The Fleet Lead

This week in trucking: Werner acquired FirstFleet, autonomous milestones

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking, as of January 29:
Werner acquired FirstFleet
Gatik completed 60,000 autonomous medium-duty hauls
Traton gave $25 million to PlusAI for autonomous truck development
Diesel deleting no longer risks jail time
FMCSA issued HOS exemptions to most states
Eaton is spinning off its commercial vehicle business
Diesel prices increased 9 cents

2026's regulatory rodeo with David Heller, Truckload Carriers Association

2025 had no shortage of regulatory changes for the trucking industry, vacillating between rapid crackdowns and sluggish rulemakings. David Heller, senior VP of Safety and Government Affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association, shares his outlook for the next year’s regulatory landscape—from English proficiency to CSA scores and beyond.
Catch this episode of The Fleet Lead podcast here or search for The Fleet Lead on your favorite podcast app.
Chapters:
1:59 - The 2026 regulatory space 
2:30 - Regulation pacing
4:22 - English proficiency and CDL crackdowns
9:59 - How might lawsuits impact regulations?
11:09 - Rules to look out for
15:00 - Might CSA score calculations change?

This week in trucking: Spot rates down, California enforces English

Here are the headlines this week in trucking, as on January 22:
California started enforcing English language proficiency requirements
United States Postal Service launched a bidding website for last-mile delivery
A judge blocked New York’s truck tolling surcharge
Spot rates decreased for dry van and refrigerated 
Diesel prices jumped 7 cents

2026 Outlook: Rise of AI, dwindling EV focus, and brain-reading trucks

The first 2026 roundtable of the Fleet Lead podcast brings together editors from Fleet Owner and Bulk Transporter to analyze a commercial vehicle market currently transitioning from a stagnant 2025 toward a cautiously optimistic 2026.
Despite continued carrier bankruptcies and consolidations, there are signs that the market might turn later this year. FMCSA's continued crackdown on driver qualifications could help bring upward pressure on rates. On the technology side, appetite for EVs is shrinking while autonomous and AI deployment marches on—and a brainwave scanner could be the next driver safety tech tool.
Featuring Jason McDaniel from Bulk Transporter and Josh Fisher, Jade Brasher, and Jeremy Wolfe from FleetOwner.
Timestamps: 
1:30 – FMCSA's driver crackdowns
3:55 – Fleet bankruptcies
8:33 – How are carriers feeling about the market?
10:00 – General Motors's new headquarters
11:15 – GM strategy for EVs
20:36 – Survey: Fleets don't want EVs
27:08 – Autonomous truck expectations
29:42 – Brain monitoring devices for driver fatigue.
34:55 – Heil Trailer military contracts and expansion.
36:39 – Global mergers, acquisition deal trends.

This week in trucking: Appalachian CDLs, STG Logistics bankruptcy

Here are the headlines from this week in the U.S. trucking industry, as on January 15:
Tennessee is asking CDL holders for proof of legal residence
FMCSA targeted North Carolina’s non-domiciled CDLs
STG Logistics filed for bankruptcy
Mack Anthem began production

This week in trucking: California loses funding, USPS cuts non-dom CDLs

These are the major headlines in trucking, as of January 8:
DOT cut more of California's funding
USPS is trimming its use of non-domiciled CDLs
Autonomous trucking announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show
Truck orders reached a three-year high

What to expect from PC-12 engine oils with Shell's Karin Haumann

As the transportation industry continues to meet ever more stringent emissions rules from the EPA, especially the latest low NOx rule, new heavy-duty engines and heavy-duty engine oils are on the way as well. Set for rollout at the start of 2027, the American Petroleum Institute's (API) recently approved three key actions to vote on to establish the new heavy-duty engine oil specification, Proposed Category 12 (PC-12): Acceptance of PC-12 technical requirements, PC-12 user language, and Jan. 1, 2027, as the first license date for API Service Category CL-4 and API FB-4.
According to the organization, this new category is supposed to provide more reliability and durability for engines by enhancing oxidative and thermal resistance, wear performance, and compatibility with aftertreatment systems. But don't only take our word for it: In this episode of The Fleet Lead, John Hitch sat down with Karin Haumann, OEM Technical Manager for Shell Rotella and chair of the API New Category development team, to discuss the new category, how it was developed, and how it will impact the trucking industry.
Chapters:
1:00 - Haumann's role
1:42 - What are proposed categories?
3:50 - Oil category differences
5:47 - The process to upgrade oil categories
10:14 - Where are we in the upgrade process? What's next?
12:15 - Upcoming changes
16:54 - Can you use different oils in one truck?
19:00 - Biggest reminders for PC-12

Nuclear verdicts cost the entire U.S. economy

Lawsuit abuse is the second-highest concern among fleet executives in 2025, second only to the economy. When thermonuclear verdicts against carriers are stretching beyond $100 million, they may be getting out of hand.
According to new research form the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), those lawsuits against carriers are hindering the U.S. economy. If states reduced commercial auto tort costs over 10 years, it could increase annual GDP by $52.3 billion and create 5.7 million additional jobs.
John Hitch, editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, shines a light on the study with help from Nick Lucas, executive director for research and data analytics at the ILR.
Timestamps: 
5:11 - Overview of the commercial auto tort cost study
7:00 - How litigation impacts everyday prices
18:45 - Reducing tort costs have economic benefits
24:00 - Third-party litigation funding and transparency
30:15 - The need for systemic safeguards

This week in trucking: Colorado CDL scrutiny, LTL closure

These are the major headlines in trucking, as of December 30:
DOT targeting Colorado over non-domiciled CDLs
Standard Forwarding Freight ceased operations
Advocacy group sues California's CDL cancellation
Spot rates up, fuel prices down
Have a happy new year!

This week in trucking: Rail merger targets trucking, 17k CDLs on pause

These are the major headlines in trucking, as of the holiday week of December 23:
California paused its plans to reissue 17,000 CDLs
Major rail merger wants to take market share from trucks
Spot rates made big holiday gains