The National Private Truck Council’s 2024 Annual Conference and Exhibition is projected to draw another record-setting number of private fleet professionals. The event will take place April 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando and Orange County Convention Center. Registrations are expected to exceed last year’s all-time high of 1,325 attendees. Representatives from more than 180 supplier/vendor companies will exhibit at the show.
Education and networking are the event’s core focus. NPTC’s Conference Planning Committee, made up of some 50 fleets and allied/supplier company representatives, has been at work over the past several months, selecting top speakers and subject-matter content for breakout sessions and workshops.
Over three days, 45 fleet experts will present and moderate more than three dozen sessions discussing topics of current interest to private fleets. More than 20 specialty topics will be addressed in back-to-back breakfast roundtable meetings by expert moderators.
Leading topics will include “net zero” policy mandates for trucks set by government regulation; a review of “clean truck” legislation passed in California and several other states; a truck industry coalition advocating for sound public policies in the transition toward zero-admissions; and insights into electric vehicle adoption strategies from a major utility company with a large private fleet.
Several other topics will be covered in this program, including driver performance systems; integration of onboard telematics; lessons in recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding the new driver; equipment availability and extended trade cycles; maintenance and total cost of ownership; competitive compensation and benefits in today’s market; automated trucking; driver coaching and videos; the role drivers play in spec’ing equipment; and fleet justification strategies.
See also: Roeth: ’Tis the (show) season
An invitation-only welcome reception will be on Saturday evening, April 20, sponsored by Penske Truck Leasing, which will recognize first-timers and the CTP Class of 2024. On Sunday morning, April 21, concurrent workshops will feature Rick Schweitzer, NPTC’s general counsel, who will present the WashingtonReport, sponsored by Centerline Drivers. Following the general session kick-off brunch, the NPTC Professional Leadership awards program will recognize the top fleet managers for 2024 in the private fleet community. The awards are sponsored by E.A. Dion.
NPTC’s Certified Transportation Professional program, sponsored by J.J. Keller & Associates, will present the CTP Class of 2024 graduation ceremony honoring more than 100 new CTPs. The CTP Graduate of the Year, sponsored by FleetOwner magazine, will also be announced. The evening features a Gala Networking Reception from 6:00 – 7:30, sponsored by ACT 1, the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry.
A near-record number of exhibitors will display a wide range of equipment, technologies, specialty resources, and third-party services at the Exhibition and Trade Show, which will be open for three hours on Sunday and Monday afternoons. The exhibits are one of the most important educational features of the conference.
At the luncheon ceremony, which will be held on Monday, April 22, the NPTC Driver Hall of Fame and Fleet Safety Awards, sponsored by International Trucks, will recognize this year’s top drivers and safest fleets. For the closing luncheon on Tuesday, April 23, a preliminary report on NPTC’s Benchmarking Survey Report, sponsored by Penske Truck Leasing, will be presented by Tom Moore, CTP, NPTC EVP. The conference concludes with the FleetOwner 500 Top Private Fleet of the Year award ceremony, sponsored by Isaac Instruments.
Business networking opportunities will be abundant at NPTC 2024. The council’s conference slogan, “You Must Be Present To Win,” emphasizes the importance of face-to-face sharing and learning within a culture of trust and confidentiality.
“I’ve greatly enjoyed the NPTC annual conferences. They get better every year,” says Chuck Amen, CTP, chair of the NPTC’s board of directors and manager of transportation operations for Hillyard Inc.
Board Vice Chair/Chair-Elect David Barth, CTP, transportation operations manager at Wegmans Food Markets, concurs. “The conference is a wonderful event that brings the entire culture together. It is the private fleet industry’s premier annual event.”
