Issuu

GAIN RELIABILIT GAIN GROUND

In transportation, consistency isn’t a luxury, it’s essential. With a full-service lease from Penske, you get the trucks you need without the hidden costs of ownership. From custom specs to intelligent maintenance and expert support, we keep your ﬂeet running so you can stay focused on moving your business forward.

14 Trump 2.0 and trucking

Looking ahead through 2026’s trucking regulations, the U.S. Department of Transportation will likely continue its rapid driver qualiﬁcation crackdowns while also juggling lengthy rulemakings and even lengthier legal battles.

22 Top For-Hire Fleets

Stability at the summit belies the seismic shifts below. While the Top 5 carriers remain unchanged, aggressive acquisitions and 39 new entrants on the 2026 FleetOwner 500 prove the for-hire landscape is anything but static.

52 Tech in 2026: What next?

Will AI move from ChatGPT to task management? Are EVs dead yet? Why do experts predict a big year for predictive maintenance? Trucking industry leaders share their predictions.

Illustration: Eric Van Egeren, generated by Shutterstock/AI

Illustration: Eric Van Egeren,

Photo: Pamela Martin

Photo: Taylor Ireland | HTI Hall Trucking Express

Online

Private Fleet of the Year nominations open FleetOwner is seeking nominations for the 2026 Private Fleet of the Year Awards, sponsored by Descartes Systems. The awards will be presented to winning fleet executives during the National Private Truck Council conference in Orlando this May. Nominations are open to any private carriers and transportation operations and can be made by customers, suppliers, drivers, or the fleet itself. FleetOwner editors select winners of the annual awards based on private fleets’ accomplishments, safety records, technology adoption, community outreach, and other factors. Find the entry form and details at FleetOwner.com/PFOY26

Online Exclusives

Podcasts

The Fleet Lead: Have you downloaded or subscribed to FleetOwner’s podcast?

Recent episodes include a look at the 2026 regulatory calendar, discussions about the rise of autonomous solutions as electric-vehicle pushback declines, what to expect from PC-12 engine oils, nuclear verdicts, and more. Find all the episodes at FleetOwner.com/podcasts.

Sign Up

PRIVATE FLEE T OF THEYEAR

White Papers

Eight steps to launch a successful driver training program: Did you know that a properly implemented online driver training program can save you up to 75% in total safety costs for about the same cost as a single driver meeting? This free guide walks you through a proven eight-step approach that small and midsized fleets are using to boost safety outcomes, reduce costs, cut admin time, and engage drivers. FleetOwner.com/DriverTraining

Delivered to your inbox, FleetOwner newsletters provide regular industry news, event updates, and breaking news alerts. Manage your email subscriptions at FleetOwner.com/subscribe.

Connect with Us

MEMBERS ONLY

Access comprehensive reports, engaging industry topics, and exclusive multimedia content...and best of all...it’s FREE. Register at FleetOwner.com/members.

February 2026

Market Leader

Commercial Vehicle Group

Dyanna Hurley dhurley@endeavorb2b.com

Editorial Director

Kevin Jones kevin@fleetowner.com @KevinJonesTBB

Editor in Chief

Josh Fisher

josh@fleetowner.com @TrucksAtWork

Executive Editor

Jade Brasher jade@fleetowner.com

Editor Jeremy Wolfe jeremy@fleetowner.com

Digital Editor

Jenna Hume jenna@fleetowner.com

Art Director Eric Van Egeren

VP Corporate and Customer Marketing

Angie Gates angie@fleetowner.com

Production Manager

Patricia Brown patti@fleetowner.com

Ad Services Manager Karen Runion

Contributors

David Heller

Gary Petty, Private Fleets Editor

Kevin Rohlwing Seth Skydel

Endeavor Business Media, LLC

CEO Chris Ferrell

COO Patrick Rains

CDO Jacquie Niemiec

CALO Tracy Kane

CMO Amanda Landsaw

EVP Transportation Group

Chris Messer

VP Content Strategy, Transportation Group

Josh Fisher

Endeavor

Published by

30 Burton Hills Blvd., Suite 185 Nashville, TN 37215 800-547-7377

BUILT TO KEEP AMERICA ROLLING—

ONE JOBSITE

Survival of the smartest

Old trucks and regulatory clarity define the road ahead

By Josh Fisher Editor in Chief

@TrucksAtWork

Simply hanging up a new calendar doesn’t fix a freight recession. But if your operations survived 2025, you started the new year smarter.

ARE YOU SMARTER and more efficient than you realize? You could be if you’re still here moving goods after one of the most sluggish years in trucking history.

More than a month into 2026, we’re reminded that simply hanging up a new calendar doesn’t fix a freight recession. But if your operations survived 2025, you started the new year smarter and tougher. While few expect 2026 to be a boom year for freight, the fleets still standing could see it as a year to build for the next boom—or simply a return to greater certainty as the trucking “tourists” who took advantage of the COVID years are being washed away.

The freight market has finally seen substantial capacity reductions over the past year, as the spot market has strengthened in recent months.

“It’s quite possible that capacity has bottomed out, so the attention now is squarely on freight demand, which still looks sluggish with both upside and downside potential,” Avery Vise, FTR’s VP of trucking, said in early January. “Trucking companies cannot get to sustained margin recovery on capacity reductions alone.”

In late December and early January, truckload spot rates rose by double-digit percentages compared to 12 months ago, according to ACT Research. The harsh winter weather gets much of the credit for rising spot rates in early 2026, Tim Denoyer, ACT Research VP and senior analyst, noted in late January.

Beyond the freezing weather, there are other positive signs for the commercial vehicle market, as Class 8 vehicle and trailer orders jumped in December. This could be attributed to greater clarity in the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2027 low-NOx regulations, which are likely to stay on track, with fewer costly stipulations regarding extended warranties. However, uncertainty remains as we wait for the finalized regulations (see page 14).

We’re also waiting for the Supreme Court

to rule on the tariff case that was argued before them last fall. The justices’ decision could impact the cost of imported goods, inflation, and Fed rates—helping or hurting freight-sensitive sectors such as housing and durable goods, Denoyer said.

Regardless of how the EPA and Supreme Court act, fleets still need to be smart. The “average age of a U.S. Class 8 tractor is now 6.3 years old—the highest in more than a decade—which should help usher in a new phase of the truckload cycle,” Denoyer said.

This makes maintenance and predictive analytics more important than ever for fleets trying to keep this older equipment on the road. We’re already seeing suppliers and fleets harness the power of artificial intelligence to keep their operations running (see page 52).

Being smarter isn’t just about equipment procurement and AI. It is also about human capital. During the pandemic boom, those tourist carriers often treated drivers as commodities to be churned and burned. The legacy fleets—the ones still here (see page 22)—know that retaining a skilled driver can be as critical as maintaining equipment.

The reduction in freight capacity isn’t just about trucks sitting unused at a depot; it’s also about the exodus of inexperienced operators who couldn’t cut it when times got tough. As the freight market slowly turns, the carriers with the most experienced, trusted drivers will be the first to capitalize on premium freight opportunities. These factors aren’t going to make 2026 much easier than 2025. But the resilience of the past few years could pay off for the patient carriers.

If you’re an optimistic OEM, you’re hoping the EPA27 decision could push us into a prebuy cycle this year. If you’re an optimistic fleet, you’re watching the “trucking tourists” leave the market while focusing on uptime, driver retention, and efficiency until the freight logjam finally breaks and you’re ready for this daunting cycle to flip. FO

PureBlue has been independently tested and proven to outperform competitor units across key performance metrics. On average, it is 18.2% more thermally efficient, helping keep cargo colder for longer periods while potentially reducing annual fuel costs by up to $910 Its design is 27.7% more airtight on average than all competitor units tested, minimizing temperature fluctuations and extending the life of the refrigeration system. Additionally, PureBlue is built lighter than most competitor models, allowing for greater payload capacity and boosting overall profitability. With these advantages, PureBlue delivers superior protection, efficiency and economic value for your fleet.

Proven independent 3rd party testing by Element Materials Technology*, Huntsville, AL. Visit Stoughton Trailers at TMC 2026 Annual Meeting in Nashville—Booth 1422.

S13 powertrain ready for EPA 2027

International’s updated integrated powertrain focuses on simplicity, less NOx

by Josh Fisher

While much of the trucking industry awaits final clarity on the looming EPA 2027 emissions mandates, International Motors says its updated S13 Integrated Powertrain is ready. According to the OEM, the 2027 version will offer fleets a compliant, “reliable solution without unnecessary complexity.”

A little more than a year since its rebrand, the Traton Group OEM announced its next S13 meets the EPA’s requirements for 2027 model-year heavy-duty trucks. The EPA signaled it might reduce cost-specific portions of the regulations—such as warranty requirements—while the core mandate to lower nitrogen oxide limits from 200 mg to 35 mg per horsepower-hour remains.

“I think there are non-NOx pieces of the regulations that we’re still waiting for some clarity on,” Dan Kayser, International’s EVP of commercial operations, said. “So, we’re marching as though this happens in January of 2027. We have no reason to believe that won’t be the case.”

Consistency and efficiency

International’s primary pitch for the 2027 S13 is maintenance simplicity. The new platform retains 90% of the hardware from the original S13, which launched in 2022.

