During and after that first topsy-turvy year, 2020, innovative small fleet owners continued to find ways to grow their businesses, then fighting hard to maintain with cost inflation and revenue struggles of the last several years.
With 2026 shaping up for a potential turnaround, now is the time to build on recognition delivered to deserving owners every year since that time -- the Small Fleet Championship is back for 2026.Â
The winners will have demonstrated growth, above-average profit, and adherence to trucking best practices, all pointing to long-term stability and further growth potential.
What’s in it for the contenders?
- Â Bragging rights for one year as the Small Fleet Champ
- A title belt befitting a champion
- Visibility through features on OverdriveOnline.com, including podcasts and videos
- Coverage beyond Overdrive in sister fleet publication CCJ
And more. In short, the kind of exposure that will get your growing business noticed.
[Related:Â Paying hard-earned trucking knowledge forward, with four Small Fleet Champs]
The National Association of Small Trucking Companies is sponsoring this year's Small Fleet Championship program. Finalists receive a year's worth of membership in the association, with access to a myriad of benefits from NASTC's well-known fuel program to drug and alcohol testing services and much more. All will be recognized at the association's annual conference, where the winner will be announced in October. Find more about the association via their website.
The initial application (find it in full below) must be filled out completely. If there are certain figures you don’t have, provide your best estimate. Are you championship material? Enter today! (Entries will be open through July -- hard deadline is July 31 for both initial and secondary forms. After this first entry form, be on the lookout for a follow-up email from Overdrive Editor Todd Dills requesting further information of potential semi-finalists.)
Eligibility - Applicants must meet all these criteria:
- Operating with motor carrier authority over the last four full calendar years (2022-2025).
- Operated with 3 or more Class 8 trucks in for-hire freight (owned or leased) for all of 2025.
- Operated no more than 30 Class 8 trucks in for-hire freight (owned or leased) as of Dec. 31, 2025.
- Was not one of the top two finalists for each 2025 Small Fleet Champ award.
Incentives and Commitment
Each finalist will receive a year's worth of membership from the National Association of Small Trucking Companies, and recognition at NASTC's annual conference in Nashville, Tennessee, October 29-31. The winners will receive two years' membership.
Each finalist, to be notified in early September, must commit to make every effort to attend the conference in Nashville for announcement of the winner, and will receive two nights' worth of lodging at the conference hotel for the three-day event, as well as a $500 stipend toward travel expenses. Â
The winners will be featured in an Overdrive story and in CCJ. Finalists also will be covered in both publications.
The winners also will receive an engraved, oversized championship belt as an award trophy.
Winners agree and acknowledge that neither Fusable nor any sponsor has made any representations to winners regarding the tax consequences related to the receipt of any prize. All expenses and costs, including all applicable taxes, associated with the acceptance and/or use of any prize are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the winner.