Former SpaceX technical trainer on why some leaders fail to launch, others blast off

Former SpaceX technical trainer on why some leaders fail to launch, others blast off

It's not rocket science, but people management can be a difficult skill to grasp—especially for those technical employees trained to solve machines rather than personnel. A former pilot instructor and SpaceX training head, Matt Gjersten has plenty of experience building teams with stellar technical skills. While techs have many attributes that make them ideal managers, they may not realize that management often means stepping away from problems. Gjersten is promoting his upcoming book based off just that experience [https://builtleaders.com/mvm/]: In this episode, Fleet Maintenance's John Hitch asks Gjersten how to step back from the wrench, build genuine trust, and help technical management truly blast off. Check out Gjersten's podcast, Leadership Launchpad, here [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0NnQkUUf8zvZ-XqU0O47mr6D1F4tG-aj]. Timestamps: * 01:16 – Introduction * 02:39 – Matt Gersten’s Background * 06:59 – Shift from technical expert to people leader * 09:54 – The delegation doom loop * 14:21 – Building trust in diverse * 17:33 – First principles leadership Framework * 24:47 – Navigating generational shifts and labor shortages * 30:25 – Root cause analysis for people problems * 42:34 – Technique vs. procedure management

Zeem's Paul Gioupis: EVs facing "major inflection year"

What happens when commercial electric vehicles move past the pioneer phase? Paul Gioupis, founder and CEO of Zeem Solutions, has a front-row seat. Managing the ZEV fleet management company, Gioupis sees the massive data behind Zeem's over 350,000 charging sessions. In this episode, FleetOwner's Josh Fisher talks with Gioupis at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, discussing how the Tesla Semi is shattering range expectations and how the total cost of ownership (TCO) narrative is changing.

This week in trucking: Trailer duties, LTL disruption, World Cup congestion

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of June 11 * U.S. imposes duties on Mexican, Chinese trailer imports * Amazon’s LTL arm opens for business * World Cup congestion is underway * Strong spot rates are here to stay * Diesel fell 14 cents

Truck and Roll: Origins of the semi-truck and early auto maintenance challenges

It’s no surprise that America’s economic dominance since the late 19th century coincided with the start of its trucking industry. What may be surprising is that much of the automotive and trucking industries started not in Detroit, but it’s neighbor to the south, Cleveland. This is where Alexander Winton built the first semi-tractor to haul his company’s automobiles to early customers, and also where White Motor Co. got its start. For America 250, Cleveland’s Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum is hosting an exhibit called "Keep on Truckin" (a phrase coined by artist R. Crumb, who lived in Cleveland for a time) that showcases several early truck models. Fleet Maintenance's John Hitch visited the museum to discuss trucking’s past and evolution with the museum’s curator of transportation history, Aaron Warkentin. Timestamps: * 01:45 — Origins of the semi-truck * 04:30 — Early truck technology * 07:10 — Old timey headlights * 08:10 — Horsepower vs horses * 10:00 — Motorless truck maintenance * 11:35 — Truck design evolution * 14:15 — The Crawford Museum's founding * 22:50 — White Motor Company

A look under the hood at Volvo Trucks' next D13 engine

Volvo Trucks North America unveiled its new EPA 2027-compliant D13 engine at this year's Advanced Clean Transportation Expo. The Fleet Lead brought on Duane Tegels, VTNA's product marketing manager, to talk about its updated electrical architecture, aftertreatment, and engine block designs. The new engine hits aggressive NOx reductions while maintaining fuel economy and boosting engine braking performance. Timestamps: * 0:57 – New electrical architecture * 4:36 – Tips for maintaining the new engines * 6:30 – Increased engine braking power * 7:56 – Procurement advice * 9:34 – VTNA's vocational plan * 11:04 – Checking out the new engine