By keeping the hardware consistent, fleets can expect stability in service tools, parts stocking, and technician training. With more than 700 million customer miles driven on the current platform, executives say the 2027-compliant equipment offers peace of mind while improving operations.

“The No. 1 benefit, obviously, is the improvement in efficiency [and] fuel economy,” Kayser said. “And bringing it in such a way, we actually think the experience we’re creating for the driver is better than the experience they currently have.”

International Motors launched the redesigned LT model with the S13 Integrated Powertrain in 2022. Later this year, fleets will be able to order the LT and other heavy-duty models with an EPA27-compliant S13 powertrain. Photo: International Motors

What’s new: VVT and 24V architecture

Developed as part of Traton’s global modular system, the S13 was designed to operate without an exhaust gas recirculation cooler—a component notorious for maintenance headaches.

To meet the 82.5% reduction in NOx limits for 2027, International is making specific technical updates while keeping the core engine block, 23:1 compression ratio, and fixed-geometry turbo.

New for 2027

• Variable Valve Timing (VVT): This system manages engine temperatures during low-load operations.

• Variable Valve Braking (VVB): Enabled by the VVT, this feature improves compression-release braking, increasing braking power from 470 hp to approximately 570 hp.

• 24V Powertrain Architecture: The engine and transmission will operate on a 24V system (common in Europe) to improve sensor speed and cold-cranking performance.

• Dual-Voltage System: While the powertrain moves to 24V, the truck retains a 12V cab and chassis electrical system for battery accessories and body controls, reducing upfit complexity.

Vocational application

David Hillman, VP of integrated powertrain, noted that interest isn’t limited to mega-fleets. “Small customers are the ones that are the most eager ... This is one of the most positive word-of-mouth products that we’ve had in my 27 years with the company.”

That sentiment extends to the vocational sector. In Wisconsin, Menzel Enterprises integrated the S13 into its International HX Series dump trucks. Todd Menzel, the fleet’s COO, told FleetOwner that the integrated powertrain simplifies maintenance compared to trucks mixing components from different manufacturers.

“It’s a one-stop shop ... that 100% makes my life and my maintenance department’s life a lot easier,” Menzel said. “The dealership can handle everything from front to back.”

Timeline and market outlook

The announcement comes as the industry watches for a potential prebuy cycle. Kayser expects order boards for EPA 2027-compliant equipment to open in “roughly mid-2026.”

Pricing details remain in flux pending final EPA decisions on warranty requirements. FO

SEMI-BIG NEWS:

Wfi’rfificonfifinufingfifiofiofffirficufifiomfizfidfiprofificfifionfifindfirfifik-fihfirfingfiopfifionfififorfi fifirgfifi&fimfidfiumfiflfififififi,fifindfipfindfinfificonfirficfiorfi,fifindfimorfififi

TRUCK TECH HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2026

Batteries, safety tech, autonomous trucks

by Jeremy Wolfe

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January showcased several products and announcements for carriers. Here are some transportation takeaways from one of the largest tech events in the world.

Clarios launches trailer battery manager

Global battery company Clarios announced an expansion of its Connected Services Platform: the Trailer Battery Manager, a new feature with the potential to support refrigerated trailers and liftgate operations.

The feature is an expansion of the company’s digital solution for monitoring heavy-duty trucks’ low-voltage batteries. It gathers real-time insights into trailer battery health and charge status. The company said that its solution helps operators avoid liftgate failures and is

especially relevant for refrigerated transport. Fleet managers can better ensure that cooling systems run continuously and notice when batteries are nearing the end of their useful service life.

The solution requires a regular subscription and a one-time equipment installation fee to get started. The installation adds a sensor and gateway to the batteries, recording and transmitting battery data every few moments, similar to the Clarios IdleLess program announced last April. FO

A headrest that scans drivers’ brains?

On the show floor, technology company Neumo displayed its contactless sensor that monitors drivers’ brainwaves. The technology could measure driver fatigue, attention, and cognitive load using a relatively small device mounted on the driver’s headrest.

Current eet safety standards rely heavily on dashcams and video telematics to monitor driver behavior. However, video-based fatigue detection only relies on external symptoms. By the time a driver exhibits physical signs of fatigue, they may have already long suffered cognitive impairment. There are also many online complaints from drivers about the false ags that camera systems pose.

Neumo’s device uses electroencephalography (EEG), a method of measuring the brain’s changes by the frequencies of its electromagnetic activity, effectively acting as a passive radio receiver. Traditionally, capturing these signals required sensors placed directly against the head; Neumo said its patented technology can measure signals from 12 inches away.

Essentially, Neumo’s sensor comprises an antenna array and processing electronics, all within a relatively small, discrete package.

The sensor can be installed quickly without major modi cations to the vehicle. It is secured to the headrest via straps and connects to the vehicle’s

Cagatay Topcu, VP of connected service for Clarios, describes the battery monitor to industry journalists.

Photo: Steve Fecht | Scott Fosgard Communications

The device is e ectively a passive radio receiver within a small package.

Photo: Jeremy Wolfe | FleetOwner

electronics via USB. Neumo also offers a passenger car version of the sensor, which can be installed in the headrest and is almost unnoticeable.

Because an EEG device monitors the neural progression toward sleep, the data could be used by fleet management software to recommend rest stops before the driver gets too exhausted. While cameras would still be an essential technology, EEGs could work in tandem with cameras to better detect risk.

The system captures raw neural signals and parses them into specific frequency bands. The bands each have broad associations with different cognitive states. For example, the Delta band, measuring less than 4 Hertz, is associated with deep sleep and some continuous-attention tasks; the Theta band (4-7 Hz) is associated with drowsiness and inhibition; and so on.

By monitoring the dominance and changes among these bands in real time,

the system generates an analog signal showing the progression of a driver’s general mental state.

Since every person’s brain activity is different, the sensor creates a driver baseline after gathering data for 10 minutes. This provides a measurable trend of fatigue or distraction that goes much deeper than a yawn.

Neumo plans to supply the technology to other safety technology players, though no major partnerships have been announced yet. The company is in talks with several major safety companies.

Neumo also has broader plans for its sensor: The company’s roadmap includes monitoring for impairment and critical health events. FO

Neumo’s device measures the brain’s changes by its electromagnetic frequencies, monitoring the neural progression toward sleep. Photo: Jeremy Wolfe | FleetOwner

Kodiak’s autonomous supplier: Bosch

Kodiak AI will work with Bosch as its component supplier as Kodiak scales its autonomous truck platform. The companies announced their new partnership for the autonomous platform during CES.

Under the agreement, Bosch will supply Kodiak with a variety of hardware components, including sensors and steering technologies, to help the Kodiak Driver perceive and navigate its environment. The exact components and timeline for the partnership were not disclosed.

Kodiak gains the support of a massive global technology manufacturer, and Bosch gains a foothold in autonomous trucking. Paul Thomas, president of Bosch in North America and Bosch Mobility in the Americas, framed the partnership as a “win-win” for both companies.

“It offers us a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of real-world autonomous vehicle requirements,” Thomas told journalists at CES.

Kodiak’s platform is a system of specialized hardware and software that converts a standard heavy-duty truck into an autonomous truck. The company deployed several autonomous trucks in 2025 to haul frack sand on private roads with Atlas Energy Solutions.

Though the Bosch partnership is vague, Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak, said that it goes to market in “several years.” In the meantime, he had more concrete goals in mind for Kodiak in 2026:

• The company is discussing delivering 100 trucks this year.

• In the second half of 2026, Kodiak wants to remove the human safety observer from its over-the-road

long-haul applications.

“We haven’t given rm projections for 2027 and beyond,” Burnette said, “but you can imagine that it’s going to ramp up.” FO

Pay. Weigh. Roll Out.

Kodiak founder Don Burnette explained the partnership to industry journalists in a Q&A after Bosch’s announcement.

Photo: Steve Fecht | Scott Fosgard Communications

McKinsey’s OEM tech adoption predictions

During the show, partners with McKinsey & Company sat down with industry journalists to discuss the current state of zero-emission vehicles, autonomous trucks, and generative AI. The takeaway: Trucking’s green transition is slowing, while its digital transition is accelerating.

“2025 was extremely challenging, and 2026 is projected to at least start equally challenging, hopefully to recover toward the tail end of it,” Moritz Rittstieg, a partner with McKinsey & Company, said. “These are tough times for OEMs, particularly with severe hits to profitability but also volumes. The question then becomes: How does the future look in the time where OEMs are generally in a pinch to invest toward future technologies?”

While demand for electric trucks has cooled, McKinsey’s experts see a steady march toward highway autonomy and the integration of AI into manufacturers’ operations, despite the technologies’ investment requirements.

Electric trucks dwindle

With a second Trump term, expectations for electric truck adoption weakened significantly in the U.S.

McKinsey now projects that zeroemission heavy- and medium-duty truck sales would likely reach about 13% in the U.S. by 2035. Over a year ago, McKinsey’s pre-Trump prediction had estimated over 35% by 2035.

Autonomous remains strong

A much clearer use case for long-haul trucking today lies in autonomous technology. McKinsey’s partners forecast that autonomous trucks will operate in a “constrained autonomy” hub-to-hub operation from 2027 to 2040.

Gradually, however, they predict operations will become fully autonomous around 2040: Self-driving trucks will able to transport loads directly from their origin center to their

destination, without the need for interim transfer hubs.

