The Fleet Lead

America 250: How NASCAR and North Carolina helped shape American trucking

Transportation is a major part of America's identity, and few regions are as steeped in automotive history as North Carolina. The Spirit of Innovation is more than alive in The Tar Heel State, from NASCAR to truck OEMS. Fleet Maintenance [https://www.fleetmaintenance.com/] editor Lucas Roberto visited Charlotte's NASCAR Hall of Fame [https://www.nascarhall.com/] where Winston Kelly, executive director of the facility, explained North Carolina's automotive culture, how the region's talent draws OEMs like Daimler Truck North America, Mack Trucks, and Volvo Truck North America. He also shared some lessons that commercial vehicle technicians can take from motorsports mechanics.

This week in trucking: New registration system, electric truck rebates

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of May 21: * California launched an electric truck rebate program * FMCSA's new registration system is live * Einride has an autonomous deployment in the Midwest * FMCSA announced $217 million in grant funding * Spot rates hit record highs * Diesel dropped 4 cents

International on prebuy capacity: Can carriers still get build slots before EPA 27?

The commercial transportation industry is staring down the EPA 2027 emissions standards. With the chances of prebuy chaos still high, is there a significant risk in waiting too long to secure your build slots? At ACT Expo, Josh Fisher hosts International's David Hillman to discuss the mid-2026 trucking market ahead of the EPA 2027 emissions regulations, early fleet planning, and International's S13 integrated powertrain. Timestamps: * 1:27 – Growing demand for fleet equipment * 4:19 – What is the risk of waiting too long to prebuy? * 9:05 – How fleet concerns evolved with connected vehicles * 11:07 – What is the single question fleet executives should be asking their dealers to prepare for 2027?

This week in trucking: Broker liability, autonomous boom

Here are the latest headlines from the trucking industry as of May 14: * The Supreme Court affirmed broker hiring liability * Cargo theft bill passed the House * Tariffs bounced in court * Tesla Semi entered serial production * California issued autonomous truck rules * Several carriers are adopting autonomous fleets * ACT Expo featured engine, e-axle, electric truck announcements * Diesel remained at $5.64 per gallon

The 11th hour: Vanishing truck slots and the return of the driver shortage

The commercial vehicle market faces vanishing equipment slots as the EPA prebuy emerges. Mixed with rising driver retention struggles and a shift toward private capacity, the North American trucking market is certainly chaotic. Ken Vieth, president and senior analyst for ACT Research [https://www.actresearch.net/], talks with Josh Fisher about driver retention, equipment availability, and fleets' "planning nightmare." * 01:16 — The driver shortage returns * 04:56 — Will private fleets continue growing? * 08:04 — The EPA prebuy * 13:38 — Electric vehicles, competition with China * 15:24 — Could autonomous tech help with labor problems? * 17:42 — One of the most volatile times for trucking