By Tod Trousdell, Fleet Marketing Consultant and Owner, RobertsTrousdell Communications

Perhaps as much as any year since Covid first made an appearance, as attendees filed out of the 2020 Work Truck Week conference, there are a mountain of questions swirling around fleet and trucking.

And with the 2026 version of the industry’s premiere event – Work Truck Week – set to take place March 10-13 in Indianapolis, there’s no shortage of folks looking for clarity on these and other looming questions.

One question swirling around is how OEMs will pivot and reposition after seemingly going all in on EVs. Another question is how big truck manufacturers – class 7 and 8 providers – are faring after what was one of the most volatile years in memory.

According to Work Truck Week organizers, this year’s show will be even bigger and better. Space on the show floor is at a premium – even long-time exhibitors can’t move into a bigger space. This is obviously a sign of the show’s popularity.

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By Elizabeth Wills, Senior Vice President of Client Services, Wheels

As the first quarter of 2026 ends, this is a perfect time to hit pause, not just to review numbers, but to celebrate progress, learn from challenges, and refresh your focus for what’s ahead.

By now, most organizations have a clear picture of how 2025 finished, and many fleet teams began setting the stage for 2026 well before the calendar turned. Early planning often creates momentum, alignment, and fewer surprises as the year unfolds.

If that groundwork is already in place, this is the time to pressure-test plans and sharpen execution. If it isn’t, remember that it’s not too late. The first quarter still offers a powerful opportunity to build structure that drives results for the remainder of the year.

In fleet management, strong year-end results are rarely accidental. They’re built through early alignment, consistent follow-through, and the willingness to adjust quickly when conditions change.

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FMCSA’s recent crackdown on questionable CDL training schools stands out as one of the most significant changes to the driver pipeline in years—and one that deserves close attention from corporate and commercial fleet operators.

In February 2026, FMCSA intensified its campaign against so-called “CDL mills,” issuing proposed removals for hundreds of commercial driver training providers.

When combined with a major purge in late 2025, nearly half of all schools once listed on the national Training Provider Registry have been removed or placed on notice for noncompliance.

Fleets that invest now in compliant training partnerships, disciplined hiring processes, and strong retention strategies will not only weather the transition—they will emerge stronger and more competitive in the years ahead.

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A new study says drivers are underestimating what their cars cost, and not just by a few bucks here and there. It reckons the privilege and convenience of owning a car could be costing them more than $4,500 a year above what they envisaged.

Synchrony’s Cost of Car Ownership survey found owners think they spend about $2,738 annually on upkeep, excluding loan and lease payments. The actual total averages $7,303. That’s a 167 percent or gap, which means Americans are doing their sums with blind optimism instead of a calculator.

Gas averages $1,956 a year and insurance runs about $1,730. Maintenance adds $622, service and repairs $659, tires $377, and parts and accessories $240.

via CarScoops

After following two fleets over more than a year and 200,000 km of real-world driving, Canada’s most comprehensive real-world test of electric semi-trucks showed that fleets can realize nearly $160,000 in savings. Per truck.

The result is one of the clearest datasets yet on how electric Class 8 trucks perform outside of the more controlled environments of demonstrations and pilot programs.

The test was able to keep the focus on fuel type – diesel vs. electric – by limiting the scope to Freightliner Cascadia (ICE) and eCascadia (BEV) model Class 8 trucks. The results were clear, and the efficiency gains undeniable, leading to a projected $157,126 in savings per truck over the course of six years.

via Electrek

Using federal crash data from 2019 to 2023, hundreds of thousands of fatal accidents were analyzed to see which car models, brands, and driving scenarios appear most often when tragedies happen on U.S. roads.

One name stands out far above the rest: the Chevrolet Silverado. Between 2019 and 2023, the Silverado was involved in 8,749 fatal crashes, more than any other model in the dataset.

Several of the other vehicles near the top of the list are also some of the most popular cars in the U.S., including the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla.

via Maison Law

Following U.S. air strikes over Iran, the latter has retaliated by closing down the Strait of Hormuz. To oversimplify things, it could trigger yet another energy crisis.

Aside from Iran, oil-producing nations such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates use the strait to export liquid gold from their respective countries. We’re already beginning to see the effects of the closure. At the time of writing, Brent crude rose about 7 percent, pushing prices to $78.25 per barrel.

Alternate routes are available, but the volatile situation in the Middle East isn’t helping matters. It’ll be more expensive to transport, for starters, and taking the Red Sea isn’t exactly the safest option, either. With the way things are going, experts fear the possibility of crude oil reaching — or even breaching — the $100-per-barrel mark. If so, plans to loosen federal fuel efficiency standards could take a back seat if push comes to shove.

via Autoblog

By Sarah Bechtold, eDriving

As fleets prepare for a complex year ahead, one trend is rising above all others: the shift from traditional, reactive safety programs toward algorithmic-powered prediction, proactive safety, and individualized behavior shaping.

With crash costs still rising, weather-related volatility increasing, and road environments becoming more complex, fleet managers are under pressure to adopt tools that identify risk before an incident occurs — not after.

In 2026, the most successful fleets won’t simply monitor driver behavior. They’ll anticipate it. And that transition is being accelerated by platforms like Mentor by eDriving.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Brand Acceleration

In a 6–3 ruling, the Court held that President Donald Trump lacked authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs under emergency powers.

Following the Supreme Court decision, President Trump signed a separate order imposing a 15% global tariff on imports from all countries under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Unlike IEEPA-based actions, Section 122 specifically authorizes temporary, broad-based tariffs tied to trade-deficit or balance-of-payments concerns.

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By Steve Bender, President and Owner, Fleet Street Remarketing

As I sat with our marketing team, I found myself asking what is it that really sets Fleet apart from other industries? And every time I thought about it, I kept coming back to the same answer. People.

People like the longtime fleet industry veterans who peaked my curiosity that started my journey in this industry, and people who fostered and fed my interest in buying a growing business in this space.

And my wonderful fleet industry colleagues who organized, prayed, and brought my family through the darkest time of our lives while reigniting my passion and our team’s dedication to making 2026 the best year ever.

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