The exhibition and trade show will have a record number of exhibitors displaying a wide range of equipment, technologies, specialty resources, and third-party service providers.

THE NATIONAL PRIVATE Truck Council’s 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition is expected to be the largest gathering of private fleet professionals in NPTC’s history. The event will take place May 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando and Orange County Convention Center. Registrations are expected to exceed 1,300, including representatives from more than 175 companies that will exhibit at the show.

Education is the core purpose of the event. NPTC’s Conference Planning Com-mittee, composed of some 50 fleet and allied/supplier company representatives, recommends conference topics and sub-ject-matter content. Over three days, 40 fleet-management practitioners will pres-ent and moderate more than three-dozen workshops and best-practice discussions on topics of interest to private fleets.

Leading topics featured are automated trucking; procurement, maintenance, and total cost of ownership; recruiting, inter-viewing, and onboarding of drivers; elec-tric vehicles in the real world; equipment availability and extended trade cycles; prognostic maintenance, parking short-ages and their impact on private fleets; and performance-based pay.

Several other topics will be discussed, such as women in private fleet manage-ment; infrastructure and electrification; graphics and branding on trailers; low-ering driver in-cab risks; state of for-hire capacity; efficiencies in multi-stop oper-ations; improving driver retention; and sustainability strategies.

Rounding out the education program are leadership development; building an employee-centric organization; equip-ment spec’ing with cost and driver in mind; onboard telematics; compliance and risk impacts; driving diversity in the private fleet market; creating a self-audit process; and how the new infrastructure bill impacts trucking and private fleets.

A great lineup of activities is planned for the three-day event. The Washington Report, sponsored by Centerline Drivers, will be presented by NPTC’s general coun-sel, Rick Schweitzer, on Sunday, May 7. At the General Session Kick-Off Brunch, Michael Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Effi-ciency, will address advanced truck tech-nology and sustainable fleet solutions. Following will be the NPTC Professional Leadership Award program, sponsored by E. A. Dion, which recognizes top leaders in the private fleet community.

NPTC’s Certified Transportation Pro-fessional (CTP) program, sponsored by J. J. Keller & Associates, will celebrate its 30-year history with a CTP Class of 2023 graduation ceremony honoring some 130 new CTPs, the largest certification class in history. The CTP Top Graduate of the Year award, sponsored by FleetOwner, will be announced. The evening will fea-ture a gala reception and dinner, spon-sored by ACT 1, the Allied Committee for the Trucking Industry.

In a luncheon ceremony on Monday, May 8, the NPTC Driver Hall of Fame and Fleet Safety Award program, sponsored by International Truck, will recognize this year’s award winners. At the closing luncheon on Tuesday, May 9, Tom Moore, CTP, NPTC’s EVP, will present preliminary findings of the 2023 NPTC Benchmarking Survey Report, sponsored by Penske Truck Leasing.

An unprecedented number of exhibitors will display a wide range of equipment, technologies, specialty resources, and third-party services at the conference’s exhibition and trade show.
NPTC 2023 offers an opportunity for business networking, meeting new people, and reconnecting with professional con-tacts. NPTC promotes itself as a relation-ship-driven organization. The council’s conference slogan, “You Must Be Present to Win,” emphasizes the importance of face-to-face learning and sharing within its culture of trust and confidentiality.

“Private fleets have become the sweet spot for corporate transportation,” said Chuck Amen, CTP, chair of NPTC’s board of directors, and manager of transportation operations at Hillyard Inc. “New private fleets are coming into the market, and existing fleets are adding drivers and equipment. With this growth comes demand for top-notch fleet managers with state-of-the-art skills and knowledge. This helps explain our anticipated record attendance. NPTC 2023 is one of the best shows in the business.”

Photo Credit: NPTC