Generative AI for OEMs

Truck makers are also beginning to focus on the benefits of generative AI. Rittstieg said that OEMs are particularly

excited about how large language models (LLMs) could automate busy processes like software development, testing, spend analysis, contract management, and marketing. In dealerships, LLMs could support operations all the way from marketing to customer service. FO

, emissions o

Deregulation and new enforcement in 2026

by Jeremy Wolfe

The first year of the second Trump administration revealed an interesting character of the new federal government: It is de ned, simultaneously, by deregulation and rapid regulatory crackdowns.

Looking ahead through 2026’s trucking regulations, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will likely continue its rapid driver qualication crackdowns while also juggling lengthy rulemakings and even lengthier legal battles.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years for TCA, and for 20 years, the regulatory process had always been somewhat lengthy,” David Heller, SVP of safety and government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), told FleetOwner. “You could almost time it with a calendar rather than a stopwatch, but that whole philosophy has sped up quite a bit.”

On the deregulatory side, agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have their work cut out for them, rolling back nearly two decades of greenhouse gas standards.

DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) driver quali cation crackdown, meanwhile, is an enforcement battle across several fronts.

“Even though I do think we’re in a deregulatory environment, what we have heard from the leaders at FMCSA and DOT is that there is going to be an increased focus on enforcement of driver quali cation requirements,” Sue Lawless, a partner with Scopelitis Law Firm and former chief safety of cer and acting deputy administrator for FMCSA, told FleetOwner. “That includes all the licensing issues, increased oversight over entrylevel driver training schools, and looking at increasing focus on better managing the electronic logging device process.”

Looming over it all is legal uncertainty. Many open regulatory questions around these changes will have to wait for their answers from the judicial system.

“Some of this is going to be dictated by what happens in the courts. There is existing litigation that, should the administration lose some of the cases, it’s going to have its hands tied at least temporarily until it gures out a different approach,” Prasad Sharma, a partner with Scopelitis Law Firm, said.

Fast-paced regulatory changes

The Trump 2.0 administration showed interest in moving very quickly on speci c topics. The new regulatory environment can make changes within days or weeks, nding avenues for those changes without a lengthy rulemaking process.

“I think it’s speed-centric more than anything else. Everything is sped up and moving at a faster pace than traditionally

we’re used to, in terms of a regulatory environment,” Heller said. “There’s not an abandonment of the regulatory process … But, at the same time, there’s these quick-hitters out there that they’re trying to address as expediently as possible.”

Those quick-hitters include safety-sensitive crackdowns on English proficiency, licensing, and training providers.

English Language Proficiency

Federal regulation 49 CFR 391.11(b) (2) requires commercial vehicle drivers to read and speak English sufficiently. Enforcement of this general qualification has changed over time, but the Trump administration made clear last year that it wants to crack down on drivers’ English Language Proficiency (ELP).

Last year, Trump issued an executive order calling for stronger enforcement of English language requirements, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Administration

re-added English proficiency to its outof-service criteria, and FMCSA issued a new policy for inspectors to assess drivers’ English proficiency. For 2026, highway enforcement personnel will likely continue to place drivers out of service if they cannot pass an English assessment.

“There has been, up until this point, I’d say, a relaxation of that particular regulation. Previous administrations had allowed for things like Google Translate for a driver to use at a roadside inspection if they weren’t proficient in the English language,” Heller said. “This has wiped all of that away; there is now a proficiency standard that they have to abide by and be able to converse in.”

In the first few months of the crackdown, FMCSA recorded 12,308 OOS violations for inadequate English proficiency. Previously, in 2023 and 2024 combined, FMCSA recorded only 14 OOS violations under the English requirement. A little over a decade ago in 2013, before FMCSA had stopped enforcing ELP, the agency recorded 3,864 drivers placed OOS for not speaking English.

FTR Transportation Intelligence, annualizing 2025’s OOS numbers, estimated that the English crackdown could take roughly 25,000 drivers off the road in a year—approximately 0.6% of the total driver population.

Non-domiciled CDLs

The same executive order calling for an English proficiency crackdown also ordered a review of non-domiciled CDL issuance. FMCSA’s enforcement ran into complications but is already influencing carrier operations.

In September last year, FMCSA published an emergency interim final rule to immediately limit states’ authority to issue or renew non-domiciled CDLs. Under the rule, applicants for non-domiciled CDLs faced additional paperwork requirements, and license renewals had stricter requirements.

FMCSA estimated that there are roughly 200,000 non-domiciled CDL

holders nationwide, representing 5% of the 3.8 million total CDL holders in 2024. Additionally, FMCSA boldly projected that within two years, assuming that state licensing agencies would issue only 6,000 non-domiciled CDLs per year, the rule would remove 194,000 non-domiciled CDL holders.

However, the rule prompted a legal challenge from Rivera Lujan, et al. The petitioners convinced the D.C. Court of Appeals to pause the rule while the legal challenge continues. The Court found that the petitioners would likely succeed in their arguments against the rule.

“The courts have gotten involved and effectively paused the rule, but, at the same point, you’re still seeing it happen at the state level, and you’re seeing a lot of lawsuits chime up with that,” Heller said.

Before the emergency rule, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in June announced an audit into state practices in issuing non-domiciled CDLs. Since then, FMCSA has reported that several states issued non-domiciled CDLs illegally.

FMCSA’s enforcement across states follows a similar pattern: The state must immediately pause issuance of all non-domiciled CDLs or commercial learner’s permits (CLP), rescind all noncompliant licenses, conduct an internal audit, and then provide FMCSA with evidence of compliance. The agency has so far reported illegal non-domiciled CDLs across nine states.

Regardless of the outcome of the litigation, however, FMCSA’s crackdown is already having a noticeable effect on the industry.

“The longer [the lawsuits] move on, the more questions surrounding the issue. But fleets are acting accordingly right now, based upon the executive orders that the administration has issued,” Heller said.

Ultimately, DOT may successfully reduce the industry’s use of non-domiciled drivers through its messaging alone.

“It may not matter as to whether they win or lose, because they have

Illustration: Eric Van Egeren, generated by Shutterstock/AI

succeeded in messaging that these are not desirable drivers because of the uncertainty around their licensing status,” Lawless said. “You have states that are kind of self-selecting to not issue those kinds of licenses anymore; you have people who are fearful of employing those drivers.”

Training providers

FMCSA is also aggressively cleaning up its Training Provider Registry by removing schools that do not appropriately train commercial drivers.

FMCSA announced in December that it removed nearly 3,000 training providers from the Training Provider Registry for noncompliance and placed 4,500 providers on a 30-day notice for potential noncompliance.

According to FMCSA’s removed training provider database, the agency removed 2,766 providers in November, 96 in December, and 3,872 in January. There are 179 providers in FMCSA’s “proposed removal” list.

There are currently 15,711 active training providers in the Training Provider Registry, suggesting that the

agency had purged 30% of the names from its database in three months.

However, it is not as clear how many of those removed providers were active or well attended. The provider purge will certainly affect the number of drivers entering the industry, though whether that effect is significant is another question.

Further refining the provider list could take longer than the initial purge and might require considerable labor for the necessary oversight. Alternatively, fundamentally changing the regulations and requirements for training providers might require another lengthy rulemaking process.

“It’s a resourcing issue,” Lawless explained. “There are so many registered entry-level driver training schools. How do you go about exercising oversight? … I’ve heard some interesting ideas about whether there should be a different regulatory scheme for regulating entry-level driver training—some more oversight, not just ‘tell us that you’re in compliance, and you get to be up on our website.’ … That would add just more rulemaking.”

The history of English requirements

Since the first federal regulation of trucking 90 years ago, English Language Proficiency (ELP) has only been truly enforced on roadsides for about 10 years.

The federal government required English proficiency among drivers for as long as it has regulated interstate trucking—the Interstate Commerce Commission’s (ICC) first set of motor carrier regulations in 1936 required English as a basic driver qualification—but enforcement was a different story. The ICC originally could only enforce driver qualifications by threatening to remove a motor carrier’s operating authority. Roadside enforcement varied by state.

Limited English was not considered an out-of-service violation until 2005, when the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) added English proficiency to its out-ofservice criteria. In 2007, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued its first guidance instructing inspectors to cite drivers and motor carriers for violations of

ELD review overhaul

Electronic logging device (ELD) revocation announcements might become less common this year. FMCSA is implementing an overhaul to how it verifies the devices that track the hours of service of commercial drivers.

The current ELD self-certification process has led to frequent ELD revocation notices from FMCSA after the agency discovered a device provider did not meet federal requirements. On average, each year 3% of FMCSA’s registered devices require replacement under threat of OOS violations.

The agency announced in December a more rigorous process to reduce the number of noncompliant devices entering FMCSA’s list of ELDs.

Face-offs against California

The federal government’s battles with California—and their fallout—will continue into 2026. The two government bodies have clashed over English enforcement, non-domiciled CDLs, and emissions standards.

California in 2025 defied the federal government’s ELP enforcement order.

the ELP requirement. In 2008, FMCSA provided enforcement personnel with the first tools to evaluate a driver’s ability to understand highway traffic signs, but drivers were allowed to explain the traffic signs in any language.

