By Whitney Reynolds, Vice President, FleetShare, Merchants Fleet

In conversations with fleet leaders, I hear a consistent theme: the expectation to deliver certainty in an environment that no longer offers it. That tension is forcing many organizations to rethink long-standing assumptions about Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Increasingly, I believe the next era of fleet TCO won’t be defined by what fleets acquire next, but by how effectively they use the vehicles they already own or lease.

Today, fleet teams have access to real-time vehicle data through telematics and integrated platforms. That visibility enables a more proactive approach to daily management and cost control.

In my role leading FleetShare at Merchants Fleet, I spend a lot of time helping organizations improve utilization across vehicles already in service.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Brand Acceleration

Fleet buyers today are more digitally sophisticated, more risk-conscious, and better informed than ever. They expect suppliers to understand the operational realities of fleet management.

B2B marketing across the automotive fleet supplier community is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Marketing is becoming a true driver of strategic growth, shaping how companies position themselves, go to market, and generate revenue.

Data sits at the center of this evolution, amplified by AI, advanced analytics, and increasingly integrated technology stacks.

By 2026, the most successful automotive fleet suppliers will no longer ask, “How can marketing support sales?” Instead, they will ask, “How can marketing help determine where we compete, how we win, and how we grow?”

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By Fleet Management Weekly Staff

Netradyne is an AI-powered driver safety and fleet management solution that uses smart in-vehicle cameras and edge intelligence to analyze driver behavior in real time.

Unlike a traditional dashcam, which records events on the road for later review, Netradyne’s system interprets events in real time to provide drivers with immediate feedback.

To learn more about Netradyne’s technology and how its helping fleets become safer and more efficient, we spoke with Adam Kahn, Chief Marketing Officer at Netradyne

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JD Power presented its exclusive auto industry outlook to kick off the NADA Show 2026. The forecast, which projects 16.3 million total new-vehicle sales this year, was part of the annual JD Power Auto Summit, featured the unveiling of a new brand identity and strategy.

“Coming off a strong, but highly volatile year in 2025, we anticipate supply-demand dynamics will once again become the dominant driver of the U.S. market,” said Thomas King, president, JD Power OEM Solutions. “While the industry will continue to face numerous macroeconomic uncertainties, we anticipate new-vehicle sales for 2026 will match the volumes we saw last year.”

The upcoming Power Platform will allow customers to access multiple JD Power solutions from anywhere in the world.

via JD Power

In 2014, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) completed a multi-year process that led to a new safety standard: all new cars and trucks sold in the United States must include rearview cameras as of May 2018.

The initiative was aimed at preventing backover accidents, which, according to NHTSA, caused an average of 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries each year. Even worse, the same studies noted that children under five and adults aged 70 or older were disproportionately affected.

We have numerous safety technologies that can reduce accidents in a variety of environments, the same way a rearview camera can. This raises the question: what might come next? Here’s our educated guess, along with all the challenges that might follow. It seems like there is a strong chance that automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems could be next.

via Jalopnik

A coalition of health, consumer and environmental groups told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that its plan to gut fuel-economy standards for cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks is irrevocably flawed and should be withdrawn.

The proposal would weaken existing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards by lowering the expected fleetwide average to just 34.5 miles per gallon by 2031, which is below what the vehicle fleet has already achieved.

NHTSA predicts that its proposal would force the average driver to pay $1,400 more in fuel costs over the lifetime of their vehicle. This action would not only make cars less affordable for the average American, but also drive the country backwards by making vehicle fleets less efficient.

via NRDC

Last month, over a dozen automobile and smartphone manufacturers gathered in Palo Alto, California, for the 16th annual “Plugfest,” hosted by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) to test out the latest in digital key technology.

Digital keys, which allow vehicle owners to lock, unlock, and start their cars using smartphones or other digital devices, are becoming more commonplace.

Companies that are typically heated rivals came together in the spirit of cooperation to ensure that digital keys work across different devices and vehicle brands.

via The Verge

By Lori Rasmussen, President, PARS

For more than two decades, PARS has had a singular focus: helping fleet managers move vehicles safely, efficiently, and in strict alignment with their operational and policy requirements.

I’m proud to share that mission has expanded in a meaningful and transformative way. PARS has been acquired by RPM, a company with extensive experience in large-scale carrier transport, vehicle logistics and transportation technology.

From the perspective of fleet professionals, this acquisition shifts the conversation. It moves us beyond a traditional, mode-specific approach to vehicle relocation toward a full-spectrum logistics platform.

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

Part 2 of a 2 part report: looking at 2026.

My prediction is that barring a catastrophic event – i.e., a major geo-political upheaval or a meltdown in world financial markets, 2026 should be a very similar year to both 2024 and 2025 for the wholesale used vehicle markets.

In our estimation, this is a positive sign for fleet and commercial vehicles. Especially given that it will result in the third straight year of predictable, manageable volume and pricing – which is even better!

However, whether you’re a top fleet manager, FMC, or even a service provider like our team here FLD, the only thing that we know for sure is that we really don’t know all that much until things play out on the world and domestic stages.

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By Fleet Management Weekly Staff

Coltrain Onsite Fleet Care, founded by brothers Kyle and Kevin Coltrain, emerged several months ago as a fierce player in the mobile maintenance space. Family-owned and operated, the company delivers consistent, high-quality service by keeping its focus on its technicians.

Mobile maintenance has moved from a minor niche to a major player, with customers expecting rapid, on-demand service wherever they are.

We interviewed both Coltrain brothers to learn more about their company’s recent launch and its strong early momentum.

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