More than 100 Corcentric customer and supplier representatives from North America and Canada gathered at the Westin Poinsett in Greenville, SC, for the company’s two-day 2023 Corcentric Fleet Solutions Conference in April. The event, previously known as the Corcentric Fleet Maintenance Conference, now focuses on providing insight into all aspects of managing fleet operations. Attendees gained knowledge from a wide array of expert speakers regarding the current and future state of the transportation industry.
In his opening remarks, Bill McCouch, Corcentric Senior Vice President of Fleet Procurement, explained that “this year, we’ve decided to combine all aspects of fleet ownership to span the entire lifecycle from acquisition to finance to maintenance and procurement, and finally the reselling of the used equipment.” He reiterated that the overarching goal of the conference was to “address many important issues that will have an effect on our current and future decision-making.”
Introductory speaker, Warren Hoemann, former deputy administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and U.S. Department of Transportation and senior vice president of American Trucking Association, focused on understanding trucking regulations that will shape what’s expected in the short and long term. “Knowing where these regulations come from and how they will affect both commercial motor vehicles and drivers will keep businesses prepared for the future,” he said.
FreightWaves editor at large, John Kingston, brought insight into the truck markets and recent impacts to diesel costs and supply. He explained that freight and oil markets have been on a wild ride in the last few years and diesel inventories remain low. The impending shift to alternative sources, such as hydrogen, has many pros and cons that should be considered.
The current push for zero-emission vehicles was also discussed in detail by panelists from Volvo Trucks North America, Cummins Engine, and Peterbilt. Their insight provided realistic expectations of technology and infrastructure advances to keep up with aggressive goals set by the U.S. government.
Additional speakers included:
- Glen Kedzie, principal at Energy & Environmental Strategies, LLC
- Tyler Robertson, founder and CEO of Diesel Laptops
- Steve Tam, Vice President of ACT Research
- David Akers, former NFL Philadelphia Eagles kicker
The next Corcentric Fleet Solutions Conference will take place in September 2024 in St. Louis, MO.