Running a rental fleet today takes more than vehicles on the lot. It takes creative vision, industry advocacy, and the resilience to navigate financial crises, market bubbles, and shifting technology.

Rudy Callegari, co-founder of Edge Auto Rental and Coalition for American Production, joins The Mobility Perspective to discuss what nearly two decades building a niche entertainment-industry rental company can teach transportation leaders about staying nimble. From his roots as a film and TV producer to building a fleet of nearly a thousand vehicles serving concerts, productions, retail, and specialty B2B clients across the New York market, Rudy shares how independent operators can thrive by finding an underserved niche and becoming deeply embedded in it. He also breaks down the challenges rental companies face today, including rising interest rates, vehicle theft and fraud, EV resale risk, offshoring pressures on the entertainment industry, and the fight to keep small businesses supported at the federal level.

Key takeaways:

• Finding an underserved niche lets smaller operators compete by staying close to industry demand and building a brand around specialized service.
• Financial discipline is a major business advantage, with interest rates, vehicle costs, and residual value all shaping long term fleet profitability.
• Transportation leaders need resilience as economic crises, labor costs, and shifting technology change operating conditions quickly.

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Meet Rudy Callegari

(01:07) Founding Edge Auto Rental for the entertainment industry

(03:27) From film producer to car rental founder

(05:07) Managing the transition from scripted to unscripted business

(09:15) Surviving 2008's financial crisis and high interest rates

(17:41) Starting with one vehicle and growing to a thousand

(15:16) Becoming the go-to for niche B2B rental needs

(16:56) Outsourcing, offshoring, and advocating for American production

(17:39) Navigating EV resale risk and the future of driving

(20:11) Advocating for small businesses in Washington

(23:44) Wild celebrity encounters from Scorsese to Timothy Leary

Resources:

Rudy Callegari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-callegari-a59a607/

Explore Coalition for American Production: https://usacap.org/
Explore Edge Auto Rental: https://www.edgeautorental.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/

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/