Author: Chris Brown

Gasoline prices rose nearly 46% between January and April 2026, with fleet operators running larger conventional vehicles feeling a greater burden. An iSeeCars evaluation of over 2.1m vehicles charted the associated fee spikes by vehicle types and models.EVs and ICE Vehicles: A $695 Annual Fuel Cost GapIn response to iSeeCars’ evaluation, annual fuel costs for internal combustion engine vehicles jumped a median of $706 over that four-month period, rising from $1,533 to $2,240. Electric vehicles, in contrast, saw annual energy costs increase just $11, from $714 to $725.”Everyone knows fuel prices are up, but we wanted to guage the impact…

 NAFA-The Fleet Management Association will collocate its Fleet Safety Symposium with the 2026 Fleet Forward Conference, convening Oct. 19 on the Gaylord National Harbor in Maryland. Scheduled for the day before the Fleet Forward Conference opens, the Fleet Safety Symposium is a dynamic, interactive certificate program designed to assist fleet organizations strengthen safety culture, improve driver engagement, and higher understand the evolving role of technology in fleet safety operations. “The collocation creates a natural bridge between NAFA’s dedication to fleet safety and the Fleet Forward Conference’s safety programming and the long run of fleet operations,” said Bill Schankel, CEO of NAFA.  The symposium will feature expert-led discussions, networking opportunities, and practical guidance designed to assist fleet professionals implement actionable safety…

Fleet isn’t a commodity; it’s a strategic asset.” What does that truly mean? Matt Dyer, CEO of Merchants Fleet, will explore that query within the closing keynote on the 2026 Fleet Forward Conference during a fireplace chat with Automotive Fleet’s Chris Brown titled, “Think Otherwise: What Fleet Leadership Looks Like Now.” The discussion will examine how fleet has evolved right into a more strategic and mission-critical business function, connecting vehicle data, operations, technology, capital strategy, and client experience to broader business outcomes. Dyer will discuss the brand new mindset and leadership skills required as fleet professionals tackle greater influence inside their organizations. “Fleet is strategic work, however it continues to be often viewed as just a price center inside organizations and across…

Managing fleet operations within the oilfield industry comes with unique challenges — from vehicle maintenance and compliance to driver safety in distant locations and across multiple jurisdictions.On this edition of the State of the Fleet Industry video series, Chris Brown speaks with James Victory of NOV (National Oilwell Varco) about managing a fleet of greater than 3,000 power units and trailers supporting oilfield service operations across the U.S. Victory discusses how NOV navigates maintenance complexity, DOT compliance, and telematics deployment across greater than 150 locations.Victory explains how the corporate uses Geotab and telematics technology to enhance driver behavior, support safety…

On this Automotive Fleet on the Move interview conducted at Work Truck Week 2026, John Poindexter, founder and CEO of JB Poindexter & Co., shared how his company is approaching growth across its multiple divisions, with each introducing recent products or concepts as a part of its ongoing expansion.A serious development has been the acquisition and integration of its ambulance division, Demers Braun Crestline Medix (DBCM). While consolidation has been a key a part of JB Poindexter’s strategy, he noted there remains to be room out there for smaller players and startups to compete.At the identical time, emerging technologies are…

James McKinley, vp of operations at City Rent a Truck, was named the inaugural recipient of the Fleet Value Champion Award at this 12 months’s CAR Conference. The newly introduced award recognizes fleet operators who take a disciplined and revolutionary approach to vehicle remarketing while preserving value throughout the complete vehicle lifecycle.CAR Conference Chair and Automotive Fleet Associate Publisher Chris Brown introduced the award, describing it as recognition for leaders who “preserve value of their vehicles” and enhance performance from acquisition to disposal. McKinley, who began his profession 12 years ago working in a wash bay, credited City Rent a…

As disasters disrupt operations, fleets rely on flexible fuel controls and real-time authorization to remain on the road. When disasters strike, fleets often face operational challenges that transcend damaged infrastructure or disrupted routes. Fuel access and payment authorization can quickly turn into critical issues, especially when vehicles are deployed outside their normal operating regions.We spoke with representatives from U.S. Bank Voyager about how fleets can prepare their fuel accounts ahead of a disaster and what support is on the market to maintain vehicles moving during emergency response.AF: What’s probably the most common pain point fleets face during a disaster, from…

The 2026 Conference of Automotive Remarketing convened in Cleveland April 15-16, collocated with NAFA I&E.  The Conference of Automotive Remarketing (CAR) returned this yr at a moment when the industry continues to be recalibrating after several years of disruption. If there was a single theme that surfaced repeatedly throughout the sessions, it was that remarketing today comes right down to velocity plus value.Held April 15-16 on the Huntington Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, at the side of the NAFA I&E, the 30-year-old conference goes through an evolution. CAR traditionally connects vehicle consignors, auction decision-makers, suppliers, and industry leaders to debate trends, share…

A Waymo vehicle sits outside a San Jose theater at a tech event in 2019, when autonomous deployment was still largely experimental. Autonomous vehicles have moved from pilot programs to real-world deployment, but are still waiting to scale.  It was around 10 years ago that the acronym ACES (or CASE) took hold. The letters stand for “autonomous, connected, electric, and shared.” It was called Latest Mobility on the time, representing our optimistic way forward for transportation. From then to now, none of those paradigms has taken a straight adoption path — though the C could also be suffering through the fewest…

February 19, 2026 At Geotab Connect 2026 in Las Vegas, Chris Brown of Automotive Fleet sat down with industry veteran Rob Minton, retired from Geotab and founding father of Revved Up Strategies, to interrupt down a very powerful fleet technology trends emerging from the conference. Minton highlights how artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming fleet management, not only on the enterprise level, but in addition by making advanced analytics accessible to on a regular basis fleet managers. He also discusses how real-time OEM data, AI-powered dashcams, and predictive maintenance are moving fleets beyond static dashboards toward dynamic, action-oriented operations. The conversation centers on…