STAMFORD, CT. Fleet Owner, the trucking industry’s leading information source for more than 90 years, will see its long-time Editor-in-Chief Jim Mele step into the role of editor emeritus on May 5, and current Executive Editor Sean Kilcarr will take on the editor-in-chief role.
Mele joined Fleet Owner as its news editor in 1985 and led the brand through its transition from the leading print monthly for trucking to a fully featured media outlet with complementary digital properties. Over the decades, Fleet Owner has been embraced by the industry as the go-to source for insight that helps trucking businesses run their fleets more efficiently and profitably, a testament to Mele’s editorial leadership. During Mele’s tenure, Fleet Owner earned more than 30 honors from the Jesse H. Neal Awards and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE).
“Jim has been a guiding force behind Fleet Owner’s success for more than three decades,” said Managing Director Reggie Lawrence. “He has not only steered the editorial team through countless industry shifts with clear vision, but he has also guided Fleet Owner into a new era of digital engagement, helping build our website, newsletters and webinars into vibrant channels embraced by our readers. He hands editorial leadership of the properties over in great shape, poised for ongoing growth, and I’m confident that Sean, whom we have just named to be the new editor-in-chief, will continue effectively where Jim leaves off. Sean is widely known and respected by the market, and he brings his own unique voice and vision to his expanded role. We all look forward to more great things to come from Fleet Owner with Sean at the editorial helm.”
Kilcarr joined Fleet Owner in 2000, has authored the title’s popular “Trucks at Work” blog for the past ten years and has earned multiple Jesse H. Neal Awards and ASBPE Editorial Excellence Awards for his writing for Fleet Owner. While serving as Fleet Owner’s executive editor, he also served as an editor of sister brand American Trucker since 2009.
Kilcarr will oversee a wide range of new engagement initiatives at Fleet Owner, including the recently launched Fleet of the Year Awards ceremony and reception, the Fleet Owner 500 awards ceremony and reception, the new HD Pickup & Van brand, the ongoing Fleet Owner webinar series and a wide range of other channels and venues that connect fleet owners and managers with the information and services they need to run profitable businesses.
“I’m excited about this opportunity as I truly enjoy covering the trucking industry,” Kilcarr said. “Jim has been my mentor at Fleet Owner all these years and is certainly leaving some big shoes to fill. But he’s left an excellent roadmap for me to follow and for keeping Fleet Owner on the path of success.”
