Penske Truck Leasing today launched the latest evolution of Catalyst AI™, the artificial intelligence engine transforming commercial fleet management. Built in-house and powered by over 100 billion data points and more than 300 real-time models, Catalyst AI marks a major leap in data-driven decision-making—from the individual vehicle to the entire hub.
This release expands the platform’s ability to generate fast, meaningful, and scalable insights, helping fleet professionals act on data with unmatched precision.
“The new release marks a next chapter for Catalyst AI—one that makes complex data more usable, more scalable, and more actionable,” said Art Vallely, president of Penske Truck Leasing. “We’ve enhanced the platform’s ability to surface trends, benchmark at the vehicle level, and identify meaningful outliers across fleets and facilities. Built in-house, the platform was designed to help our customers spend less time chasing data and more time improving performance.”
New Features for Smarter Fleet Decisions
Catalyst AI now includes four core enhancements:
- Fantasy Fleet – Offers a new comparison set made up of top-performing vehicles most similar to each vehicle in the user’s fleet—helping them find gaps and elevate performance.
- Vehicle-level Comparison – Enables users to compare individual vehicles to pinpoint performance differences, helping identify where targeted adjustments can drive better results.
- Hub-level Comparison – Allows users to assess operations by location and uncover opportunities for improved efficiency at the local level.
- Impacting Metrics – Gives users the ability to focus on specific metrics that matter most to their business—fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, utilization, and more.
This update reflects Penske’s commitment to giving fleets greater control over their operations—from trend detection to actionable benchmarking.
Real Results, Real Customers
“Catalyst AI gives fleet managers the data they need at their fingertips to run the operation and know exactly where they stand. It lets us see how we’re performing against the market in real-time,” said Brian Harper, fleet operations leader at Darigold, an early adopter of the platform. “The data surfaced through Catalyst AI has already supported internal reporting and opened opportunities to reduce costs and reevaluate how we measure success. Penske’s at the tip of the spear with this kind of information,” he continued. “And I’m glad to be in front of it with them, rather than behind it.”
Meeting Industry Demands Head-On
According to Penske’s 2025 Transportation Leaders Survey: A Road to AI Adoption, AI is seen as critical for resilience and adaptation in transportation:
- 93% of leaders believe AI can improve resiliency.
- 54% say fleet-to-market comparisons would enhance efficiency and decision-making.
- 40% of AI adopters have seen 50%+ improvements in fuel usage, cost, or routing.
Yet, 84% of transportation leaders say the industry is behind—and 36% feel only somewhat prepared for continued disruptions. These findings underscore the growing urgency for AI tools that deliver both visibility and measurable outcomes.
“We’ve designed Catalyst AI with our customers’ needs in mind,” said Sherry Sanger, executive vice president of strategy and marketing at Penske Transportation Solutions. “Catalyst AI represents a strategic leap forward in how fleets use data. It’s not just about visibility—it’s about empowering smarter decisions across the entire network with technology that works in the real world.”
The Technology Behind the Intelligence
“Catalyst AI now analyzes over 100 billion data points annually,” said Tim Haynes, vice president of digital and customer data at Penske. “We’ve engineered a system that runs more than 300 models in real time—delivering comparison logic, trend detection, and scoring that is both scalable and immediate. This release reflects the technical backbone required to help fleets benchmark smarter and respond faster.”
Catalyst AI is embedded within Comparative Insights, a feature of Penske’s Fleet Insight® digital platform. While fleet-level insights remain free to customers, new Comparative Insights Premium unlocks deeper comparisons and access to the new Fantasy Fleet—available with a 30-day free trial.
Visit penskecatalyst.ai to learn more and start your journey with Catalyst AI.
By: Tana Korpics
SkillsUSA Collision Competition