In 2015, CVSA removed English proficiency from its out-of-service criteria. The alliance claimed that it “could not substantiate the safety impacts.” After that, FMCSA formally canceled its policy of roadside ELP assessments. FMCSA maintained that drivers could be cited for violating the requirement but allowed drivers to use various communication tools, including cue cards and translators.

In April 2025, Trump signed an executive order for stronger ELP enforcement. A week after, CVSA announced it would bring ELP back to its out-of-service criteria; a few weeks later, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy directed FMCSA to resume roadside ELP assessments, effective June 25, 2025.

MADE

Grown from American roots, Fruehauf® Composite Dry Van Trailers carry forward a tradition of strength, quality, and reliability that goes back generations. These trailers aren’t just tough; they’re designed to stand the test of time, thanks to reinforced side and front walls that raise the bar for durability on the highway. With a variety of sizes and axle options, there’s a Fruehauf dry van to fit your fleet’s needs. When it comes to strength and reliability, trust Fruehauf dry vans for the long haul.

With its beginnings in 1914, Fruehauf is recognized as the pioneer of the semi-trailer. So today, Fruehauf is committed to delivering superior quality products — Designed to Last.

FMCSA, in October, withheld over $40 million in Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program grant funding from California, claiming it failed to comply with ELP standards. The state in mid-January relented and began quietly enforcing ELP.

The state also conflicted with FMCSA over non-domiciled CDLs. The agency ordered California to pause issuance of non-domiciled CDLs and rescind about 17,000 noncompliant non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs. California issued cancellation notices to those 17,000 drivers, with cancellations effective January 5. However, the state in December announced that its cancellation would be postponed until March.

After the January deadline passed, FMCSA revoked $160 million in California’s highway funding. Lawless suspects that the government bodies will try to reach a compromise.

“California and FMCSA are going to try to work things out because it is in no one’s interest, from a safety perspective, to withhold funding to California,” Lawless said. FMCSA “also threatened to decertify California from issuing commercial driver’s licenses. I think that’s really unlikely for even greater safety reasons. If California becomes disconnected from the CDLIS system, which transfers information among the states about commercial drivers, that would be very dangerous.”

Lastly, the Trump administration— with help from Congress—revoked California’s emissions standards authority. President Trump in June signed three resolutions to terminate the state’s waivers to enforce Advanced Clean Trucks, Advanced Clean Cars II, and HeavyDuty NOx.

However, the resolutions used a questionable legal basis to repeal the waivers. A coalition of 10 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the resolutions, which argues against that basis. The legal battle will likely move slowly, leaving state emissions autonomy uncertain this year.

“It’s going to be drawn out, I think, at the district court level. Then, whatever

FMCSA’S REGULATORY AGENDA

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s regulatory agenda includes many other topics that the agency might propose changes in:

• Automatic emergency braking

• Establishing a regulatory framework for trucks with automated driving systems

• Safety fitness determinations

• Broker transparency

• Violation information available in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

• Driver seizure exemptions

• Spare fuse requirements

• New applicant carrier knowledge examinations

• CDL administration flexibility

• Driver violation self-reporting

• ELD manual requirements

• Hazmat trucks’ rules for highway-rail grade crossings

• The National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners

• Household goods carrier registration

• Physical safety of women truck drivers

happens, I would suspect either side is going to appeal to the Ninth Circuit,” Sharma said. “I don’t think we’re going to get a final resolution on that issue anytime this year.”

Rulemakings

The administration is still utilizing the slower rulemaking process. Federal agencies have several rules in the works that fleets will want to watch out for. As always, not all the rules will see major updates this year, and many will likely miss their suggested publication dates.

“They have 41 items on the regulatory agenda right now, so they’re going to have to pick and choose where they put their resources,” Lawless said.

CSA score improvements

Overhauls to the Safety Measurement System’s (SMS) Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program are still in the pipeline. FMCSA proposed major revisions to CSA scores in both 2023 and 2024 and has maintained a CSA Prioritization Preview website since 2023.

“They’ve had up forever this new proposed scoring system, so they should pull

the trigger on it this year,” Lawless said. “Even with the updates, there are still some criticisms of SMS in terms of how you are identified, what that means, how hard it is.”

The American Transportation Research Institute’s annual surveys found that CSA scoring was one of the top industry issues facing carriers in 2024 (No. 7) and in 2025 (No. 6). Some of the top criticisms are geographic enforcement disparities and a sluggish DataQ process. The CSA overhaul might not address those concerns, but it would make several other improvements, including reorganizing violation groups, placing greater emphasis on more recent violations, and more.

Independent contractor classification

Independent contractor classifications might undergo yet another revision. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) could revise its definition of independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act to resemble the previous Trump-era interpretation from 2021.

“We should be reverting back to the Trump 1.0 regulation that they put forward at DOL. Our industry is expecting

that to happen at some point,” Heller said. “I think it’s just that there are so many things going on in the enforcement world that it’s going to take some time, but I think it’ll be more expedient than your traditional rulemaking process that we generally see.”

The first Trump administration’s DOL almost passed an interpretive rule that would have changed how courts determined whether a worker was an employee or an independent contractor. The interpretation could have secondary effects across unionization, inward-facing cameras, taxation, insurance, time off, and more.

Registration system overhaul

FMCSA is still working on a centralized online registration system. The new system, which the agency is calling Motus, would replace the Unified Registration System. Motus is currently partially online, allowing third-party

registration, but it does not yet support carrier registration.

“FMCSA has already rolled out phase one of the modernization of its registration system, and that allows third parties to register as entities within the system,” Lawless said. “Now is not the time for motor carriers to use the system, but the hope is that [FMCSA is] going to plug significant holes in the registration process so that you are verifying people’s identities when they apply to become a motor carrier.”

Emissions deregulation

The Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda is impacting trucking through emissions standards. The agency’s new leadership made clear that it intends to weaken trucking’s environmental regulations: Heavy-Duty NOx and the 2009 endangerment finding.

For the Heavy-Duty NOx rule, EPA signaled that it would likely reduce

costly portions of the regulation while maintaining the tighter NOx limits and the original timeline. EPA’s changes to the NOx rule could be announced as soon as this spring. EPA might adjust warranty obligations to lower the cost of the rule.

A much wider-reaching EPA rule is its revocation of the endangerment finding, which supports all greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. If successfully executed, it would leave all vehicle GHG regulations open to further repeals. The agency submitted a final rule draft to the Office of Management and Budget in early January. The final rule could reach the Federal Register soon; however, it will face fierce legal battles.

“It will be challenged however it comes out,” Sharma emphasized. “I think environmental groups are going to be the ones challenging this, and there will be a coalition of states that will challenge it.” FO

TRAILER HEALTH

by David Heller

School’s out for CDL mills

Why thousands of driver trainers are being removed across

IT IS THE DEAD OF WINTER here, and although Washington, D.C., would not qualify as a snow destination, school kids everywhere are still dreaming of snow days. “School’s out” does not refer solely to winter; it also refers to summer vacation.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been focused on closing schools—not over weather but over competency—based on regulations issued not too long ago.

We

applaud the agency for cracking down on schools listed on the training provider registry, removing their right to instruct drivers for failing to meet four-yearold standards.

We applaud the agency for cracking down on schools listed on the training provider registry, removing their right to instruct drivers for failing to meet the four-year-old standards. In a sense, FMCSA is canceling schools and institutions that have failed to comply with standards established through a

negotiated rulemaking process designed to produce well-trained, safe commercial truck drivers.

To be clear, the entry-level driver training regulations were designed as minimum standards for training providers to meet, highlighting the essential, non-negotiable knowledge, skills, and abilities required to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely. And while the term “training provider” seems ambiguous, that is because it can be somewhat of a catchall, if you will. Defined as schools, motor carriers, governments, and individuals, the world of training potential drivers is massive, and it is one in which regulation must encompass the entire industry, thus ensuring that one’s Uncle Joe is training someone to the same standard as a truck driver training school.

Scrutiny has increased now that the Secretary of Transportation is questioning exactly who is training these drivers. A self-certifying regulation, such as the Entry-Level Driver Training rule, has left proficiency requirements open to interpretation, and kudos to the Secretary for pointing that out.

Much like a motor carrier experiences during a compliance review, training providers should undergo a similar process to weed out the bad apples—and there are always bad apples. These providers have circumvented regulations, opening the door to federal scrutiny, a welcome change that should bring about consistent enforcement of substandard schools.

Now, we have all heard the punchline, “I’m with the federal government. We’re here to help.” That adage is likely no longer the butt of a joke. Long-overdue enforcement of training providers is essential to creating a safe and compliant atmosphere while adhering to a standard that was designed to improve roadway safety.

the U.S.

Unfortunately, the Entry-Level Driver Training regulation was designed to standardize training requirements, not to provide a stepping stone for CDL mills that continue to operate in an unchecked environment. The agency’s recent task of removing 3,000 training providers from its registry was a great opening act, one the industry celebrated; however, it has openly stated that its work is not done. Another 4,500 training providers have been put on notice for potential noncompliance.

What does that notice look like? This is a request for an in-person visit to review records, training materials, and other requested files. In other words, they mean business, and compliance remains the only option to stay in business.

