John Hitch named editor of Fleet Maintenance

John Hitch has been named editor of Fleet Maintenance, shifting from his most recent role as senior editor of FleetOwner.

Hitch adds 12 years of journalism experience to the Fleet Maintenance content team, which like FleetOwner is part of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group. The group also includes American Trucker, Trailer/Body Builders, Refrigerated Transporter, and Bulk Transporter. 

As senior editor, Hitch wrote hundreds of articles on topics ranging from electrification and engine efficiency to best practices to avoid nuclear verdicts.

Prior to his time at FleetOwner, he worked as senior editor for Endeavor's manufacturing brands New Equipment Digest and IndustryWeek. Hitch also directed expo content for IndustryWeek's Manufacturing & Technology event and created the first ever Industrial Wearable Fashion Show.

Hitch is based near Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife and children, and will report to Erica Schueller, editorial director of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group.

“I am very excited to welcome John to the masthead of Fleet Maintenance magazine,” Schueller said. “John brings a wealth of knowledge writing and reporting on the commercial vehicle industry, especially in his most recent role focused on equipment reporting for the trucking industry with our flagship brand, FleetOwner. He has a reputation for creating useful and engaging content, and I know he will excel in this role as an editorial lead for our content group."

Hitch was named “Robotics Journalist of the Year” in 2016. Hitch received a Bachelor of Science in news, magazine journalism, from Kent State University, where he edited the school magazine and was recognized by the Society of Professional for his online feature writing on Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Before that, he proudly served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Oklahoma City fast-attack submarine from 1998 to 2002 as a sonar technician, where he learned plenty about preventive maintenance and troubleshooting.

"The country doesn't work without trucks, and trucks don't work without maintenance technicians, so I am extremely honored to have this new role providing insights into products, practices, and trends that will help them take care of business," Hitch said. "And with so many changes in the transportation industry as it adds more technology and cuts out emissions, there will be plenty of stories and insights to offer."

Endeavor Business Media is a business-to-business media company focused on the acquisition and operation of various trade publications, websites, events, and marketing solutions. In addition to serving various transportation market segments including trucking, public transit, and vehicle service, Endeavor serves audiences in several industries including accounting, aviation, dental, facilities maintenance, fire and public safety, design engineering, buildings and construction, energy, manufacturing, industrial, technology, medical, securities, laser, lighting, oil and gas, public services, security, construction, vehicle repair, vending, and water and wastewater markets.