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The Fleet Lead

2027 prebuy alert: ACT Research on looming driver shortage and vanishing build slots

Measures of driver availability are plummeting, and tractor build slots are disappearing. ACT Research’s Ken Vieth joins The Fleet Lead to explain why the 2027 EPA prebuy is already red-lining fleet operations.
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May 15, 2026
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Josh Fisher | FleetOwner
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Following our Monday report on Ken Vieth’s National Private Truck Council keynote, this episode of The Fleet Lead dives deeper into the specific data points behind the 2027 prebuy and the sudden shift in driver labor markets.

The commercial vehicle market faces vanishing equipment slots as the EPA prebuy emerges. Amid rising driver retention challenges and a shift toward private capacity, the North American trucking market is certainly chaotic.

Ken Vieth, president and senior analyst for ACT Research, talks with FleetOwner about driver retention, equipment availability, and fleets' "planning nightmare."

  • 01:16 — The driver shortage returns
  • 04:56 — Will private fleets continue growing?
  • 08:04 — The EPA prebuy
  • 13:38 — Electric vehicles, competition with China
  • 15:24 — Could autonomous tech help with labor problems?
  • 17:42 — One of the most volatile times for trucking

About the Author

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Josh Fisher

Technology Editor

Editor-in-Chief Josh Fisher has been with FleetOwner since 2017. He covers everything from modern fleet management to operational efficiency, artificial intelligence, autonomous trucking, alternative fuels and powertrains, regulations, and emerging transportation technology. Based in Maryland, he writes the Lane Shift Ahead column about the changing North American transportation landscape. 

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Jeremy Wolfe

Editor

Editor Jeremy Wolfe joined the FleetOwner team in February 2024. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with majors in English and Philosophy. He previously served as Editor for Endeavor Business Media's Water Group publications.

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