Self-certification of these entry-level driver training rules generally doesn’t cut it for those looking to circumvent the system. Our industry has tremendous institutions, motor carriers, driving schools, and driver trainers who have done an amazing job of creating the safest, most well-trained drivers operating on our roads today. This is exactly what these rules were designed to achieve. However, the rule certainly didn’t prevent some from taking advantage of loopholes.

Thus, the agency has canceled school in a positive manner, not by making it snow or calling for summer vacation, but rather by enforcing a rule that was left unenforced and supporting a great industry that is committed to complying with regulations for the intent of creating safer drivers. FO

David Heller | Dheller@truckload.org

David Heller, CDS, is senior VP of safety and governmental affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association. He is responsible for interpreting and communicating industry-related legislation to TCA members.

Photo: Simone Hogan | 196719701 | Dreamstime

Go with the Holland FW35 for the best in coupling reliability.

The exclusive TwinLock design is your best bet to ensure a secure coupling. The lock design immediately captures the kingpin to prevent impact bounce out.

by Josh Fisher

DTOP FOR-HIRE CARRIERS

espite the tumultuous freight market of the past few years, the 2026 FleetOwner 500: For-Hire list saw few shifts among the largest for-hire carriers in the U.S. over the past year. The Top 10 carriers remain the same in the annual FO500 ranking, with just Schneider National nudging ahead of TFI International.

While there’s stability at the top, several eets’ growth over the past year came from mergers and acquisitions, such as DSV surging 307 spots to No. 48 after it bought DB Schenker last April. Other eets joining the Top 100 include Pods Enterprises (up 18 spots to No. 90) and Moller-Maersk (up 39 spots to No. 96).

Other triple-digit leaps include MCI Express (up 227 spots to No. 180) and Phoenix Cargo (up 193 spots to No. 112). The FO500 also features 39 new companies in the 2026 rankings, led by Barnhart Crane and Rigging, which debuts at No. 109.

The FleetOwner 500: For-Hire is our annual snapshot of the commercial eet landscape, based on data as of December 31, 2025. But the trucking industry is never idle. Just weeks into the new year, No. 11 Werner Enterprises announced its acquisition of No. 55 FirstFleet,

which would have pushed Werner into the Top 10 if the transaction had closed a month earlier.

Methodology

This is the fourth FO500 since we revised our data-gathering process. Since 2023, we have partnered with ProsperFleet, which uses information companies le by December 31 on Form MCS-150 with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to count power units, trailers, and drivers. This ensures a consistent playing eld for all carriers operating in the U.S.

Analysts at ProsperFleet also use companies’ websites, press releases, and business databases to roll USDOT operating entities into a single parent company. ProsperFleet then cleanses, validates, standardizes, and enhances company and contact information to create a complete eet view. For companies with subsidiaries and divisions with USDOT numbers, the vehicle counts of the subsidiaries are included in the parent company’s total on the FO500.

Later this month, we’ll publish the complete list on FleetOwner.com, where readers can have access to a downloadable spreadsheet of our data. FO

Top 5 Climbers

These ﬂeets made the biggest jumps up the rankings this year:

#48 DSV: 307 spots

#180 MCI Express: 227 spots

#112 Phoenix Cargo: 193 spots

#212 Lineage Logistics Holdings: 177 spots

#174 QFS Transportation: 172 spots

FUTURE 500S TO WATCH

TOP TEN TRAILERS

HALO: The Only Truck ATIS that Keeps Fleets Rolling SAFELY

Keep your fleet safe and your costs down with Halo, the industry’s only automatic tire inflation system for truck drive tires. Halo eliminates mos t costly roadside calls, prevents unexpected downtime, and stops avoidable tire issues before they become hazards.

By continuously monitoring and maintaining tire inflation, Halo optimizes tire performance, boosts safety and reduces tire and maintenance costs.

Fleets trust Halo to protect their drivers, lower operating costs, and kee p deliveries moving on schedule with consistency and confidence.

TOP FLEETS BY BUSINESS CATEGORY

HQ of FO 500 For Hire Companies

COMPANIES BY STATE

Mapping the market: This geospatial view, compiled by ProsperFleet, plots the headquarters of every carrier on the 2026 FleetOwner 500: For-Hire. Clear clusters of trucking operations can be seen along the Midwest manufacturing belt and the densely populated Northeast corridor.

States of the industry: While trucking operations clusters make up much of the East Coast and Midwest, California and Texas have the most FO500 carrier headquarters in the U.S. This map shows the states with the most FO500 HQs.

Tiers of density: This FO500 map divides the U.S. into thirds by state, based on the number of carrier headquarters. Nearly half (237) of the 500 largest carriers are based in the top third of states. 31 6 12 27 18 22 8

The Premier Networking Event For Private Fleets

NPTC’s Annual Conference and Exhibition is the marquee national private truck fleet show of the year! With 1,300+ attendees and 170+ exhibitors, this is an event you won’t want to miss. The Annual Conference features:

INFORMATION: General sessions featuring professional leadership and Driver Hall of Fame recognition award ceremonies; Certified Transportation Professional Class of 2026 graduation; industry benchmarking insights; and the latest legislative and regulatory affairs update.

PREMIER INDUSTRY EXHIBITION: A world-class exhibit hall packed with more than 200 companies offering products, resources and solutions that will increase the effectiveness of your private fleet.

NETWORKING: Unparalleled peer-to-peer interaction forged in an environment of safety, security, and discretion.

EDUCATION: More than 45 top fleet practitioners will serve as speakers and panelists at 20+ workshops showcasing the latest, most innovative and best ideas in private fleet management.

BEST PRACTICES: More than 20 best practices breakfast roundtable sessions in which private fleet professionals share in a culture of trust and confidentiality – challenges and opportunities.

RECOGNITION: Honoring the private fleet community’s best and brightest practitioners for achievements in safety, leadership, and certification, and for their years of innovative leadership and contributions to the industry.

SOCIAL: Meals, events, and activities that foster connections and create an engaged learning atmosphere.

LOCATION: A great location with numerous flight options from anywhere in the country.

by Kevin Rohlwing

Tire math vs. tire marketing

Does SmartWay actually reduce emissions, or is it just good marketing?

IN 2004, THE U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the SmartWay program to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions in freight transportation. This voluntary public-private program encouraged fleets to adopt various technologies to enhance the freight supply chain’s sustainability and efficiency. Since then, the EPA estimates that SmartWay has helped its partners save 397 million barrels of oil while avoiding the emission of 170 million metric tons of CO2. At the surface, it appears to be a tremendous success story of government and industry working together to combat climate change.

Fleets are not going to keep track of how many barrels of oil they save on an annual basis, but they do track miles per gallon, and a 3% improvement goes straight to the bottom line.

But as with an iceberg, what matters most lies below the surface. Over the past 20-plus years, SmartWay has saved the U.S. approximately 19 days of oil and about 13 days of CO2 emissions. While the U.S. leads the world in oil consumption at 21 million barrels per day,

China and the European Union together consume over 26 million barrels per day. While the U.S. emits about 4.8 billion metric tons of CO2 annually, China’s fossil-fuel CO2 emissions are about 12 billion metric tons annually. SmartWay is doing its part to reduce the dependency on oil and lower emissions, but it is not having a significant impact on the domestic or global landscape.

Just over 10 years ago, I said that SmartWay was more about marketing. The trucking industry has been a primary target of environmental activists for as long as I can remember, so participating in SmartWay isn’t really optional. It’s better to say you’re doing something as opposed to nothing, and SmartWay partners can definitely say they’re doing something. The overall impact is an afterthought because it’s all about image in today’s world.

The EPA boasts that nearly 4,000 companies and organizations participate in SmartWay, with over 200 major industry associations, non-governmental organizations, states, localities, and professional trade groups participating as SmartWay Affiliates. The EPA names Excellence Awardees each year; over the past 15 years, 314 partners have been recognized, and 151 have received multiple awards.

Low rolling resistance (LRR) tires are a significant component of SmartWay, and the EPA has a list of verified tires and retreads. When I wrote about LRR tires back in October 2015, there were almost 1,000 tires on the verified list and no retreads. Today, 320 manufacturers offer 874 steer, drive, and trailer tires, encompassing 3,000-plus tread designs. Retreads are now part of the picture, with 16 manufacturers represented and about 100 tread designs. It’s not an exclusive club.

In 2015, I suggested that the bar for LRR tires might be too low, making it too easy for offshore manufacturers to have their tires verified. I also suggested that someone audit the verified list to ensure that all 320 manufacturers are meeting the EPA-established LRR target values. Based on some of the names on the current verified list, I suspect little has changed over the past 10 years.

While SmartWay may be a marketing tool to keep the climate change lobby at bay, the introduction of true LRR tires appears to have had a positive impact on fuel economy. Fleets are unlikely to track how many barrels of oil they save annually, but they do track miles per gallon, and a 3% improvement goes directly to the bottom line.

Tire companies sell LRR tires and retreads because the math works. Just because a tire is on the SmartWay-verified list does not mean it will translate into actual savings. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Math sells truck tires with or without SmartWay verification.

The trucking industry and the environment benefit from more efficient tires and retreads. While the overall climate impact may be minimal, cost savings have economic benefits that impact everyone. In 2004, the average diesel price was $1.81 per gallon. By 2008, it skyrocketed to $3.80. Just five years ago, the price was $2.55; last year, it was $3.66.

