By Demetra Markopoulos, SVP of Fleets at ServiceUp

It’s vital for fleet managers to stay on top of industry trends including: 1) electrification and the shift to cleaner alternative fuels, 2) vehicle and route optimization leveraging data and analytics, 3) a focus on driver loyalty and training, and 4) addressing TCO through fleet right-sizing.

The managers who understand these trends will be in a stronger position to improve operational efficiency, retain drivers, and reduce costs.

Fleet managers recognize that their industry is undergoing a series of major shifts, from a sweeping digital transformation to the adoption of electric and clean-energy vehicles.

By deploying technology effectively, taking care of their people, and driving down TCO with a focus on strategic initiatives like right-sizing, managers will be better prepared for whatever comes their way in 2026.

READ MORE

By Ed Pierce, Editor, Fleet Management Weekly, Former Marketing Director for CEI

Over the past few years, some fleet safety experts have suggested replacing traditional driver training with ongoing coaching. Coaching is valuable, no doubt—but dropping training entirely misses the bigger picture.

Training and coaching do different things, and both are essential. The best results come when fleets combine strong, structured training with consistent, personalized coaching.

Driver training is the foundation of every safe, productive fleet, giving drivers the same core knowledge, skills, and understanding of what’s expected behind the wheel. Coaching keeps drivers improving, but it can’t replace training.

The best fleets combine both to create a continuous learning culture—one that keeps drivers confident, safe, and improving every mile.

READ MORE

From J.D. Power

More than one-third (36%) of buyers in the new-vehicle market say tariffs impacted their vehicle purchase process, with most of them buying sooner than they had planned, according to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study.

Despite the market shifts, overall customer satisfaction with the vehicle purchase experience increases by 1 point this year to 802 (on a 1,000-point scale).

“Satisfaction among buyers has been gradually improving over the years, including a modest increase in 2025 despite the added uncertainties that tariffs bring.” said Stewart Stropp, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power.

Porsche ranks highest in sales satisfaction among Premium Brands for a third consecutive year, while Buick ranks highest in sales satisfaction among Mass Market Brands.

READ MORE

A new study from Cox Automotive shows a crisis in dealer service retention. Despite a rise in overall number of service visits, U.S. dealerships are losing customers to independent competitors at a steady rate.

This is because cars on the road are getting older, yet loyalty to getting cars serviced where they were purchased is not what it once was, according to the Cox Automotive Service Industry Study.

“These findings from our market data and surveys underscore the urgent need for dealerships to reassess their service strategies to recapture market share and enhance customer retention,” said Skyler Chadwick, director of product consulting at Cox Automotive.

Via Cox Automotive

As affordability pressures continue to affect the broader car industry, used EVs are emerging as the new bright spot, becoming the fastest-selling used vehicles of any powertrain in the third quarter.

The average number of days a used vehicle sat on American dealer lots increased from 37 days in the third quarter of last year to 41 days during the same period this year.

Used EVs deliver one of the strongest value propositions in the market. When viewed against their original MSRPs, many have depreciated dramatically, offering shoppers access to advanced technology and performance at prices far below new. Used EV buyers are embracing technology that’s just one generation old.

via InsideEVs

A new dataset from Suzuki Law Offices connects DUI citation rates across the 50 largest U.S. cities with vehicle brand ownership, revealing deep cultural and regional patterns that reflect not just road safety, but lifestyle, identity, and enforcement gaps.

Fleet operators face growing exposure if company vehicles fall into high-risk categories.

Cultural and economic differences in how Americans use their vehicles play a major role in shaping DUI risk. Pickup-heavy states such as Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida show strong correlations between RAM or Ford ownership and DUI incidence, while luxury import-heavy metros like California and New York see risk concentrated around leisure driving and nightlife districts.

Via Consumer Affairs

Toyota, Honda, and Suzuki are transforming their manufacturing footprint with over $11 billion in new investments, and the destination has caught many by surprise.

The manufacturing expansion is aggressive. India offers Japanese manufacturers something China no longer can: lower costs, a vast labor pool, and protection from Chinese EV competitors who face restrictions in the Indian market.

Toyota announced more than $3 billion to expand its existing southern India factory and build a new plant, taking capacity to over 1 million vehicles. Suzuki is investing $8 billion to expand production capacity to 4 million cars annually, up from 2.5 million currently.

via Autoblog

By Dan Belknap, Head of Product Management, Wheels

Fleet operations feel the weight of today’s macroeconomic environment. Even if you’ve managed through turbulent conditions before, the scale and speed of current shifts make proactive planning more essential than ever.

Traditional budgeting approaches assumed a level of stability that has become less dependable. Annual forecasts that once served as reliable roadmaps can now become outdated within months.

Today’s tools provide insights that evolve with changing conditions that provide more dynamic, data-driven fleet management information. Through Wheels’ FleetView, our fleet management platform, you can access tools designed to support smarter planning.

READ MORE

By Ed Pierce, Fleet Management Weekly Editor, Former ARI (Holman) VP of Marketing

Predictive analytics is the next big step beyond traditional telematics. It can help fleets cut costs, improve uptime, and boost productivity. But getting there takes some planning, especially if you work with multiple telematics or maintenance vendors.

Fleet managers today have no shortage of data. Every vehicle, driver, and trip generates information — from telematics and GPS to fuel cards, maintenance records, and driver behavior reports.

The key is turning that data into foresight — knowing what will happen next so you can plan smarter and spend less.

READ MORE

Contributed by Susan Hipp, Executive Director NETS and Lynda Morrissey, Operations Manager NETS

The 2025 NETS Strength IN Numbers® Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference brought together some of the most influential voices in transportation safety, leadership, and culture.

Held October 7-9, the event united corporate and government fleet professionals, safety managers, insurers, and technology innovators to share strategies that drive measurable results, and to reaffirm a shared mission: saving lives on and off the road.

Across three days of insights and innovation, one truth resonated: safety culture must be lived, not laminated. The NETS community continues to model what it means to go beyond compliance, creating workplaces where drivers are empowered.

READ MORE