The Official Blog for Penske Truck Leasing, Truck Rental and Logistics

With forecasters predicting an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, fleet operators are encouraged to take steps now to prepare in the event strong storms impact your area.

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What started with nearly 3,000 competitors has come down to just 44 of Penske’s skilled maintenance technicians and preventive maintenance professionals. These standout finalists are headed to the 2025 National Tech Showdown – a high-stakes competition that celebrates the precision, expertise and pride of our frontline service teams.

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Traveling over the Memorial Day holiday? Make sure to pack a hefty dose of patience as a record number of drivers are expected to share the road to holiday destinations.

Joining holiday travelers will be thousands of do-it-yourself movers heading to new hometowns and professional truck drivers, working hard to keep the supply chain moving.

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Penske Truck Leasing today launched the latest evolution of Catalyst AI™, the artificial intelligence engine transforming commercial fleet management. Built in-house and powered by over 100 billion data points and more than 300 real-time models, Catalyst AI marks a major leap in data-driven decision-making—from the individual vehicle to the entire hub.

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Summary Bullets

  • Penske delivers a new level of AI-powered fleet intelligence—unmatched in scope, scale, and actionable insights.
  • Developed in-house, Catalyst AI applies proprietary models that transform complexity into competitive advantage.
  • Catalyst AI advances from fleet-level visibility to granular insights—enabling real-time benchmarking and diagnostics now at the individual vehicle and hub level.
  • 93% of leaders believe AI can improve resiliency—but 84% say the industry is behind, signaling urgency for adoption.

Reading, Pa., May 12, 2025 – Today, Penske Truck Leasing introduced the new generation of fleet intelligence with the latest release of Catalyst AI™, its proprietary artificial intelligence engine and industry leading AI platform that redefined fleet management. Built specifically for commercial transportation, Catalyst AI applies machine learning in advanced methods—turning one of the industry’s richest vehicle data sets into faster, more strategic decision-making across operations.

Catalyst AI was built to meet a fundamental need in modern operations: how to take the right action, at the right time, from the right data. The update introduces four core enhancements designed to make that possible:

  • Fantasy Fleet – Offers a new comparison set made up of top-performing vehicles most similar to each vehicle in the user’s fleet—helping them find gaps and elevate performance.
  • Vehicle-level Comparison – Enables users to compare individual vehicles to pinpoint performance differences, helping identify where targeted adjustments can drive better results.
  • Hub-level Comparison Allows users to assess operations by location and uncover opportunities for improved efficiency at the local level.
  • Impacting Metrics Gives users the ability to focus on specific metrics that matter most to their business—fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, utilization, and more.

“The new release marks a next chapter for Catalyst AI—one that makes complex data more usable, more scalable, and more actionable,” said Art Vallely, president of Penske Truck Leasing. “We’ve enhanced the platform’s ability to surface trends, benchmark at the vehicle level, and identify meaningful outliers across fleets and facilities. Built in-house, the platform was designed to help our customers spend less time chasing data and more time improving performance."

Catalyst AI continues to evolve in step with the complexities of modern fleet operations, delivering faster insights, clearer benchmarks, and intelligence designed to keep businesses ahead. Developed by Penske, the platform reflects what today’s fleet professionals need: trusted insights that drive action.

That demand is reflected in Penske’s 2025 Transportation Leaders Survey: A Road to AI Adoption, which found that 93% of senior business decision makers in the transportation and logistics industry agree that AI will improve their organization’s resiliency and ability to adapt to sudden shifts. More than half (54%) said the ability to compare their fleet’s performance to others in the same market would improve both efficiency and operational decision-making. As they specifically plan for today’s continued economic uncertainty, fleet leaders cited their most critical data needs as: visibility into maintenance costs (44%), fuel price trends (41%), and fleet utilization (36%).

Organizations that have embraced AI are already reaping the benefits with 40% of respondents using AI tools saying they’ve seen improvements of at least 50% in fuel usage, cost reduction, or distance traveled through smarter routing and optimization. However, 84% of transportation leaders think the industry is lagging behind in AI adoption and 36% only feel somewhat prepared to respond to ongoing supply chain disruptions and economic volatility. This signals a growing urgency for tools that not only provide data but translate it into tangible actions that drive outcomes, such as lowering operating costs and increasing efficiency.

“We’ve designed Catalyst AI with our customers’ needs in mind,” said Sherry Sanger, executive vice president of strategy and marketing at Penske Transportation Solutions. “Catalyst AI represents a strategic leap forward in how fleets use data. It’s not just about visibility—it’s about empowering smarter decisions across the entire network with technology that works in the real world.”

Since Catalyst AI launched in 2024, the platform has grown to support thousands of users, helping fleet professionals move from lagging metrics to leading decisions. The platform is now a foundational part of how teams across Penske’s network report, benchmark, and plan—across vehicles, locations, and systems.

“Catalyst AI now analyzes over 100 billion data points annually,” said Tim Haynes, vice president of digital and customer data at Penske. “We’ve engineered a system that runs more than 300 models in real time—delivering comparison logic, trend detection, and scoring that is both scalable and immediate. This release reflects the technical backbone required to help fleets benchmark smarter and respond faster.”