Without SmartWay, I’m fairly certain the truck tire manufacturers would have still explored the LRR path because fuel will always be the number one operating expense, and the math always wins. FO

Kevin

Rohlwing | krohlwing@tireindustry.org

Kevin Rohlwing is the chief technical officer for the Tire Industry Association. He has more than 40 years of experience in the tire industry and has created programs to help train more than 220,000 technicians.

Photo: Kevin Rohlwring

Cargo security

Geotab

The Geotab GO Anywhere asset tracker provides eets with the real-time visibility needed to secure cargo and equipment. The ruggedized, battery-powered device allows managers to track trailers, containers, and power equipment on the same Uni ed MyGeotab platform used for vehicles. To combat theft, GO Anywhere features advanced geofencing capabilities. Fleet managers can de ne secure boundaries and receive instant noti cations the moment an asset exits a designated area, enabling immediate response. The unit is designed with a long-lasting battery and compact footprint to eliminate visibility gaps for non-powered assets.

Highway

Highway’s Trusted Freight Exchange (TFX) is a secure digital freight exchange built exclusively for veri ed carriers and vetted brokers. TFX aims to remove conditions that enable fraud and double brokering by restricting participation to veri ed entities, reducing exposure to bad actors common on open load boards. The platform ensures every load is real to eliminate “ghost loads” and bait-and-switch tactics. Additionally, direct booking through the broker’s TMS removes intermediaries, lowering

the risk of unauthorized load transfers and loss of shipment visibility.

Lytx

The Lytx Surfsight AI-14 is a dashcam that delivers real-time visibility inside and outside the vehicle, helping eets protect cargo and reduce theft risk. Built on machine vision and AI, the AI-14 powers an integrated video telematics system with cloud connectivity for live video and event clips. Security features include tamper-resistant design, passenger limit alerts, and support for third-party events, such as cargo-door sensors or emergency buttons. Upcoming “Driver Change” and “Unfamiliar Driver” alerts will help eets verify driver identity and ag potential policy risks.

Motive

Phillips Connect

CargoVision from Phillips Connect addresses the “blind spot” of what occurs inside a trailer during transport. By combining interior cameras and sensors, CargoVision provides visibility into door activity, cargo presence, and interior conditions. The system con rms when a trailer is accessed, whether cargo presence or available space has changed unexpectedly, and if conditions inside the trailer shift while in transit or staged in a yard. This interior data helps security teams identify potential theft or compromised loads earlier than perimeter data alone.

Road Ready

Motive has launched AI Omnicam Timelapse, a capability that helps eet managers secure cargo by reviewing hours of video in minutes. Available across Motive AI Omnicam and AI Dashcam, the feature enables high-speed video playback (60x) across all cameras on a vehicle. This allows users to spot theft, unauthorized access, or suspicious activity without watching footage in real time. Users can select a 5- to 60-minute window, which Motive automatically stitches together for rapid review, improving investigation ef ciency for events with long dwell times.

Road Ready’s cargo security solutions utilize modular, scalable sensors to provide untethered visibility. The wireless door and cargo sensors provide instant breach alerts and GPS-stamped open/close events. These actionable insights are designed to help fleets prevent cargo theft and monitor load status ef ciently.

Samsara

Samsara’s Incident Center is a uni ed dashboard that combines real-time alerting, investigation tools, and resolution work ows. The system helps teams visualize risks ranging from physical security threats to GPS jamming and SOS triggers. When security risks or cargo theft are detected, eet operators are

Photo: Lytx

Photo: Highway

Photo: Phillips Connect

Photo: Motive

Photo: Road Ready

noti ed with contextual data, including live GPS positioning, dashcam footage, and vehicle diagnostics. This centralized view allows safety personnel to dispatch immediate assistance and investigate the root causes from a single interface.

Solera

IntelliScan ProView by Solera Fleet Solutions delivers real-time visibility into trailer activity using volumetric sensing, visual imaging, and machine learning technology. The system detects loading and unloading events and provides

load-status insights. When paired with Solera’s door sensors and GPS tracking, IntelliScan ProView detects door openings and identi es unexpected cargo movement. Time-stamped interior images captured from the rear of the trailer provide visual con rmation of security breaches. The unit is wireless and solar-powered for continuous operation.

Verisk

Verisk’s CargoNet RouteScore helps eets and shippers assess theft risk along U.S. and Canadian routes before a trip begins. Powered by historical cargo theft data, RouteScore assigns a risk score from 1 to 100 based on factors such as commodity type, cargo value, origin/destination, haul length, and truck stop theft history. Available as an API for TMS integration or as a standalone interface, the tool delivers insights to help optimize routing and implement security measures for high-risk loads. FO

UPTIME SHOULDN’T DEPEND ON LUCK

Photo: Samsara

Photo: Solera

Photo: Verisk CargoNet

Where will tech take us in 2026?

Will AI move from ChatGPT to task management? Are EVs dead yet?

Why do experts predict a big year for predictive maintenance?

Trucking industry leaders share their predictions. by Jade Brasher

Advanced technology continues to create more ways for eets to improve their operations. But it can be dif cult to keep up with what works best now, what will work better soon, and what still needs improvements before it catches on and proves a return on investment.

AI (arti cial intelligence) has dominated the trucking tech industry since 2024, and experts predict that trend will continue. On the other hand, electric vehicles (EVs), which had industry momentum a few years ago, have seemed to falter. Could 2026 see another wave of adoption? And something that crippled business decision-making in 2025—tariffs—will likely impact businesses in 2026.

AI and electric vehicles, each a different aspect of transportation technology, could see growth this year, while tariffs

are expected to push eets to rely more heavily on technology to save money. FleetOwner spoke with multiple experts and seasoned transportation gurus to nd out what eets might expect in the coming year.

AI task management

AI and machine learning (ML) have been around for decades, but they exploded in late 2023 with the public launch of ChatGPT. Since then, countless articles have been written about how to optimize operations using the technology. In 2024 and 2025, every transportation technology conference prominently featured, debuted, or educated attendees on AI use cases. Needless to say, AI and ML are here to stay.

Neil Cawse, founder and CEO of Canada-based transportation technology company Geotab, believes that this

year, “AI is going to run operations, not just conversations.”

“AI is going to move from the world of ChatGPT—asking a question about my health or getting it to summarize a document for me or asking advice on a proposal—to being implemented as part of the business processes that run through the organization,” Cawse said during a media roundtable in December 2025.

Cawse’s speci c prediction is that companies will employ and train AI agents to perform real-world tasks that simplify and speed up operations that are easily automated. These operations could be in accounting, customer requests, and more.

While AI agents should excel at easily automated tasks, they do pose a risk. AI hallucinations, or AI outputs that use incorrect or false data, are common. One

Illustration: Eric Van Egeren, generated by Shutterstock/AI

study found different AI models to have hallucination rates from 37 to 94%. With this in mind, Cawse predicts that companies will initially use AI agents in human-verifiable operations and, over time, improve upon AI agent training to enable them to support operations across other parts of the business.

At its core, preventing AI hallucinations is a form of accountability for AI users, which Ron Thomas, chief revenue officer at AI translation company Smartcat, said will be a theme for 2026. And accountability with AI spans from AI results to its return on investment.

“Across executive conversations, the tone around AI has shifted from optimism to accountability,” Thomas said in a recent “Smartcat 2026 Predictions” release. “Leaders are now evaluating AI with the same standards they apply to revenue systems, expansion strategy, and operating costs … AI is being judged less on promise and more on

performance, and that shift will define how organizations invest in it.”

AI will also continue to grow in transportation through fraud prevention.

Wex, a commerce platform that specializes in fleet payment management across a spectrum of large and small as well as light-duty to heavy-duty fleets, sees attempted fraud on a regular basis.

Wex looks at fraud in two ways: first-party fraud and third-party fraud. First-party fraud is the “misuse of the privileges to purchase things that the company is paying for,” Brian Fournier, Wex SVP and GM of Fleet and Mobility, told FleetOwner. Think of this as using a company fuel card to purchase fuel for a personal vehicle. Third-party fraud is performed by bad actors via card skimming or using a false identity to create fraudulent accounts.

“At some point along the journey, probably one in five customers experience some sort of fraud,” Fournier said.

While artificial intelligence increases the ease of fraudulent behaviors from bad actors, AI can also help prevent fraud and detect it more quickly. For example, Wex has used artificial intelligence to monitor fleet payments for years. It’s helped the company identify patterns in behavioral trends that are often linked to fraud, which allows them to resolve attempted fraud more easily.

“As you have friction or disruption, then your cost savings goes away,” Fournier said. “Our ability to identify trends through our AI and machine-learning capabilities [and] bring them to our customers quickly so that they can approve or disprove these transactions to protect our customers’ interest [allows them to] continue the day.”

EV prices will fall

Electric vehicles were the hottest topic in the industry a few years ago, but in 2025, the mood shifted. This past year saw a

presidential administration that sought to end the “electric vehicle mandate” and chose not to renew federal EV incentives. Over the past 18 months, several EV-only OEMs went out of business, while some automakers discontinued or decreased EV programs. Is the EV era over before it could begin.

Yet, this environment could be what’s needed to push OEMs to improve their EV products and offer them at prices that make sense for commercial operations—at least for light-duty EVs. Jay Collins, SVP and GM of Energy Transition at Wex, predicts we’ll begin to see that shift this year.

