Shifting Gears: Seeking Success in 2026

You’ve successfully survived peak season, and it’s a brand new year. That means new opportunities, and also another year of adapting to the unexpected to continue delivering packages in a timely, reliable, and cost-effective manner.

The start of the new year is the perfect time to evaluate your fleet strategy: what worked last year? What needs to change? Do you have a fleet plan in place for 2026?

Here are some of the most important things to consider as you shift gears from peak season into 2026:

I’ve Returned My Peak Rentals. Now What?

Peak season is over (whew!), and short-term rentals are being returned. Now is the time to evaluate your long-term fleet. How can you position your operation to remain successful and profitable in 2026?

How Do I Handle Fluctuations in Package Volume and Operational Scale?

Peak season has historically been the most volatile time of year in terms of unpredictable spikes in package volume, but things are changing. More and more, throughout the year, we’re seeing spikes and dips in package volume. FedEx expects contractors to handle these variations without interruptions to service.

There are cost-effective, operationally efficient ways to handle package volume fluctuations and to scale your operation accordingly. The good news is: you don’t have to rely on expensive short-term rentals to make this happen! With some careful planning, your fleet can handle whatever the day throws your way.

What Should I Account for in My Fleet Plan?

Your 2026 fleet strategy needs to be flexible, adaptable, and resourceful. Some things to consider as you plan for the year are:

Repair & Maintenance - Do you know what percentage of your revenue goes to repair and maintenance? Is that something you can trim down for 2026? Look for opportunities to stabilize your cash flow, such as leasing trucks with repair and maintenance included in your monthly payment.

Refresh or Retire Old Units - it’s an industry best practice to plan to refresh or retire 10-20% of your fleet on a yearly basis. This prevents your fleet from getting run down, risking a catastrophic maintenance issue (or issues…it happens), or coming up against a year with astronomical repair, maintenance, and financing expenses.

Inventory Management - we all know inventory has been tough to come by lately, so a key part of fleet strategy is securing the necessary trucks to keep delivering packages, and placing them on the correct routes. Knowing which trucks to employ on which routes (not just by size, but by wear and mileage, too) - and knowing when to rotate them - will maximize your fleet’s longevity.

Where Do I Even Start?

Got questions or uncertainties about your fleet strategy for 2026? Talk to us today, and we’ll walk you through solutions to your most pressing problems. As former contractors with over a decade of experience operating fleets in the last-mile delivery space, we’re fully committed to helping the logistics community succeed. 

How Do I Secure Inventory? It’s Been Scarce Lately.

We have great news on this front: Hello Truck Lease has inventory available, and it’s getting deployed now!

Demand is incredibly high, so if you need trucks, now is the time to let us know.

We’ll work with you to place new, reliable, Schedule-B compliant trucks into your fleet - with all* repair and maintenance services included.

Whether you’re refreshing units, expanding your CSA, or running contingency, Hello Truck Lease has your back, bumper-to-bumper and coast-to-coast.

*excluding glass, tires, and physical damage