By Tod Trousdell

I asked a cross section of this year’s NAFA conference attendees to give me their thoughts on this year’s I&E held April 28-30 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

To many – including me, attending my 14th NAFA in a row – this year’s event felt more like the NAFA’s of 10, 15 years ago.

In addition to the exhibit floor, which was open for two days, the show also featured its annual 100 Top Fleets, the Technician Training Program, and its Media Day, as well as the Ride & Drive Event and an indoor test track.

“It’s so encouraging to see how our members have reacted to industry challenges the past few years,” said Bill Schankel, CEO of NAFA. “Fleet is just unflappable, nothing shakes this industry…”

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Management Weekly’s Brand Acceleration

Measuring ROI in B2B marketing, especially for fleet products and services, is a significant challenge that demands attention.

Proving ROI in B2B fleet marketing is no longer about isolated metrics: it’s about connecting marketing activity to revenue, pipeline, and long-term growth.

The integration of AI, automation, and advanced attribution models is empowering marketers to demonstrate impact with greater precision than ever before.

By embracing these tools and staying attuned to emerging trends fleet marketers can optimize investments, justify budgets, and drive meaningful business outcomes in an increasingly competitive landscape.

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By Bill Bishop, SVP of Sales and Marketing, FLD Remarketing

Welcome to the Q2 version of our White Metal Market Report, now in its 9th year of keeping fleet professionals in tune, up-to-date and in-the-know about the state of the used wholesale vehicle market.

Like much of the world, right now fleet is eaten up with all things tariff, something that was evident during a recent series of Customer Advisory Board interviews we recently conducted with top fleet managers.

One bright spot is that new vehicle availability has recovered and by many accounts resulted in a vehicle surplus as fleets learn to make do with what they have or hold on to an aging inventory due to uncertainty.

In my opinion, we could be entering an era where – aside from the specter of one offs like tariffs – things will be relatively uneventful as long as nothing catastrophic happens.

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To help families of all sizes and stages of life as they consider their next new vehicle, Kelley Blue Book recently named the 12 Best Family Cars of 2025.

“For many years, our Best Family Cars list has featured only SUVs and minivans. Now that’s not to say a family of four or five can’t fit into a sedan, but the market has spoken: The go-to family cars of today actually aren’t cars at all.” said Brian Moody, executive editor for Kelley Blue Book

Each car has been evaluated on critical factors such as safety, roominess, functionality, predicted resale value and historical reliability.

via Kelley Blue Book

A new study suggests drivers are increasingly open to a subscription model for their next vehicle, which would upend car ownership. A car subscription model has been floated several times, most often by Silicon Valley startups looking to “disrupt” car ownership.

Drivers are fatigued by the ever-expanding required subscriptions for things like navigation, in-car WiFi, and remote start, and feel that a subscription that includes the car is a better choice.

Almost 75 percent of respondents say the lack of a long-term financial commitment makes a vehicle subscription attractive, with two-thirds saying they’d want the option to cancel at any time. Over half (58 percent) say the ability to swap vehicles based on need interests them.

via Autoblog

Incoming EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin issued a press release this week announcing the long list of environmental regulations he’s seeking to eliminate. Among them are automotive emissions rules. It could affect everything from a Chevrolet Equinox to a Ford Super Duty.

Zeldin is more specifically targeting the “Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles” regulation and “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles.” Also included is the “Clean Trucks Plan.”

Most automakers don’t design vehicles solely for the American market and those looking to compete on a global scale are already facing tightening emissions regulations, so they’ll be dealing with associated costs regardless of American standards.

via CarBuzz

The new-vehicle seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), or sales pace, declined slightly in April but remained up substantially year over year as buyers were motivated to buy ahead of tariff-related increases to prices.

The average transaction price of a new vehicle in April increased by 2.5% from March to $48,699, which was up 1.1% year over year. The used market also saw month-over-month declines but gains year over year. Used prices increased.

Wholesale vehicle values increased by 2.7% in April on a SAAR adjusted basis, with the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index rising to 208.2, which was up 4.9% from a year ago.

via Cox Automotive

New data from Escalent’s Fleet Advisory Hub™ underscore driver influence in commercial vehicle telematics programs, offering new path to differentiation for solutions providers.

These are the latest findings of the Roadmap to Telematics Growth report from Escalent’s Fleet Advisory Hub™, a leading insights tool designed to explore the needs and expectations of fleet business decision-makers.

“There’s a real opportunity for telematics providers to support commercial vehicle and fleet businesses in tackling one of their most pressing challenges: driver churn,” said Lucas Lowden, an Automotive & Mobility insights consultant at Escalent.

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Join NETS in supporting the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week.

This year’s theme highlights the need to protect vulnerable road users- especially pedestrians and cyclists. Employers have a vital role to play in raising awareness and promoting safe behaviors on and off the job.

Free Campaign Fact Sheets Available! Use these materials in team meetings, internal newsletters, or safety campaigns. A small action today can make a big difference in the safety of your employees, their families and your communities.

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The American Fleet Leadership Coalition, a group of leading U.S. businesses representing the fleet supply chain, raised concerns with the House Ways & Means proposal to repeal the Commercial Clean Vehicle Tax Credit (45W) at the end of 2025.

45W plays a critical role in reducing operating costs for public and private fleets and supporting the expansion of domestic manufacturing.

Instead of full repeal, the Coalition urges Congress to improve the 45W credit by adopting practical measures that reduce government expenditures while continuing to support US businesses and workers.

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