“The first wave of EVs was driven by sustainability, and we believe the next wave will be driven by total cost of ownership,” Collins told FleetOwner. If the battery alone accounts for 30 to 40% of the total cost of the EV, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, “and you’ve watched battery prices go from about $153 a kilowatt-hour a few years ago down to the low $80s today … as that occurs, the major cost of the vehicle (the battery) gets more powerful and less expensive.”

Potentially, this could lead to EVs reaching price parity with internal combustion engines (ICE) within the year and possibly even costing a third less than ICE in 2027, Collins predicts. But it’s going to take some OEM retooling to make this happen.

First-generation light-duty EVs largely focused on the luxury buyer, but fleet leaders are “not looking for all the bells and whistles,” Collins said. “They’re looking for a vehicle that meets its duty cycles—fit for purpose. And ‘fit for purpose’ has a pretty specific price point.”

Last August, Ford announced its plan to produce an all-electric four-door midsize pickup truck with a sticker price “around $30,000,” available in 2027. Collins believes EVs with a similar price point will usher in the next wave of electric vehicle adoption.

EVs’ price declines are further fueled by stiff competition, especially from

Chinese electric automakers. While Chinese EV brands aren’t widely sold in the U.S., American automakers and foreign automakers that sell in the U.S. compete with these brands in other parts of the globe.

If these OEMs “are forced to figure out how to produce these vehicles cheaper for their other markets, why wouldn’t they bring that to the U.S.?” Collins asked.

“AI is going to move from the world of ChatGPT ... to being implemented as part of the business processes that run through the organization.”

– Neil Cawse, Geotab CEO

Rise of predictive maintenance

Tariffs dominated headlines in 2025. The constant “will they, won’t they” of implementation and the uncertainty they caused were palpable within the transportation industry. Wex’s Fournier predicts the effects of tariffs will linger into 2026 as well, primarily with capital expenditures—including vehicle acquisitions.

In 2024, industry players anticipated 2025 and 2026 would be a busy year for truck orders, expecting fleets to pull purchases forward to avoid the premium expected on model-year 2027 trucks that will comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations. That prediction never came to fruition because of a lagging economy and the anticipation that the regulation could be changed under the new administration.

While the EPA has announced the emissions portion of the regulation will stand, without much economic

improvement, Fournier doesn’t expect the big “prebuy” to take off. Instead, he believes the industry will see some equipment purchases, but many fleets will delay procurement and rely on predictive maintenance technology to prolong the life of their current assets.

Some will want to invest “in preventive maintenance differently to make sure that they’re maintaining vehicles … and make sure that the total cost of ownership is at the highest point, meaning that it’s the most efficient way to use an asset,” Fournier explained.

Predictive maintenance platform

Uptake has already seen the effects of this in 2025. Company data shows that the median age of trucks on the platform increased by approximately one year between 2024 and 2025, reflecting fewer newer trucks added to its platform. Additionally, the percentage of trucks on the platform that are 10 years or older grew 20%; the percentage of younger trucks, from current model year to two years, decreased by 40%.

“These older trucks are resulting in more maintenance-related issues,” Adam McElhinney, Uptake CEO, told FleetOwner. “Based on internal data, a five-year-old truck will have 60% more emissions-related issues than a truck that is less than one year old. More tariffs means older trucks, older trucks means more maintenance-related downtime, and more maintenance-related downtime means that predictive maintenance is more important.”

A forward-thinking fleet

While these are all only predictions, here’s what’s certain: AI will continue to expand in the workplace; the MY 2027 emissions standards for heavyduty trucks have been set; and while EVs have lost much of their momentum, not everyone has pulled the plug.

Without a crystal ball, it’s impossible to know how much these emerging technologies will impact trucking operations, but planning and looking ahead can set fleets apart from their competition. FO

by Gary Petty

Ex-cop turns fleet safety enforcer

How a state trooper found her future in trucking

PAMELA MARTIN, CTP, joined Medtrans as a Northeast regional safety manager in March 2021 and attended her first NPTC Annual Conference in April. A few years later, she enrolled in the Private Fleet Management Institute (PFMI) and earned her Certified Transportation Professional designation with the CTP Class of 2023.

“ As a state trooper, I had to size up situations quickly with ‘I can read you’ eye contact and gut instinct. This experience is helpful to me even today in denying accident claims my eyes and gut tell me are bogus.”

– Pamela Martin, CTP

“There is great business camaraderie,” Martin said. “PFMI enabled me to learn so much from top experts. The CTP program pays for itself in knowledge and connections. Just coming to conferences every year has done more than anything for my professional growth learning from others in managing accident claims. I can email anyone I meet. Networking is phenomenal.” Because of her background in court

depositions, law enforcement, and vehicle accident investigation, Martin’s safety management role at Medtrans focused on accidents from the start.

In January 2025, she was officially named claims and litigation manager to help mitigate accident claims and litigation costs. In January 2026, she was selected as an expert fleet practitioner faculty member of NPTC’s Private Fleet Management Institute, conducting sessions on effective communication strategies and onboarding and in-service training and coaching.

Martin brings passion and impressive knowledge to her work. She has been a featured speaker at both the 2025 NPTC Annual Conference and Exhibition and the 2025 National Safety Conference on the subject of Strategies to Mitigate Against Nuclear Verdicts. In her talks, she highlights the scourge of nuclear verdicts in the trucking industry. She emphasizes proactive steps fleets need to take in risk management and safety protocols to prevent your truck from being “a piggy bank with 18 wheels.”

Martin is a mother of six grown children, a retired Delaware State Police state trooper with 20 years of service, a former commercial vehicle accident investigator, and a former school bus company safety official.

Raised in Delaware, Martin attended Padua Academy, an all-girls Catholic preparatory school in Wilmington, where she competed in volleyball, ran track, and played clarinet in the marching band.

After graduation, she enrolled in Goldey-Beacom College for a two-year program in court stenography. While a student, she interned as a court reporter at the Delaware State Courthouse in Wilmington, working with civil and

criminal litigators, taking depositions in shorthand. This was not her first exposure to the law.

“I always wanted to be a cop. When I was growing up, my parents argued and fought a lot. Cops were constantly showing up at our house to settle domestic disputes, as they were called. I admired the authoritative presence and courage of state troopers and could see myself one day wearing the blue and gold uniform. After college, I got accepted to the state police academy.

“This being the late ’80s, men were not happy with me as a future state trooper. In academy training, instructors put me up against the largest guy in the class, fighting three-minute drills in the boxing ring. Maybe they thought this might make me quit. I was determined to stand my ground and take a punch. It earned respect and gave me a taste of the ‘raw side’ of duty I knew I would face in the field.”

Martin spent 10 years on road patrol, mostly alone. “We had only radios in our cars with no cells or laptop computers. I was taught in the police academy to know who is conning me, who is the fraud, who is outright lying, and who will hurt or kill me if given half a chance.

“I have been in numerous fistfights, stabbed in the chest, had my nose broken, and my arm broken,” she continued. “Often with no available backup, as a state trooper, I had to size up situations quickly with ... gut instinct. This experience is helpful to me even today in denying accident claims that my eyes and gut tell me are bogus.” FO

Gary Petty | gpetty@nptc.org

Gary Petty has more than 30 years of experience as CEO of national trade associations in the trucking industry. He has been the president and CEO of the National Private Truck Council since 2001.

Photos: Pamela Martin

Just-in-time solutions

Jayco Manufacturing leverages its fleet for customers and growth

by Seth Skydel

You may not have heard of Jayco Manufacturing, but there’s a good chance that some of the things used every day—from seat belts on airplanes to escalators, elevators, and HVAC systems —rely on the parts it makes. Headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas, Jayco has experienced steady growth, and for Kevin Maynard, its founder and president, a key element of that success has been the company’s ability to maintain a cost-effective and efficient fleet.

“Our transportation department started with a customer located 90 miles from our plant who required deliveries of our products twice daily, five days a week,” Maynard said. “They had tried to find a carrier that could guarantee two loads each day at specific times. We even tried to find someone, but there wasn’t a reliable solution, so we bought a truck and made it happen.”

By adding customer deliveries, Jayco broadened its service capabilities. “The ability to deliver with our own trucks is part of what separates our company from our competitors,” Maynard said. “So many of our customers are just-intime—they need our products at specific times and windows.”

Today, the Jayco fleet hauls products to customers from its Texas and South Carolina manufacturing facilities and returns with empty bins. Over the years, the company’s transportation department has expanded.

“We will pick up four or five deliveries along the route from our customers’ vendors and deliver to their production sites,” Maynard explained. “We’re also using our trucks to shuttle fabricated parts to finishing plants.”

In some cases, the Jayco fleet backhauls and handles freight for other companies. In South Carolina, for example, the company operates a 3PL warehouse

Jayco Manufacturing has seen consistent growth, driven in part by its ability to efficiently and cost-effectively manage its fleet.

where it receives and delivers loads for customers from its other vendors.

“That activity is mainly about offsetting our transportation costs,” Maynard said. “The total cost of ownership equation for a private fleet is different than that for a for-hire or dedicated contract carrier. Our main mission is to service our customers, while making a small profit helps ensure we can cover our costs.”

