FleetOwner's most-read articles in the Operations category are a mixed bag—just as fleet operations tend to be. The top 10 operations articles of 2025 span labor concerns and the driver shortage, as well as acquisitions and closures.
A couple of outlook pieces also made the list (you'll want to check them out to see who got it right and who was way off), as well as tips for passing the CVSA International Roadcheck and Private Fleet awards.
10. Bridging the gap: How the trucking industry can attract Gen Z amidst labor challenges
It’s no secret that the trucking industry faces labor challenges, though there’s debate over what exactly the problem is: high driver turnover or a true driver shortage. While the industry has sought multiple solutions, one option is to look at the upcoming generation.
“We're trying to put a Band-Aid on the problem,” Lindsey Trent, president and co-founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, said. “For years, it's just been about stealing drivers from one another … instead of really trying to create more opportunities for younger people to get into the industry.” Read more...
9. Sanchez says Ryder ‘in the market’ for more dedicated acquisitions
Ryder System executives are looking for more dedicated acquisitions along the lines of their $302 million purchase of Cardinal Logistics early last year.
Speaking to the JPMorgan 2025 Industrial Conference on March 12, Chairman and CEO Robert Sanchez said picking up Cardinal helped Ryder’s dedicated division improve its network efficiency. The operation now runs about 700 locations nationwide, comprising about 12,000 tractors and 14,000 drivers. Ryder Integrated Logistics moved up two spots to No. 14 in the year's FleetOwner 500: For-Hire list rankings of the largest carriers in the U.S. Read more...
8. Three fleets awarded FleetOwner Private Fleet of the Year honors
FleetOwner honored three private fleets for their stellar transportation operations during the National Private Truck Council’s annual conference on Tuesday.
Coinciding with this week’s release of the 2025 FleetOwner 500: Private ranking of the largest U.S. transportation operations, FleetOwner editors recognized winning fleets in three categories: FleetOwner 500, midsize, and small carriers. The awards are sponsored by Descartes. Read more...
7. Not enough drivers or too many?
Excess capacity has helped weaken carriers’ pricing power for years. Despite this hostile environment, the CDL population is growing: the American Transportation Research Institute estimates that there are about 3 million long-haul CDL holders today, up 30% from 2016’s estimate of 2.3 million.
While the driver shortage has remained one of the top fleet concerns for several years, not everyone agrees with the concept of a labor shortage in trucking. In a recent Stifel webinar, analysts with Transportation and Logistics Advisors argued that the market is plagued with too many drivers. Read more...
6. Another Proficient acquisition further shakes up auto transport market
Proficient Auto Logistics has acquired a Pennsylvania automobile hauler, which could increase its capacity by 13% in a market that remains in flux following the demise of Jack Cooper Transport Co.
Terms of Proficient’s purchase of Brothers Auto Transport were not immediately disclosed. Based in Wind Gap near Allentown, Brothers was founded in 1996 and runs a fleet of about 110 transporters. The company has terminals in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia. Read more...
5. How your fleet can survive Roadcheck 2025
Roadcheck has a polarizing effect on truck fleets. Some love it and see it as a week-long opportunity to collect windshield decals and rack up clean inspections. Others steer clear of the scales and inspection areas to minimize the chance of getting pulled around back.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck is May 13-15 this year. A special driver focus is on hours of service—specifically falsification related to electronic logging devices. On the vehicle side, inspectors will pay particular attention to tires: flat tires, air leaks, tread depths, etc., while also checking automatic tire inflation systems. Read more...
4. How an independent FedEx Freight plans to grow
A standalone FedEx Freight will have winning more small-business customers as its top priority, Chief Customer Officer Brie Carere told an investment bank conference.
Also high on the list of growth initiatives: Adding to the less-than-truckload group’s e-commerce business and building share in the market serving grocery stores. In addition, executives speaking at the Bank of America Industrials, Transportation & Airlines Key Leaders Conference on May 12 said they intend to beef up the LTL business’s technology foundations as a way to improve their billing and customers’ experience. Read more...
3. Despite the noise, well-positioned carriers should be optimistic about freight in 2025
A little clarity could go a long way. But no matter what happens with tariffs, the freight economy and for-hire capacity are overdue for a shakeup. There are many reasons for well-managed fleets to be optimistic about their 2025 outlook.
“If you take away what’s going on with tariffs, in particular … I would have come out here and told everybody: It’s not going to be great. It’s not going to be the pandemic boom. But we are absolutely moving in the right direction,” Bob Costello, American Trucking Associations chief economist, told for-hire carrier executives March 17 at the Truckload Carriers Association’s annual conference here. Read more...
2. Trucking's capacity outlook for 2025
An excess of carriers helped push rates down during the freight recession—well below average operating costs. Fleet executives were told that, over time, the problem of excess capacity would resolve itself. Trucking’s capacity problem might finally be reaching that equilibrium in 2025.
After a significant number of carrier exits in 2023, low rates in 2024 did not purge fleets quite so rapidly. Meanwhile, the number of new carrier registrations increased slightly. Both trends suggest a slightly more hospitable market for fleets. Some industry analysts predict trucking capacity will grow in 2025. Read more...
1. Jack Cooper closure creates auto-hauling opportunities for Proficient and competitors
With storied competitor Jack Cooper Transport Co.—the No. 2 player in the auto hauler sector—winding down its operations after key customer losses, Proficient Auto Logistics Inc. executives expect to pick up plenty of business. But they added that gains will likely spread out over several quarters as the market dust settles.
Jack Cooper CEO Sarah Amico told employees of the 97-year-old company in early February that the recent loss of business with both Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. means the end of the road. The planned closure is expected to cost 2,500 workers their jobs, although other carriers will likely pick up some of them. Read more...
In addition to these articles, FleetOwner publishes several popular annual features that attract attention across the trucking and transportation industries. These include our annual looks at the largest commercial transportation systems in the U.S., the FleetOwner 500: For-Hire and FleetOwner 500: Private Fleets.
Our annual profiles of women in the industry, Women in Transportation 2025, were published this spring. Each year, FleetOwner recognizes the transportation operations of private fleets with the FleetOwner Private Fleet of the Year award. This fall, we expanded and rebranded our annual New Models into the 2025 FleetOwner vehicle guide, our largest-ever look at the next generation of heavy-duty, medium-duty, light-duty, and alternative-powered trucks and vans.
We wrapped up the year with the 2025 Trucking By the Numbers feature, an infographic highlighting the facts and figures shaping the trucking and transportation industries.
To view what's ahead for FleetOwner in the new year, please check out our 2026 Media Kit.
About the Author
Jade Brasher
Senior Editor Jade Brasher has covered vocational trucking and fleets since 2018. A graduate of The University of Alabama with a degree in journalism, Jade enjoys telling stories about the people behind the wheel and the intricate processes of the ever-evolving trucking industry.