Running a rental fleet today takes more than vehicles on the lot. It takes disciplined operations, customer screening, smart debt management, and the ability to withstand whatever the market throws next.

Ian Kusinitz, President and CEO of Empire Rent A Car, joins The Mobility Perspective to discuss what more than five decades in the rental business can teach transportation leaders about resilience. From growing up in a family run rental operation to serving last mile logistics, entertainment, group travel, and specialty van customers across the New York market, Ian shares how independent operators can compete by staying nimble, diversified, and deeply connected to real world demand. He also breaks down the risks rental companies face every day, including fraud, theft, insurance exposure, rising vehicle costs, tight margins, and changing transportation policy.

Key takeaways:

• Independent rental operators can compete by moving faster than larger companies, staying close to customer needs, and adapting fleet strategy to market shifts.
• Vehicle lifecycle management is a major business advantage, with maintenance, depreciation, debt, and remarketing all influencing long term fleet profitability.
• Transportation leaders need resilience as regulation, insurance, economic pressure, and mobility shifts change operating conditions quickly.

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Meet Ian Kusinitz

(01:21) Inside Empire Rent A Car

(02:32) Growing up in the rental business

(05:16) Why independent operators move differently

(07:27) The shift toward vans and last mile logistics

(08:07) How diversification builds resilience

(10:08) Why customer screening matters in rental

(11:21) Managing theft, fraud, and rental risk

(15:57) What fleet correction means for operators

(17:26) Why longer vehicle lifecycles matter

(18:33) How to stay out of the debt zone

(23:28) Surviving regulation, crisis, and market pressure

Resources:

Ian Kusinitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-kusinitz-601a83b5/

Explore Empire Rent A Car: https://www.empirerac.com/

Don Lefeve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-lefeve/

Carlos Bazan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cabazan/

Sharky Laguana on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharkylaguana/

Explore American Car Rental Association: https://www.acradrivesamerica.org/

Vehicle remarketing may happen at the end of the fleet lifecycle, but it plays a major role in how transportation operators protect value, improve efficiency, and prepare for what comes next.

Shawn Yadon, Senior Advisor at Copart, joins The Mobility Perspective to discuss his path from FedEx fleet operations to transportation policy, association leadership, and vehicle remarketing. He explains how Copart fits into the broader mobility ecosystem, why rental car operators should think about vehicle exit strategy as part of total asset management, and how California continues to influence national transportation policy. Shawn also looks ahead at autonomous vehicles, connected vehicle data, insurance, risk management, and the policy questions transportation leaders will need to watch closely.

Key takeaways:

• Fleet success depends on the full vehicle lifecycle, from acquisition and utilization to remarketing and recovery.
• California remains an important signal for future transportation policy, even for operators outside the state.
• Autonomous and connected vehicles will keep raising major questions around policy, data access, insurance, cyber risk, and industry readiness.

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Meet Shawn Yadon

(02:08) How fleet operations launched a transportation career

(04:51) Moving from operations into government affairs

(06:40) What trade associations teach about industry leadership

(09:35) How members can help guide transportation policy

(12:24) What Copart does in the mobility value chain

(14:25) Why speed matters in vehicle remarketing

(17:10) How Copart moved beyond salvage

(19:53) Why California is a signal for mobility policy

(22:08) When autonomous technology moves faster than policy

(28:55) How AVs are changing risk, data, and insurance

Resources:

Shawn Yadon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-yadon-5784362/

Explore Copart: https://www.copart.com/

Don Lefeve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-lefeve/

Carlos Bazan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cabazan/

Explore American Car Rental Association: https://www.acradrivesamerica.org/

Self-driving cars are here. So the real question is whether policy, infrastructure, and industry strategy are moving fast enough to keep up.

Ariel Wolf, Partner at Venable LLP, joins The Mobility Perspective to discuss the current state of autonomous vehicles and why 2026 is a crucial year for commercialization. He explains the gap between advancing technology and outdated regulations, the importance of federal transportation reauthorization, and what’s needed to scale robotaxis and trucking. Ariel also emphasizes that autonomous vehicles are not just ca tech story, but a matter of transportation policy, safety, and business.

Key takeaways:

• Autonomous vehicles are leaving the testing phase behind, and 2026 could be the year the industry starts to scale in a real way.
• Policy will set the pace, with federal transportation regulation playing a major role in what happens next for mobility.
• This goes far beyond the technology itself. It is a transportation story shaped by safety, infrastructure, and industry leadership.

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Meet Ariel Wolf

(01:28) Where autonomous technology stands today

(03:21) Why policy is lagging and why 2026 matters

(04:09) What the surface transportation bill means for mobility

(05:54) Where car rental fits in the future of mobility

(09:44) The safety case for autonomous vehicles

(15:43) Cybersecurity, supply chains, and national risk

(21:13) EV politics, China, and the bigger mobility race

(24:09) The push for a federal autonomous vehicle framework

(27:18) What it takes to remove the human driver

(30:57) How negligence and product claims still apply

(38:25) Why safety remains the strongest case for AVs

Resources:

Ariel Wolf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielswolf/

Explore Venable LLP: https://www.venable.com/

Don Lefeve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-lefeve/

Sharky Laguana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharkylaguana/

Explore American Car Rental Association: https://www.acradrivesamerica.org/