Cost control was also the primary reason Jayco moved from owning trucks to full-service leasing with PacLease. In the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, the company operates two Peterbilt Model 579 day cabs and two Peterbilt medium-duty Model 536 box trucks. It recently onboarded a Model 579 day cab in its South Carolina plant.

Maynard noted that with company-owned trucks, reliability issues and breakdowns meant frequent scrambling to rent trucks to keep up with deliveries, along with high costs.

“Leasing has made our operation more cost-effective and less stressful,” he said. “We know our costs and can budget, and we have the support we need to handle maintenance and repairs, and if there ever is a need for a loaner.”

The Peterbilt 579s in the Jayco fleet are spec’d with full Paccar powertrains, including Paccar MX-13 engines rated at

455 hp, Paccar TX-12 automated transmissions, and Paccar DX-40 rear axles. The medium-duty Peterbilts feature a 260-hp Paccar PX-7 engine and 8-speed Paccar TX-8 automatic transmission.

When spec’ing the Peterbilts, Maynard had Jayco’s senior driver, an employee for more than 20 years, work with PacLease to select components and the powertrain.

“Our drivers know our routes, the weights we haul, and other needs, so it was essential to have our lead driver involved in the process,” he said. “The end result is trucks that our drivers like and that make our operation efficient.

“Operating our own fleet shows our commitment to customer service,” Maynard added. “It also makes us a more valuable partner for our customers. The fleet has also been one of the key reasons we’ve been able to manage our growth.”

Founded by Maynard in 1998, Jayco is thriving. Two manufacturing facilities have been significantly expanded over the years. In just the past seven years, it has achieved 150% sales growth, from $16 million in 2018 to $40 million by the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

Today, Jayco continues to produce components for everyday products that consumers rely on. In turn, the company relies on its transportation department and fleet to make that happen. FO

Photo: Jayco Manufacturing

30 Burton Hills Blvd., Suite 185 Nashville, TN 37215 800-547-7377 fleetowner.com

SALES STAFF

Chris Messer EVP Transportation Group cmesser@endeavorb2b.com

Dyanna Hurley

Market Leader/Commercial Vehicle Group 248-705-3505 dhurley@endeavorb2b.com

Peter Lovato Associate Publisher 231-233-2660 peter@fleetowner.com AL, GA, FL, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TX

Michael Simone Western Territory 973-713-0094 michael-s@fleetowner.com AR, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS MN, MO, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY

Larry Schlagheck Northeastern Territory 248-444-1320 larry@fleetowner.com CT, DE, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WV

Richard A. White Business Operations Manager richard@fleetowner.com

Laura Moulton Audience Development Manager lmoulton@endeavorb2b.com

FleetOwner, (USPS Permit 200040, ISSN 1070-194X print, ISSN 2771-5205 online) is published nine times a year in January/February, March, April, May, June, July/ August, September, October, and November/December by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N Main St 5th Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FleetOwner, P.O. Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. $121.54 per year; Canada/Mexico $142.14 per year; All other countries $180.25 per year. All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds. Send subscription inquiries to FleetOwner, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. Customer service can be reached toll-free at 877-382-9187 or at fleetowner@omeda.com for magazine subscription assistance or questions.

Printed in the USA. Copyright 2026 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles. Volume 123, Issue 1

Article Reprints — For reprints and licensing, please contact reprints@endeavorb2b.com.

Photocopies: Authorization to photocopy articles for internal corporate, personal or instructional use may be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at 978-750-8400. Obtain further information at copyright.com.

Archives and Microform: This magazine is available for research and retrieval of selected archived articles from leading electronic databases and online search services, including Factiva, LexisNexis and Proquest.

Mailing Lists: Endeavor makes portions of our magazine subscriber lists available to carefully selected companies that offer products and services directly related to the industries we cover. Subscribers who do not wish to receive such mailings should contact the Endeavor Business Media subscriber services at 800-547-7377, ext. 1500.

Privacy Policy: Your privacy is a priority to us. For a detailed policy statement about privacy and information dissemination practices related to Endeavor Business Media products, please visit our website at www.endeavorbusinessmedia.com.

This index is a service to readers. Every effort is made to maintain accuracy, but FleetOwner cannot assume responsibility for errors or omissions.

Hall

Trucking Express in Ohio marks America’s 250th anniversary with a trailer showcasing historical moments.

by Jade Brasher

This year, America will celebrate its 250th anniversary as a nation, and the party has already begun.

HTI Hall Trucking Express in Findlay, Ohio, will mark the nation’s 250th birthday with a rolling reminder of the country’s history with a vinyl wrap on one of its trailers showing a timeline of America from 1776 to 2026.

The idea came from Taylor Ireland, a member of HTI’s operations team, in 2024. She attended Findlay’s historical museum with a group of local company leaders, where they were challenged to nd ways to contribute to the town’s celebration of America’s Semiquincentennial.

“Within seconds, it hit me,” Ireland told FleetOwner . “I’m going to tell America’s story in a timeline form on the trailer.” The idea was easy to sell to HTI’s owner, Jeff Hall, a U.S. Army veteran and, as Ireland describes, a strong supporter of “anything red, white, and blue.”

The trailer depicts different images of American history on both sides. While America’s history is shorter than many others, that didn’t make deciding upon which historical moments to memorialize any easier, Ireland said.

One side of the trailer showcases an image of George Washington and scenes of the Revolutionary War. The other side

shows the Declaration of Independence. Moving across the timeline, either side of the trailer showcases different wars, Reconstruction, the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, Martin Luther King Jr., and the moon landing.

Though HTI’s America 250 trailer will run operational routes, Ireland has a bigger vision. In fact, the way the timeline on the trailer reads—from right to left on one side and left to right on the other— was designed speci cally for parades, allowing spectators from both sides of the street to easily understand.

While there are no parades on the America 250 trailer’s calendar (yet!), just recently, the trailer was featured at a local college event, where attendees were able to take pictures with the trailer and learn the story behind it.

It’s worth noting that HTI’s America 250 trailer does not feature the HTI logo. This was intentional.

According to Ireland, the possibilities with this trailer are endless.

“My hope and prayer is that [the trailer] helps move people the way it’s moved me and moved our company,” Ireland said. “In such a divided country we live in right now, the hope would be that maybe it could bring us together, even if it’s just one person at a time.”

Those in the Midwest and Northeast have the best chance of seeing the America 250 trailer en route to deliveries. The trailer also has an Instagram account, TheAmerica250Trailer, for those interested in following its journey. FO

“If somebody wants to use it or maybe take it somewhere,” Ireland said, “we’re all for it! I mean, the goal is that it gets out there and does a little more than just haul food.”

One side of the trailer depicts George Washington, the Civil War, Reconstruction, World War I, the Great Depression, the Vietnam War, the moon landing, and 9/11.

Photos: Taylor Ireland HTI Hall Trucking Express

The other side of the trailer depicts 9/11, Martin Luther King Jr., the Vietnam War, World War I, the Industrial Revolution and women’s su rage, the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, and depictions of the Revolutionary War.

﻿﻿Fleet Owner - February 2026

GAIN RELIABILIT GAIN GROUND

14 Trump 2.0 and trucking

22 Top For-Hire Fleets

52 Tech in 2026: What next?

Online

Online Exclusives

Podcasts

Sign Up

PRIVATE FLEE T OF THEYEAR

White Papers

Connect with Us

MEMBERS ONLY

BUILT TO KEEP AMERICA ROLLING—

ONE JOBSITE

Survival of the smartest

Old trucks and regulatory clarity define the road ahead

@TrucksAtWork

S13 powertrain ready for EPA 2027

Consistency and efficiency

New for 2027

Vocational application

SEMI-BIG NEWS:

TRUCK TECH HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2026

Batteries, safety tech, autonomous trucks

Clarios launches trailer battery manager

A headrest that scans drivers’ brains?

Kodiak’s autonomous supplier: Bosch

Pay. Weigh. Roll Out.

McKinsey’s OEM tech adoption predictions

Electric trucks dwindle

Autonomous remains strong

Generative AI for OEMs

, emissions o

Deregulation and new enforcement in 2026

Fast-paced regulatory changes

English Language Proficiency

Non-domiciled CDLs

Training providers

The history of English requirements

ELD review overhaul

Face-offs against California

MADE

FMCSA’S REGULATORY AGENDA

Rulemakings

CSA score improvements

Independent contractor classification

Emissions deregulation

TRAILER HEALTH

School’s out for CDL mills

the U.S.

DTOP FOR-HIRE CARRIERS

Methodology

Top 5 Climbers

Top 5 Sliders

FUTURE 500S TO WATCH

TOP TEN TRAILERS

HALO: The Only Truck ATIS that Keeps Fleets Rolling SAFELY

TOP FLEETS BY BUSINESS CATEGORY

HQ of FO 500 For Hire Companies

COMPANIES BY STATE

The Premier Networking Event For Private Fleets

Tire math vs. tire marketing

Cargo security

Geotab

Highway

Lytx

Motive

Phillips Connect

Road Ready

Samsara

Solera

Verisk

UPTIME SHOULDN’T DEPEND ON LUCK

Where will tech take us in 2026?

AI task management

EV prices will fall

Rise of predictive maintenance

A forward-thinking fleet

Ex-cop turns fleet safety enforcer

Fleet Owner - February 2026