By Waqar Siddiqui, General Manager, Business Mobility Americas at Shell

Fleet managers today have access to more technology, data and analytics than ever before. AI-powered dashboards, automated alerts and integrated platforms promise clearer visibility into fuel use, vehicles and spending. Yet many fleet leaders still struggle to translate insight into real cost savings.

The challenge is rarely a lack of data. Instead, it is the gap between identifying an issue and knowing how to act on it. Fleet managers juggle multiple responsibilities — from safety and compliance to budgets and operations — leaving limited time to interpret complex data streams or fully activate every digital tool available.

As a result, better outcomes often depend not just on better platforms, but on better questions and stronger support. When fleets examine how vehicles, fuel programs and maintenance systems interact, hidden inefficiencies often surface. Combining technology with experienced human guidance helps organizations connect the dots, turn insights into action and manage costs more effectively across large, distributed operations.

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By Ed Pierce, Contributing Editor

Fleet managers responsible for budgets, route planning, and vehicle use no longer need to ask whether fuel prices will rise. Instead, they need to know how high they might go and for how long the prices might stay there.

The immediate cause is the violence in the Middle East and its impact on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Any problems at this chokepoint affects crude oil and diesel prices.

The is more than another cycle of high fuel prices for fleet operators. Analysts say the current situation combines geopolitical risk, supply chain issues, and a tight diesel market, potentially keeping prices volatile for months or longer.

Fleets that use analytics, improve efficiency, and plan costs best navigate price swings. In a world of 20% diesel price swings, tracking and acting on fuel data is now key for fleet management.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Brand Acceleration

Fleet buying cycles are long, complex, and relationship driven. Marketing teams that understand how sales actually win deals can develop tools that engage decision makers and accelerate purchasing decisions.

Marketing teams serving the fleet industry operate in a very different environment than most B2B sectors. Fleet managers rarely make purchasing decisions quickly, and they seldom do so alone.

Vehicle acquisition strategies, telematics platforms, maintenance programs, logistics providers, safety technologies, and fuel management solutions are usually assessed over several months.

Marketing teams that work closely with sales organizations — offering insights, tools, and educational content that support each step of the buying process — help turn prospects into long-term fleet partners.

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Ford announced a new AI-powered service for its commercial fleet and telematics software customers called Ford Pro AI.

The generative AI system analyzes data generated by commercial vehicles — including vehicle speed, seat belt activity, and engine health — and converts it into actionable items for fleet managers.

The new system manifests as an AI chatbot within Ford’s Telematics software that customers can ask questions about their fleets or delegate tasks. Managers can ask the chatbot for recommendations to lower fuel costs, insight about specific vehicles in their fleets, or even to draft emails to a supervisor summarizing the output from their previous requests.

via The Verge

2026 is only a couple of months old, yet a federally mandated ‘kill switch’ in cars has already become a huge story, as the NHTSA is openly admitting that the technology isn’t ready for primetime.

It turns out that fear over potentially stranding thousands of sober drivers was enough to force the government to push back its timeline on anti-drunk driving tech.

According to the report released this month, regulators reviewed multiple approaches, including breath sensors, touch-based alcohol detectors, camera-based driver monitoring systems, and behavior-tracking software that looks for signs of impairment such as erratic steering. None of them currently meets the legal requirement for a system that works passively, accurately, and without requiring driver input.

via CarScoops

Crossovers combine fuel efficiency, off-road capability, and practicality into one package. However, the station wagon does all of this as well, and in many cases, even better than a crossover.

A crossover can cost a large chunk of change. A station wagon can fit in just as much as most crossovers while not compromising on looks and driving dynamics for a fraction of the price.

These are 10 station wagons that are better and cheaper than modern SUVs. Buying a used Outback is the way to go. Low-mileage models made between 2019 and 2020 can be easily found in the $22,000 to $25,000 price range, nearly 50 percent less than a new model.

via CarBuzz

New research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS) finds that 15% of all police-reported crashes in 2023 involved a driver who fled the scene, the highest percentage recorded in any recent year.

The new research reveals a growing crisis on America’s roads, one that leaves injured people alone, without help, and too often without accountability.

The AAA Foundation’s research identifies practical solutions that can save lives: automatic crash notifications through vehicles and smartphones, safer road designs that protect people walking and biking, and accountability measures — including clear legal consequences and consistent enforcement — that make fleeing the scene less likely.

via AAA Newsroom

By Fleet Management Weekly Staff

Fleet leaders are no longer focused solely on reducing TCO. Increasingly, they are asking a more fundamental question: does the industry’s definition of TCO still reflect how costs are actually created, shifted, and avoided in modern fleet operations?

Several structural changes are forcing fleets to reconsider how TCO is defined and applied. Cost drivers that were once treated as separate now interact continuously. Fleet teams have deeper visibility into the behaviors and conditions that drive costs.

As TCO becomes more dynamic, fleet leaders are adopting strategies that treat cost as something to be shaped rather than merely tracked.

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By Linxup

Sustainable fleet management is more than just an eco-friendly strategy — it’s a cost-saving technique that optimizes performance while reducing your fleet’s environmental impact.

Telematics and AI are the best tools to help fleets reach their sustainability goals, especially smaller fleets that need scalable and cost-effective solutions. These tools give you real-time data that turns abstract numbers into clear, measurable improvements.

Sustainable fleet management is both an environmental goal and a business opportunity for fleets that use data to make smarter decisions.

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Fleet Advantage announced findings from its recent Transportation Industry Benchmark Survey, a comprehensive study of today’s critical issues affecting heavy-duty truck transportation fleets.

The 2025 data, when compared to the firm’s 2023 benchmark, reveals a significant industry evolution characterized by a massive shift in maintenance strategies, aging equipment risks, and a prevailing wait-and-see approach to upcoming regulatory changes.

“The heavy-duty transportation fleet industry has moved from a period of supply-chain recovery into a new era of deep financial and regulatory complexity,” said Matthew Wiedmeyer, CTP, Senior Director of Asset Performance and Maintenance at Fleet Advantage.

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