The Fleet Lead

This week in trucking: Rear impact guard milestone, truck tech lawsuits

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of March 19.
Another House bill mandating English proficiency just passed committee
Stoughton Trailers successfully completed a 40-mph rear impact guard crash test
Trailer manufacturer Hyundai Translead is bringing manufacturing to the U.S.
In the storied Motive-Samsara legal battle, Samsara recently won $30 million
Diesel prices shot up 21 cents and continue to rise

Autonomous spotlight: PlusAI's software-first approach to trucking

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers.
PlusAI is taking a software-first approach to autonomous trucking, supplying its virtual driver technology to several major OEMs, rather than operating its own fleet. Dr. Shawn Kerrigan, co-founder and COO, joins the Fleet Lead to discuss the company's global data strategy, its factory-integrated trucks, and its roadmap to commercial launch in 2027.
Timestamps:
0:35 - PlusAI's company history
1:35 - PlusAI's global partner strategy
2:32 - Roadmap for commercializing in the U.S.
4:50 - Technology designed to work across various truck platforms
6:46 - Where are PlusAI's trucks on the road today?
8:48 - Recent breakthroughs and the road ahead
14:10 - Benefits of autonomous trucking
15:18 - Challenges for fleets adopting autonomous trucks

Looming trade dispute ruling could reshape the U.S. trailer industry

A high-stakes trade dispute could reshape the North American trailer market.
U.S. manufacturers say low-priced imports from China, Mexico, and Canada are harming domestic production. Importers argue the industry’s struggles stem from the prolonged freight downturn, not unfair trade.
The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled that domestic trailer builders have a case.
 
Timestamps:
1:11 - U.S. trailer makers claim unfair competition from imports
6:52 - Importers rebut coalition's claims, blame downturn on 'macroeconomic' forces
11:46 - What's next for regulators and the trailer industry

This week in trucking: 13,000 CDLs gone, diesel price hikes

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of March 12:
California removed 13,000 non-domiciled CDLs.
Pell Grants might pay for some workforce training
Daimler producing new camera system for medium-duty, vocational trucks
Harbinger Motors is launching a medium-duty cabover truck
Diesel prices shot up by a whopping $0.96

Autonomous spotlight: Torc Robotics driving Freightliners

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers.
Torc Robotics is integrating autonomous software into the Freightliner Cascadia, the most popular Class 8 truck in the U.S. for many years. The developer is also using generative AI to develop training simulations for its virtual driver. Andrew Culhane, Torc’s chief commercial officer, describes the company’s work and the state of the technology.
Timestamps:
1:54 - Benefits of autonomous vehicles
4:56 - The growing pains a carrier might face
6:12 - What makes Torc unique?
8:29 - Torc’s current operations
10:19 - Recent major milestones
18:09 - Torc's near-future plans.

Autonomous spotlight: Bot Auto narrowing cost per mile

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers.
Bot Auto operates its own autonomous truck fleet to pursue a transportation-as-a-service model, vying for the business of shippers and brokers. The company is focused on minimizing its cost per mile, achieving costs significantly below its competitors. Xiaodi Hou, Bot Auto's founder and CEO, joins the Fleet Lead to talk about the state of autonomous trucking.
Timestamps:
0:34 - Benefits of autonomous technology
2:24 - Challenges to autonomous operation
6:41 - The history of Bot Auto
8:43 - The "Transportation as a Service" model
11:27 - Cost per mile compared to competitors
16:32 - Bot Auto's active truck fleet
19:58 - Texas partnerships
22:54 - Bot Auto's future roadmap

Autonomous spotlight: Kodiak's focus on AI

Autonomous trucking has real-world operations today—and the developers have bold plans for commercialization within the next two years. This week, the Fleet Lead's Jeremy Wolfe is hosting interviews with four of the industry's autonomous developers.
Kodiak AI is a public autonomous truck developer with a focus on OEM-agnostic upfitting and edge computing. It achieved some of the first major autonomous milestones in recent years under its partnership with Atlas Energy. Here Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak AI, describes the state of autonomy today and outlines the company's achievements.

This week in trucking: New vocational trucks, legal decisions

Here are the big stories from this week in trucking as of March 5:
OEMs announced two new vocational trucks
The Trump administration is changing independent contractor classification
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments around broker liability
Torc Robotics is moving autonomous hauls to Michigan
Bot Auto is working with a broker for Texas hauls
Diesel prices jumped 9 cents
 

Trucking's "Law and Order" Era: Incoming TCA President Jim Mullen on FMCSA crackdowns, freight recessions, and emissions course corrections

Jim Mullen is replacing Jim Ward as president of the Truckload Carriers Association in early April. How will Mullen use his deep trucking industry experience—as a former mega-carrier executive, past FMCSA acting administrator, and leader in autonomous trucking and the Clean Freight Coalition—to guide the truckload sector through a massive regulatory shift?
FleetOwner's Josh Fisher sat down with Mullen at TCA's Truckload 2026 to discuss his "360-degree" perspective and his strategy for navigating trucking's new era of enforcement and economic recovery.
Timestamps:
0:40 - Industry sentiment
4:15 - Career background
7:30 - Lobbying and regulatory relations
10:30 - Impact of enforcement
13:20 - Hours of Service (HOS) pilot
16:00 - Clean Freight Coalition's future
24:20 - Autonomous technology
27:50 - Advice for carriers

This week in trucking: Tariff reruns, FMCSA wants more English proficiency

Here are the headlines from this week in trucking as of February 26:
The Supreme Court struck down IEEPA tariffs
FMCSA is continuing its driver qualification crackdown
Daimler revealed its next heavy-duty engine
Spot rates increased over 2 cents
Diesel prices jumped 10 cents