Catalyst AI is embedded within Comparative Insights, a feature inside the Fleet Insight® digital platform. Comparative Insights, powered by Catalyst AI, at the fleet level remains available at no cost to Penske customers. The new Comparative Insights Premium Plan unlocks access to vehicle- and hub-level comparisons and the Fantasy Fleet feature, with a 30-day free trial available before subscription. To learn more, visit penskecatalyst.ai.

About Penske Truck Leasing

Penske Truck Leasing is a Penske Transportation Solutions company headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. A leading provider of innovative transportation solutions, Penske operates and maintains more than 419,000 vehicles and serves its customers from more than 990 maintenance facilities and more than 2,200 rental locations across North America. Solutions from Penske include full-service truck leasing, fleet maintenance, truck rentals, used trucks, and a comprehensive array of technologies to keep the world moving forward. Visit PenskeTruckLeasing.com to learn more.

Survey Methodology – The second edition of The Transportation Leaders Survey: A Road to AI Adoption was conducted online by Big Village among a sample of 255 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older who are owners, founders, or executive leaders or decision makers of a Transportations or Logistics businesses. This survey was live April 16-23, 2025.

The transportation and logistics sector is moving past AI curiosity and into real-world application. According to Penske’s newly released 2025 Transportation Leaders Survey: A Road to AI Adoption, fleet leaders are steadily embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and seeing measurable returns — even as traditional practices and implementation concerns linger.
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Maintaining the nation’s roadways requires periodic maintenance and even new construction.

New speed limits, traffic patterns and rights of way, as well as worker and vehicle movement, can all impact work zone safety.

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READING, Pa., (Apr 9, 2025)Penske Truck Leasing has opened a new facility at 633 NW 50th Avenue in Ocala, Florida. The new location, situated near Interstate 75, expands Penske’s capacity to serve customers and meet growing demand in the region.

The 20,864-square-foot facility sits on 8.62 acres and features five drive-thru bays with 10 service areas, an automated wash bay, and a full-service fuel island. The location provides consumer and commercial truck rental, full-service truck leasing, and contract truck fleet maintenance.

“The new Ocala facility reflects our commitment to investing in infrastructure that supports both our customers and associates,” said Paul Johnson, area vice president – Florida, for Penske Truck Leasing. “With expanded capabilities and advanced technology, we are better positioned to meet the region’s transportation needs efficiently and reliably. This facility also enhances our ability to provide seamless service for both consumer and commercial customers in a rapidly growing market.”

Penske’s previous Ocala facility operated on a 2.5-acre site with limited parking and three service bays. The new facility’s expanded space addresses these constraints while incorporating Penske’s proprietary fully digital and voice-directed preventative maintenance process and Penske digital experience solutions, enabling customers to utilize advanced onboard technology systems, including electronic logging devices (ELDs), telematics and onboard cameras.

With its proximity to major transportation routes, the Ocala facility is positioned to serve the area’s growing population and commercial activity. It is designed to enhance service capabilities and provide the infrastructure needed to support future demand.

Penske currently employs over 50 associates at the new facility and is hiring locally and nationwide. For a list of open positions in the Ocala area and at other Penske locations across North America visit gopenske.com/careers for more information.

Penske Truck Leasing is a Penske Transportation Solutions company headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. A leading provider of innovative transportation solutions, Penske operates and maintains more than 428,000 vehicles and serves its customers from more than 990 maintenance facilities and more than 2,230 rental locations across North America. Solutions from Penske include full-service truck leasing, fleet maintenance, truck rentals, used trucks, and a comprehensive array of technologies to keep the world moving forward. Visit PenskeTruckLeasing.com to learn more.

Penske Truck Leasing is pleased to share that Catalyst AI™, its advanced fleet benchmarking technology, has been name one of Heavy Duty Trucking (HDT) magazine’s 2025 Top 20 Trucking Products. This honor reflects Penske’s continued commitment to help fleets drive efficiency through meaningful, data-driven insights.

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The Women In Trucking Association (WIT) has announced its 2025-2026 board of directors, which will be chaired by Sarah Smith, senior vice president of human resources for Penske Transportation Solutions.

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Celebrating 25 years of excellence, the 2025 National Tech Showdown is shaping up to be a milestone event in Penske Truck Leasing’s history. With record-breaking participation, expanded competition categories, and unprecedented cash prizes, it’s clear why the Tech Showdown has earned its reputation as a premier skills competition in the industry.

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Reading, Pa. – Nov. 25, 2024 - Penske Transportation Solutions has once again received confirmation of its excellence in the recruitment and retention of veterans by being named a 2025 Military-Friendly Gold Employer. Penske received this designation from VIQTORY, a veteran-owned business and the publisher of the G.I. Jobs and Military Spouses publications.

“Veterans excel at many different types of roles across our organization,” stated Jennifer Sockel, Penske executive vice president of talent and enterprise services. “Penske recognizes that veterans have a sense of teamwork, dedication, and commitment that enhances the company's workforce. We make a concerted effort to recognize and value their contributions to our success as a leading transportation services provider.”

