The 70th TMC Annual Meeting will have nearly 400 exhibitors spread across more than 350,000 square feet of the Music City Center. (Karen Foote/American Trucking Associations)
February 27, 2026 2:38 PM, EST
Key Takeaways:
- TMC will focus its 2026 Annual Meeting on how fleets manage longer equipment lifespans and increasing technical complexity as it marks its 70th anniversary.
- Robert Braswell said fleets face a new maintenance reality driven by sensors, software and ADAS systems, prompting extensive updates to voluntary standards and training tracks.
- The meeting will ballot new recommended practices, showcase nearly 400 exhibitors and offer hands-on demonstrations as attendees prepare for evolving maintenance needs.
With fleet operating costs climbing and vehicle technology evolving faster than maintenance cycles, the Technology & Maintenance Council’s 2026 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition will focus on how fleets manage longer equipment lifespans and mounting technical complexity when it meets March 16-19.
Titled “Innovative Strategies for Technical Leadership,” the meeting, said Robert Braswell, TMC’s executive director, will also recognize a major milestone.
“It’s our 70th anniversary of TMC’s existence. This goes all the way back to 1956 to our predecessor organization, the maintenance committee of the regular common carriers conference,” he said, adding that the conference’s theme is a common thread throughout its sessions and study groups.
Braswell explained this year’s meeting is broken down into three basic phases: the education content, the exhibition and the Industry of Voluntary Standards that are later developed into Recommended Practices.
“We have more than 100 task forces working under about 17 study groups and committees that are developing these industry voluntary standards that are designed to improve market efficiencies and promote commonality in terms of maintenance, repair and specification for commercial vehicles,” he said. “This year, there’s a number of recommended practices that we are balloting in advance of our meeting in Nashville.”
Braswell also mentioned that industry is facing a new maintenance reality that modern trucks are defined increasingly by sensors, software and driver-assist technologies, noting that standards must reflect that change.
“If you think about all the ADAS technologies and sensors up in the windshields, we have to update recommended practices to accommodate the recalibration needs,” he said, pointing to updated guidance for windshield replacement and repair.
Braswell also said that the conference programming is designed to serve both veterans and newcomers, with sessions split across a back-to-basics track and an advanced technology track.
The “back-to-basics” track includes core operational issues like tire and wheel fundamentals, trailer axles and getting drivers onboard with ADAS and automated driving systems, as Braswell explained — the technology that is already here.
Patrick Brennan of Cox Fleet talks about the common missteps that fleets make in planning for future maintenance and operational needs. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
“That is for those folks that are just looking to solve those nuts-and-bolts problems they have back home in their operation,” he said.
The advanced track leans into newer systems and emerging infrastructure: AI in maintenance decision-making, electronic braking systems and the evolving conversation around next-generation tractor-trailer connectors as data and power needs increase.
“On the advanced technology side, I would say leveraging the power of artificial intelligence in vehicle maintenance is very important,” Braswell said. “There’s a great potential for AI to kind of make it easier for fleets to dissect that information and make actionable decisions that are going to improve their bottom line and make them more efficient, profitable and safe.”
Braswell said much of what fleets currently describe as AI is best understood as machine learning — systems designed to sift through large volumes of telematics and vehicle health data and turn it into actionable insights faster than human analysis alone.
During the Annual Meeting, the exhibition floor has become a major draw. Braswell said TMC’s show floor is structured differently from many industry events.
“At TMC, the people in the booths are the technical experts, not the marketing experts,” he said, noting that the floor is sold out and filled with nearly 400 exhibitors spread across more than 350,000 square feet, filling the Music City Center.
The exhibit hall during the TMC 2025 Annual Meeting. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
TMC also incorporated protected show-floor time so attendees can hit task forces and education sessions without feeling like they’re missing the exhibit hall.
There will also be ride-alongs and static demonstrations outside the convention center, offering hands-on experiences with new technologies, which Braswell described as the kind of “kick the tires” learning that’s hard to replicate in a ballroom.
“This is an ongoing program we’ve been doing for the last seven or eight years now,” he said. “Attendees will have the opportunity to experience these demonstrations from a number of companies, including Aperia Technologies, ConMet, Cummins, Rice Robotics, Stoneridge and Tesla.”
Braswell expects the meeting to be one of the largest in TMC history, potentially topping last year’s record attendance. His advice for attendees: don’t treat it like a passive conference.
“You get out of TMC what you put into it,” Braswell said. “A rising tide lifts all boats. And in this case, it’s trucks.”
To learn more about TMC’s 2026 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition and the state of truck maintenance as well as other industry topics, please register for the upcoming Transport Topics Newsmakers conversation with Robert Braswell, executive director of ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council.
