If it’s March, that means one thing!

It’s time for the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) Annual Meeting!

TMC is the first big North American truck show of the year.

It’s also a miserable grind for us poor trucking journalists.

The show kicks off (for us media types) on Sunday with – I shit you not – 13 hours of back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back press conferences.

That’s a lot, in case you’re wondering.

And we’ve asked TMC repeatedly if they could pretty please spread all those press conferences out over the course of the show.

But those pleas fall on deaf ears.

I dunno… We’re flying astronauts around the Moon right now. But apparently, coming up with a more manageable press conference schedule at TMC is beyond our technology today.

Anyway… That’s enough passive-aggressive ranting for today.

I feel better now, though.

But before we move on and review HDT’s North American Trucking news and stories from last month, let me put in a few of quick plugs from one of my favorite cities:

The first is for Martin’s Bar-B-Que. Excellent food and friendly service all the way around. I brought a bottle of Pat’s Hot Dust home with me. And it is outstanding on air-fried chicken wings.

I also brought home some Devil’s Nectar BBQ sauce. This stuff is made with dark molasses – so it looks amazing. But I found out it’s WAY too spicy on smoked ribs. (That was my fault. I love spicy food! But I put WAY too much sauce on the ribs.) But I think it will work well as a light glaze on chicken wings.

I also brought home a bottle of Martin’s Season’D Salt. I hear good things about it – but I haven’t tried that one yet.

I’m also a huge fan of Robert’s Western World down on Broadway. The music is always amazing. And their cheeseburgers are to die for.

Final shoutout goes to Barlines Nashville. This cool little bistro features live music, a friendly staff and some of the best chicken wings you’ll ever have. It’s also right across the street from the convention center. So it’s a great place to go grab a beer after 13-straight hours of back-to-back press conferences!

After this Fall, TMC will be moving to Orlando for a five-year run!

So if you think I’m bitching and complaining now – just wait!

Jamie Hagen Talks Fuel Prices on CNN

Let’s start off by giving one of HDT’s long-time friends a shout-out.

Jamie Hagen is a small fleet owner running out of Aberdeen, South Dakota. He’s also a social media influencer and spokesman for Mack Trucks.

And Jamie did the industry a solid by going on CNN in late March to talk about the impact the Iran war is having on fuel prices and small fleets.

He also appeared live on air with them – and did an outstanding job, if you ask me.

We’ve also got our own update on fuel and the war, here.

And I also interviewed Mike Kucharski, vice president at JKC Trucking on his thoughts about rising diesel fuel prices.

Major News from TCM

Did I mention there were a lot of press conferences at TMC last month?

It’s true!

But at least there were several major announcements made at the show that are worth paying attention to.

Here are a few of the big ones:

• Volvo teases a new VNX model later this year
• Hyundai Translead introduced new dry van and reefer trailers
• Hendrickson unveiled its new Watchman Smart Wheel-End system
• SAF-Holland has a new, light-weight suspension slider for on-highway trailers
• Aperia showcased a new Halo TPMS for steer-tire axles
• Clairos is expanding its battery monitoring capabilities with a new subscription service
• Phillips-Connect has significantly expanded its Smart Trailer platform capabilities
• Valvoline and Cummins announced 100K oil drain intervals for X15 engines
• Development of the new PC-12 diesel engine oil category is almost complete
• Peterson unveils a new approach to LED lighting reliability

Speaking of TMC AND the Iran War

As he is wont to do, American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear popped into Nashville during TMC to talk to attendees.

And this year, not surprisingly, rising fuel prices were top-of-mind for Spear.

Although he did call out some ATA policy successes from last year (most notably of which dealt with killing off or easing CARB and EPA regulations).

More New Trucks!

Everyone loves to see new trucks enter the market!

And March did not disappoint on that front!

The big ConExpo/ConAgg construction show in Vegas early in the month saw Kenworth release a brand-new C580 extreme-duty truck.

And – not to be outdone – Mack introduced its all-new Keystone model, as well as a “reimagined” Granite.

HDT is on the Hunt for 2026 Green Fleets

HDT is on the lookout for the cleanest and greenest trucking fleets on the road today.

And we'd like to tell your story in the pages of our magazine!

So if you're running a Green Fleet, or you know someone who is, send them our way!

Over-the-Air Updates 101

Over-the-air updates are changing the game when it comes to connected trucking.

That’s because today’s Class 8 trucks have pretty much evolved into rolling data platforms.

And for fleets, that means less downtime and fewer service visits.

As Kerry-Leigh Goodier, director of digital market strategy and management at Cummins, told me for this story:

“Today, fleets can remotely update engine control module software and adjust select engine parameters without bringing trucks into the shop. That’s a significant shift from where we were even a decade ago.”

How Mack Sees Fleet Intelligence

On a related topic, I sat down with Marty Foulks, product manager for Mack’s GuardDog Connect platform, and Ashish Sadhu, services director for Mack Trucks at TMC.

Mack – and Volvo – have emerged as early technology leaders on the connected truck front.

And both Foulks and Sadhu told me that we are just in the very early stages of what this new technology will eventually be able to deliver for fleets.

Copper Brake Pads Under Pressure

Some fleets are starting to feel that heavy-duty truck brake pads aren’t performing as well as they used to.

The reason? Suppliers are starting to use copper-free friction material in those pads to conform with a new set of environmental regulations.

Here’s what I found out when I dug deeper into this issue.

How AI is Transforming Fleet Maintenance

It seems like everything is AI-enabled these days, doesn’t it?

But all the marketing BS aside, AI is an incredibly powerful tool that can give maintenance managers unprecedented insights how trucks perform.

Chasing Tornados in an Old Olds Toronado

I’ll step away from trucking for my last, fun, story of the month.

Props to the good folks at Jalopnik for this fun, well-written story about a couple of young adventurers at Pole Barn Garage who decided a 58-year-old, rusted-out Olds Toronado was the perfect car to go chase tornadoes across Missouri in.

That’s because “Toronado” kinda sounds like “tornado,” I guess.

And I can relate. Because my wife is pretty sure I’m going to die by running out on the deck to get a look at a tornado when one is nearby.

And if you live in Alabama this time of year, there’s always a tornado nearby!

Anyway, the boys had a cracking good time!

And they lived!

And you can’t ask for much more than that, can you?

Until next month, hold ‘em in the road!