By Eric Anderson, Union Leasing Vice President of Customer Service and Strategic Services & Dale Jewell, Union Leasing Senior Manager, Fleet Maintenance 

Fleet today has evolved. Between shifting market dynamics, supply constraints, and external influences, there’s a lot happening at once.

A concierge mindset means staying tuned into what’s happening around your fleet, not just within it.

In addition to seasonal trends, geopolitical developments in the Middle East are adding to the uncertainty. The question, of course, is how does a rapidly evolving fuel supply and cost impact your fleet?

The right partner helps you navigate these complexities. It’s about sharing knowledge, staying ahead of trends, and helping others succeed as efficiently as possible. That’s what fleet concierge means to us at Union Leasing.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Brand Acceleration

Fleet managers are hearing a familiar yet increasingly urgent message from truck manufacturers: delaying the purchase of new equipment will likely increase costs.

Throughout the commercial vehicle industry, OEMs are indicating that a combination of economic, regulatory, and operational factors is setting the stage for higher truck prices and reduced availability in the near future.

The foundation of this outlook starts with fleet age. Over recent years, many fleets postponed equipment replacements due to supply chain disruptions, high interest rates, and uncertain freight demand.

However, even in a relatively weak freight market, order activity has started to pick up. This shows a growing awareness among fleets that aging equipment needs to be replaced.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Brand Acceleration

Customer Experience (CX) doesn’t just support marketing performance; it defines it. When CX aligns with brand promises, marketing accelerates growth. When it breaks down, it quietly undermines everything marketing works to build.

Despite its importance, CX often fragments across organizations. Marketing, sales, operations, and customer success use different systems, metrics, and priorities. This fragmentation creates gaps that customers feel immediately.

To fully leverage CX as a driver of marketing success, fleet organizations must break down silos and align functions around a shared customer journey.

For fleet product and service suppliers, the path forward is clear. Treat CX not as a support function but as a core component of marketing strategy.

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The safety benefits from features like automatic emergency braking, lane departure prevention and high-beam assist stack up as multiple systems are bundled together and updated versions deliver better results, a new study from the Highway Loss Data Institute shows.

“These technologies are awesome,” said Matt Moore, chief insurance operations officer at HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “As they improve and become more common, we are seeing compounding crash reductions.”

To better understand this evolution, HLDI’s latest study examined the impact of the advanced driver assistance systems offered on 2015-23 Mazda vehicles, comparing six feature bundles and four other stand-alone systems.

via IIHS

Wholesale used vehicle prices hit two-and-a-half-year high in March, with the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index (MUVVI) up 6.2% year over year to 215.3.

Wholesale inventory remained tight at Manheim, with sales conversion climbing to 68.2%—above historical norms—signaling sustained dealer demand and continued competition in the auction lanes.

The retail used-vehicle market gained momentum in Q1, with sales running ahead of last year; tight inventory and steady demand are putting upward pressure on pricing at dealer lots.

via Cox Automotive

Rather than relying on a one-time sale of a car or parts to repair them later down the road, brands have figured out that they can instead continue to rake in money once a car leaves the lot by offering up subscriptions.

Now driver-assistance tech is becoming the latest way to push monthly payments onto consumers. The problem: Consumers have subscription fatigue. Everything today feels like it’s a recurring cost—Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, your weekly meal boxes, toothbrushes.

However, automakers are betting that when true autonomy arrives — the kind where you can take your hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, and liability off of your mind — consumers will be willing to shell out quite a bit of dough every month for the luxury.

via InsideEVs

EV prices are still coming down in the US, and the gap with gas cars is now the smallest it’s ever been, according to new Kelley Blue Book data.

The average transaction price (ATP) for a new EV in March was $54,508. That’s down 2.8% year over year and marks the third straight month of declines. Prices also slipped 0.7% from February, which itself was revised lower.

That drop is starting to matter. The price gap between EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles has narrowed to about $5,800 – the smallest gap Kelley Blue Book has recorded.

via Electrek

NAFA Fleet Management Association’s (NAFA) General Session at its 2026 Institute & Expo (I&E), featured an insightful industry update from Kevin Curran, General Manager, Fleet Sales for Toyota North America.

“This year’s General Session delivered essential takeaways for fleet experts managing an industry in constant flux,” said Bill Schankel, CAE, CEO of NAFA.

Following Curran’s keynote, NAFA hosted a dynamic OEM Panel Discussion featuring leaders from GM Envolve, Stellantis, Ford Pro, and Nissan.

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By Brett Carlson, CEO, ServiceUp

Fuel cost is the number everyone is watching. Diesel prices have surged sharply, driven by geopolitical instability in the Middle East and global supply disruption. Fleet managers did not cause this and cannot negotiate their way out of it.

The standard response is predictable: route optimization, idle reduction, driver coaching. All valid. But these are marginal gains against a market force you cannot move.

What most fleets are not seeing is the downstream effect rising fuel costs have on something they can control: their repair and maintenance process.

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By Ed Pierce, Fleet Brand Acceleration

Telematics is no longer just about tracking vehicles. It now involves predicting issues, automating decisions, and optimizing operations in real time.

Fleets that adopt this shift are moving ahead quickly. Those who don’t risk falling behind.

Managers must balance uptime and cost, safety and productivity, efficiency, and service expectations. Traditional telematics provided past data, but visibility alone doesn’t solve issues. Today’s systems go even further: they turn data into action.

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