What's up with truck operating costs?
In this roundtable, The Fleet Lead's editors break down the latest ATRI report on the rising operational costs in trucking.
From equipment prebuys to AI in the shop and driver retention strategies, here is where operational costs are headed and what fleets can anticipate next.
Timestamps:
- 00:58 - Driver quality and fleet retention
- 03:08 - Rising maintenance expenses
- 05:00 - Tanker carrier margins are improving
- 06:39 - Equipment cost increases and the prebuy
- 09:33 - EPA's regulations
- 13:08 - Material tariffs and antidumping
- 14:22 - Freight rate fluctuations
- 15:33 - Fleet age averages are up
- 20:15 - Tech and AI adoption
- 25:59 - What’s next/alt fuels
About the Author
Kevin Jones
Editor
Kevin has served as editor-in-chief of Trailer/Body Builders magazine since 2017—just the third editor in the magazine’s 60 years. He is also editorial director for Endeavor Business Media’s Commercial Vehicle group, which includes FleetOwner, Bulk Transporter, Refrigerated Transporter, American Trucker, and Fleet Maintenance magazines and websites.
Working from Beaufort, S.C., Kevin has covered trucking and manufacturing for nearly 20 years. His writing and commentary about the trucking industry and, previously, business and government, has been recognized with numerous state, regional, and national journalism awards.

Jason McDaniel
Jason McDaniel, based in the Houston TX area, has nearly 20 years of experience as a journalist. He spent 15 writing and editing for daily newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, and began covering the commercial vehicle industry in 2018. He was named editor of Bulk Transporter and Refrigerated Transporter magazines in July 2020.
John Hitch
Editor
John Hitch is the editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, providing maintenance management and technicians with the the latest information on the tools and strategies to keep their fleets' commercial vehicles moving. He is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and was previously senior editor for FleetOwner. He previously wrote about manufacturing and advanced technology for IndustryWeek and New Equipment Digest.
Jade Brasher
Executive 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.