Institutions earning the Military-Friendly Employers designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey.

Final ratings were determined by combining an organization’s survey score with an assessment of the organization’s ability to meet thresholds for recruitment, new hire retention, employee turnover, and promotion and advancement.

Kayla Lopez, senior director of partnerships at Military-Friendly noted: “We salute these exemplary employers who raise the bar and understand that hiring military personnel is not merely an act of goodwill but a testament to a standard that truly embodies sound business wisdom.”

Please click here for a listing of Penske career opportunities for veterans.

Penske Transportation Solutions is the universal brand for Penske Truck Leasing, Penske Logistics, Epes Transport Systems, Penske Vehicle Services, Penske Energy LLC, and related businesses. Our businesses provide innovative transportation, supply chain and technology solutions to keep the world moving forward. Visit www.GoPenske.com to learn more.

Like many veterans, Sean Wilkins gained a wide range of skills during his time in the Army. After his service, he applied that knowledge to lead talent acquisition at two mortgage companies, which ultimately led to his current role as Manager of Military Recruiting at Penske.

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Reading, Pa. – Nov. 18, 2024 - Penske Truck Leasing is lighting up a new solar-powered initiative seeking to boost efficiency, minimize energy costs, and reduce emissions initially at select truck leasing, truck rental, and truck maintenance locations in the U.S. with the installation and activation of its first-ever rooftop solar-powered systems.

The company’s new state-of-the-art facility in Channahon, Illinois, is now fully operational, and is predominantly powered by an onsite photovoltaic (PV) solar system, expected to generate roughly 80% of the building’s energy needs at 200 KW capacity. Any remaining required energy will be supplied by the local utility provider.

A Grand Rapids, Michigan, location will be active in the coming months and Penske’s Linden, New Jersey, location is expected to go online in 2025. These facilities are also new state-of-the-art locations.

The new facilities incorporating solar systems in Channahon, Illinois, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Linden, New Jersey, are part of the company’s LEED building program.

Under a power purchase agreement with Sunrock Distributed Generation, seven additional Penske facilities in California are expected to be retrofitted with new PV solar systems in the next year, which are expected to yield roughly 600 KW of renewable energy across all locations. These facilities are located in Fresno, Hayward, La Mirada, National City, Riverside, San Diego and San Leandro.

Penske is collaborating with San Francisco-based ForeFront Power as its lead project consultant on this solar initiative.

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“Our solar program is an important piece of our renewable energy strategy and ForeFront Power continues to be an outstanding partner in helping us bring these projects to fruition,” said Drew Cullen, senior vice president of fuels and facility services at Penske. “These investments will allow us to directly generate our own renewable energy to power our locations and continue to support our customers with sustainable solutions.”

On average, four solar panel-powered Penske Truck Leasing facilities will generate an estimated 1-million-kilowatt hours (kWh) of renewable energy annually and will result in an emissions avoidance of 442 metric tons (MT) CO2e, which is equal to powering nearly 90 homes for one year.

“The initiative to install solar systems at our locations is a part of our company’s LEED-certified facilities process,” explained Ivet Taneva, Penske vice president of environmental affairs. “Investing in solar has considerable economic impacts for our operations as well as the environmental benefits of further reducing emissions related to electricity use.”

Penske Truck Leasing is a Penske Transportation Solutions company headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania. A leading provider of innovative transportation solutions, Penske operates and maintains more than 437,000 vehicles and serves its customers from nearly 1,000 maintenance facilities and more than 2,500 truck rental locations across North America. Solutions from Penske include full-service truck leasing, fleet maintenance, truck rentals, used trucks, and a comprehensive array of technologies to keep the world moving forward. Visit pensketruckleasing.com for more information.

Penske Truck Leasing is lighting up a new solar-powered initiative seeking to boost efficiency, minimize energy costs, and reduce emissions initially at select truck leasing, truck rental, and truck maintenance locations in the U.S. with the installation and activation of its first-ever rooftop solar-powered systems.

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As of 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7, the following Penske locations have adjusted operating hours, due to Hurricane Milton.

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Hurricane Helene Update

As of 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 25, the following Penske locations have adjusted operating hours, due to Hurricane Helene.

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Penske is proud to recognize its Inaugural Rental Associate Appreciation Week Sept. 8-14.

With the theme, “Your Effort Moves Us,” we celebrate the thousands of Penske Rental associates who help customers move through life’s biggest milestones, businesses navigate their busiest seasons and drivers handle their most hectic days.

We know that effort equals results, and it’s the effort of our exceptional Rental associates that truly move us.

“The summer months are some of the busiest of the year for our Rental associates, and we’re proud to take this week to thank them and their continued dedication to excellence,” says Kevin Malloy, senior vice president of rental at Penske Truck Leasing. “It is truly because of them that our customers continue to rent with confidence.”

“During Rental Associate Appreciation Week – and every day - we appreciate and thank you.”

As of 3 p.m., Monday, Aug. 5, the following Penske locations have adjusted operating hours, due to Hurricane Debby.

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