers
- Minnesota’s non-domiciled CDLs are in FMCSA’s crosshairs
- 10 Roads Express is shutting down
- Diesel prices dropped 7 cents
When it comes to adding veterans to your fleet or shop, there are plenty of benefits you stand to gain. After all, many veterans bring both hard and soft skills to the table, from technical training to leadership, dedication, and reliability.
For instance, Suzanne Varghese, a gas turbine engine mechanic and maintenance supervisor for the U.S. Navy has parlayed her skills to the civilian world with Ryder as a recruiter. In this epis...
Hendrickson is a manufacturer and supplier of medium- and heavy-duty suspensions, axle and brake systems, tire pressure control systems, and other products to the global commercial transportation industry.
In this episode of the Fleet Lead Hendrickson’s VP of marketing, Jeff Sass, talks about the company’s ‘Beyond Suspensions’ strategy, American manufacturing, an aftermarket myth, and beyond.
Timestamps:
- 01:06 - American manuf...
The major headlines from the week of Nov. 24 in trucking, just before Thanksgiving:
- Bollinger Motors is no more
- Demand for Class 8 equipment is very weak
- Industrial production is doing even worse than expected
- The first all-new Mack Pioneers have been delivered
- Diesel prices dropped 4 cents
Volvo Trucks North America launched its new VNL and VNR models in the middle of the prolonged freight recession. While OEMs don't choose the market conditions when they develop a new truck, Peter Voorhoeve, president of VTNA, points to the bright side: the models' fuel efficiency can be a critical tool for carriers' bottom line.
In this episode of the Fleet Lead, Josh Fisher talks with Volvo's Voorhoeve about fleets' equipment acqu...
The major headlines from this week in trucking:
- The heavy-duty NOx rule will not be delayed
- Schneider is looking for more opportunities for mergers and acquisitions
- The Department of Transportation is demanding Pennsylvania revoke non-domiciled CDLs
- Pilot Company named its 2025 Road Warrior Champion
- Diesel prices rising
Peterbilt is finishing out 2025 with a strong lineup, but just like every other industry stakeholder, they're also waiting to see how the market shifts on alternative powertrains, like electric vehicles and natural gas engines, as well as looking toward the end of the freight recession. To drill down on how fleets can manage their business needs while still operating in plenty of unknowns, Jake White, director of Product Marketing ...
People in the trucking industry predicted that autonomous trucks would be running in 2019—then it was 2021, 2024... What's the holdup? Sasko Cuklev, Head of On-Road Solutions of Volvo Autonomous Solutions, details the company's strategy for commercializing autonomous trucking and its development of an autonomous ecosystem: digital integration, infrastructure, first responder training, and more.
Whether they're in the bay or on the road, veterans have both the tangible and intangible skills to succeed in the transportation industry. Whatever the branch of service or mission given, service members by and large have been trained to think on the fly and get the job done no matter what, learn to follow and lead, and manage stress. They also know a thing or two about logistics and how to "hurry up and wait," making them well su...
Fleets have been working in challenging conditions for the past two years, from a long-running freight recession to swiftly shifting regulations. But while fleets can't control today's economic volatility, they can strategically manage their fleets by paying attention to the data they're getting from their vehicles and considering how to spend their capital, whether that's on strategic repairs or carefully planned procurement. In t...
While fleets must often focus on a top-down view of the trucking industry, sometimes it helps to get back in the driver's seat to appreciate the finer details and challenges on today's roads. In this episode, Jason McDaniel, senior editor at Bulk Transporter, caught up with Dennis Duran, a driver with Jade Transport, to talk the care and keeping of his Kenworth truck and stainless-steel chemical tank trailer from Tremcar, as well a...
The economy is a chief concern for fleets during an ongoing freight recession, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the American Transportation Associations' annual management conference. In this episode, Josh Fisher of FleetOwner sat down with Rebecca Brewster, president of the American Transportation Research Institute, and Andy Owens, president of A&M Transport, to discuss ATRI's recent report on the top 10 concerns fle...
Success comes from focusing on outcomes, maintaining a positive mindset, and taking personal responsibility for daily progress.
That’s the takeaway from this conversation hosted by Chris Messer, executive vice president of the transportation group at EndeavorB2B—The Fleet Lead’s parent company. He’s joined by Mike Jones, president and master trainer at Discover Leadership Training, and Randy O’Connor, owner/principal of Dealer to D...
In the age of convenience where everything is delivered, even commercial vehicle maintenance comes on wheels. But why would a shop decide to go mobile? In this episode John Hitch interviews Kevin and Kyle Coltrain, who just launched Coltrain Onsite Fleet Care earlier this year. The brothers are drawing on their family's maintenance and football roots to run their company like a winning team.
To reach 125 years, trailer manufacturer Great Dane continually adapted and innovated to remain a leader in the transportation space—and kept focused “on the right thing,” as its leaders would say.
In this episode, President and COO Rick Mullininx and EVP of Sales Chris Hammond highlight the company's history, key milestones, and future vision.
Listen to the interview on this week's episode of The Fleet Lead podcast below or search...
The Fleet Lead’s team of transportation experts break down some of the industry’s hottest topics today: re-shoring manufacturing, trucking’s overcapacity problem, English proficiency requirements, and emissions regulations.
The roundtable hosted five editors from major trucking brands:
- Josh Fisher, Editor-in-Chief, FleetOwner
- Jason McDaniel, Editor, Bulk Transporter
- Jeremy Wolfe, Editor, FleetOwner
- Kevin Jones, Editorial Direc...
Another trucking software company has launched a product that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI). PCS Software unveiled several new offerings that use Cortex AI to automate tasks, from assigning drivers to finding loads.
Mark Hill, PCS Software’s CEO, sat down with FleetOwner to share how he thinks solutions like these can support small- to midsized carriers.
“They’ve done all the right things. These guys, they’ve cut where they...
The electric truck market faces big changes this year. State and federal incentives are dissipating in the wake of the Trump administration's disruptions.
In this episode, FleetOwner interviews, ACT Research analysts Lydia Vieth and Ann Rundle. Vieth and Rundle explain the current market and regulations, as well as their projections for future electric truck adoption, battery technologies, and beyond.
Tanker trucks are often easy to identify: a tractor hauling a metal cylinder to transport liquid or gas cargo in bulk. But what else separates them from the other tractor-trailers on the road?
In this episode, Jason McDaniel, editor of Bulk Transporter, gives a digestible run-down on tank trucks: their designs, safety regulations, cargo, and more. Jason’s explainer is based on the Fleets Explained series on FleetOwner.
Trailer/Body Builders is celebrating the 65th anniversary of its Buyer’s Guide—an annual complete directory of materials, components, supplies, and services for the trailer and body manufacturing industries.
The Buyer’s Guide is a massive print product: it contains 800 product categories and nearly 5,500 company listings. A former TBB publisher would judge the success of each new issue by dropping it on the floor to hear the “thump...
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