Your Fleet Experience Deserves a Vote

By the time a work truck reaches its next replacement cycle, somebody in your operation could probably write a fairly detailed review. The driver knows which controls are easy to reach with gloves on. The technician knows what a routine service actually involves. The fleet manager knows whether the vehicle delivered on the expectations that helped get the purchase approved.

That knowledge comes from early starts, loaded routes, maintenance appointments, and the occasional “who thought this was a good idea?” conversation in the shop. It’s also the experience I want represented when we hand out Work Truck’s awards.

We spend plenty of time talking about the winners. Now I want to spend a little time talking about the people who help choose them, and why your vote deserves a few minutes on an already full calendar.

Watch the short video below to learn more or keep scrolling to read and get your vote in!

You Know What Happened After the Purchase

A spec sheet can tell you what a vehicle is designed to do. But we all know it's your fleet that really finds out how that translates to the work.

Think about the time your van’s cargo layout made it easier for technicians to find their equipment. Or a truck that held up through demanding assignments. What about that time the upfit you expected to love turned out to be far less suited to your operation than you expected?

Those observations give some weight to the answer when someone asks, “Which one would you choose again?”

For Medium-Duty Truck of the Year, we invite major manufacturers to nominate their top models. Fleet professionals then evaluate the nominees using considerations such as performance, reliability, maintenance, quality, and total cost of ownership.

Commercial Van of the Year brings that same attention to the vehicles carrying crews, tools, equipment, and deliveries. The details may differ by assignment, but the question is familiar. Which vehicle has earned your confidence through the work?

Sales Figures Cannot Tell the Whole Story

Market share has a place in the industry conversation. So do the purchasing decisions behind it, which can involve pricing, availability, established supplier relationships, and the need to keep a fleet consistent.

But the number of vehicles sold cannot tell us everything about what happens once they enter service. It cannot explain why a driver prefers one cab layout or why a fleet manager would order a particular model again.

That is where a reader ballot adds another perspective. It gives participating fleet professionals a way to put their experience on the record and recognize the vehicles they believe deliver for their operations.

The results reflect the readers who vote. They are not a controlled comparison test or a declaration that one vehicle is right for every fleet. A utility crew and a delivery operation may need very different things, and I’d expect their choices to reflect that.

What interests me is the experience behind those choices. Our community includes people working with different budgets, routes, loads, climates, and equipment. Bringing those voices into the awards gives us a broader conversation about what fleets value.

The Upfit Deserves Its Share of the Credit

Anyone who has worked through a vehicle build knows how much happens after the chassis or van is selected. Storage placement, equipment access, cargo securement, and the way people move through the workspace can affect the entire day.

That is why we partnered with LEGEND to create the Upfit Package of the Year awards. They recognize the work involved in turning a vehicle into a tool that fits the assignment.

For the 2027 awards, the categories include van, light-duty truck, medium-duty truck, and SUV upfit packages. The entries give fleets a chance to look at how other operations have approached familiar problems, from organizing equipment to creating a mobile workspace.

Some of the most useful improvements are easy to overlook until you use them. A tool is within reach. A storage compartment makes sense. Equipment stays secure without becoming difficult to retrieve. The people doing the work notice those things, and their perspective belongs in the recognition.

What Your Vote Can Tell the Industry

An award gives a manufacturer or upfitter something to celebrate. It also gives them a signal about which nominated products participating fleet readers value.

I would never promise that one ballot will change an automaker’s product plan. But I do believe the people buying, operating, and maintaining these vehicles should take opportunities to be heard. Your experience is useful feedback, whether you share it with a manufacturer, bring it to an industry discussion, or recognize a vehicle through an awards vote.

Our responsibility continues after the presentation. The results give our editorial team a reason to ask more questions, talk with the people behind the products, and explore what fleets can learn from them.

Sure, the trophy makes a good photo, but we believe the story behind it should give readers something they can use.

Put Your Experience on the Ballot

I know an awards ballot competes with everything else asking for your attention. Somewhere, there is probably a vehicle waiting on a part and an email about next year’s budget that has already been forwarded twice.

Still, if you have experience with the nominated vehicles or upfits, I hope you’ll make time to vote. Read the entries, consider the criteria, and choose based on what you know. You don’t need to have operated every model to contribute, and there is no value in guessing about one you haven’t used.

You have already spent time learning what works for your fleet. This is a chance to share that experience with the Work Truck community and give some recognition to the vehicles and builds that have earned it.

• Vote in Work Truck’s 2027 Medium-Duty Truck of the Year and Commercial Van of the Year awards!
• Vote in Work Truck's 2027 Upfit Package of the Year awards!
• Vote in Automotive Fleet's 2027 Car, Truck & SUV of the Year awards!