By Steve Bender, President and Owner, Fleet Street Remarketing
February 25, 2026
At the end of last summer, I ran into a long-time fleet colleague at a regional industry event that I’ve been attending for over two decades.
As many of you know – I’ve been focused the past 18 months on helping my son Sean recover from the devastating effects of a boating accident that nearly killed him in the Summer of 2024. An accident that saw the fleet community wrap their arms around my family during what was undoubtedly the toughest period we’ve ever faced.
Since it had been a while since I’d seen many of my awesome fleet colleagues in attendance, I was especially excited to catch up on the comings and going of the industry, which has seen a mountain of changes during the time my family was focused on my son’s recovery – maybe more changes than the industry experienced in the previous few decades!
Determined to immerse myself as quickly as possible in the things I may have missed during the time when remarketing wasn’t my sole focus, I was struck by the virtual landslide of challenges my colleagues – especially fleet managers – were facing. And at the same time, some of the amazing stories of perseverance, fortitude and just plain old fleet veteran ingenuity that have kept them ahead of a plethora of unknowns like tariffs, sky high interest rates, and geopolitical shakiness.
For a grizzled industry veteran (yep me!), it was an eye-opening experience and even more confirmation that the past couple of years has been a wild ride that’s left the industry looking very different than it did just a few short years ago.
As many conversations about fleet do these days the talk invariably turned to AI and the onslaught of technology offerings that have proliferated across the industry in the past few years. Everything from software to telematics to AI-backed services that optimize operations – much of it upending the way things have been done for decades.
As our conversation progressed, my colleague lamented out loud that she hoped the fleet industry didn’t lose its focus on what made it special in its head-long effort to adopt much needed technology.
As we all stood in the vestibule to say our long goodbyes on that rainy afternoon, my colleague’s comment stuck with me. Not just for the rest of that day, but through even the dog days of Summer. It continued to gnaw on me as we made our way through the fall show season, had a triumphant return with our sweepstakes and event at AFLA, and started to conceive our 2026 marketing campaign.
As I sat with our Fleet Street marketing team, I found myself asking the same question over and over.
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 are what sets this industry apart. Not AI. Not technology. Not software. But people.
People and relationships.
People like the longtime fleet industry veterans who peaked my curiosity that started my journey in this industry. And the people who fostered and fed my interest in buying a growing business in this space.
And, for damn sure, my wonderful fleet industry colleagues who organized, prayed, and brought my family through undoubtedly the darkest time of our lives while reigniting my passion and our team’s dedication to making 2026 the best year ever.
Now, I’m not saying that technology and AI don’t matter – because they are going to change this industry in amazing ways none of us can imagine. Heck, I came to this industry as a technology consultant and, for sure, everyone here is excited about the amazing benefits technology and AI will deliver for our clients. Rest assured.
But – as the old saying goes – we’re going to “dance with the folks what brung us.”
People.
And relationships.
These are the things that really matter – especially in fleet. The ideals that move business – and business relationships – forward. So much so that our team spent a considerable amount of time developing a mantra – a theme if you will – that will carry us through 2026 and on into the next golden age of fleet.
And – as you might expect – the focus of that theme is going to be on two things:
- People – our clients, our fleet colleagues, our team here at Fleet Street
- Relationships
And the mantra is simple:
“When you focus on people. And leverage the power of human connection. It’s easy to keep your promises.”
Sweet. Simple. Powerful.
That’s it. That’s what we’re focused on, and so far, the results have been amazing.
This mantra is already the theme of our 2026 marketing campaign, and during this first quarter we’re focused on this over-arching message of:
People. Connections. Promise.
In each of the subsequent quarters this year we’ll highlight one of these three themes and fill you in on the things our team is focused on to help your team sell vehicles quickly, easily and for higher returns with zero hassles.
On a personal note, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note the passing of Mike Antich, a true fleet legend and one of the finest gentlemen I’ve ever known. I had the privilege of working with Mike when he passed the AFLA Presidency to me a few short years ago. I’ll forever treasure his guidance and friendship, and I feel safe in saying that the fleet industry is a far better place for his mentorship, and a far sadder place without his steady omnipresence.
That’s it for now, friends. But be sure to look for more from the Fleet Street team on why people, connections and promises are what makes our industry the special place it is.
About the author
Steve Bender is President and Owner of Fleet Street Remarketing and a 25-year veteran of the Fleet space. A father, husband, and globetrotting treasure hunter, he has a passion for helping customers meet their biggest goals. He can be reached at [email protected].
