Fleet Trends & Challenges on the Horizon in 2025
Following several years of turbulence and macroeconomic challenges, 2024 finally brought some signs of relief for fleet operators. Inflation cooled; interest rates declined; and the supply chain continued to improve. With these headwinds now in the rearview mirror, many businesses are reassessing their fleet strategy to ensure they’re well positioned for the challenges – and opportunities – on the horizon. So, what does 2025 have in store for fleet operators?
Recently, Work Truck published a series of articles offering a comprehensive forecast for the year ahead and several Holman fleet management experts shared their perspective on a number of key fleet trends and topics. With a focus on the supply chain and upfitting, Holman’s Ted Davis highlighted several factors that bear watching throughout 2025.
“Higher vehicle pricing and economic uncertainty led several vocational fleet operators to lower their order volume during the second half of 2024. This slight downturn in ordering will likely lead to pockets of open upfit production capacity in the second and third quarters of the year ahead.”
Also impacting the supply chain, Holman’s Patrick Doyle pointed to rapidly shifting emissions regulations as a key trend that will force fleet operators to continue to adapt their acquisition strategy.
“A growing number of emission requirements and regulations across the U.S. will influence the buying process for many fleet operators. As additional states adopt more stringent emissions limits, OEMs and fleet operators will find themselves adjusting. This is likely to have the greatest impact on the medium-duty truck segment.”
Later in the article, Holman’s Holly Vollant offered her outlook for the secondary market. She highlighted that while lingering uncertainty may pose some challenges for fleet operators, it will likely also create opportunities for those well positioned to capitalize on market conditions.
“Given the potential market volatility on the horizon, fleet operators should align with a strong remarketing partner who can help assess market conditions and provide strategic recommendations to maximize returns.”
The final article in the series focused on emerging technologies and Holman’s Emily Graham discussed how telematics continues to evolve, offering fleet operators new tools and resources to optimize fleet performance.
“Recently, one of the most important advances in the telematics space has been the addition of cameras to various telematics devices. The units allow fleet operators to capture footage of the vehicle in use (outbound) and footage of the driver behind the wheel. With video-enabled telematics, fleet operators can monitor drivers for high-risk behaviors, and many devices can even provide alerts or coaching to improve performance in near real-time.”
To read the entire series of articles, please visit WorkTruckOnline.com. For the latest information on the emerging trends that are influencing fleet operations, be sure to subscribe to Holman’s Morning Brake newsletter.
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