News & Reports
Danger of social isolation OTR: Truckers don’t have to be alone
Clifford Petersen With apologies to the women in the audience, it’s no news that the vast majority of working truckers are men -- here’s looking at (most of) you, readers. And if you’ve followed my fulminations here, you’ll know I’m passionate about health, about...
FMCSA shores up state DataQ responsibilities
Land Line Media Getting dinged during a roadside inspection is bad enough. But for truckers who say they aren’t guilty of the violation, it has been a struggle with due process. Recourse for disputed violations reported to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety...
What is a DOT Accident?
Big Mission. Bigger Needs: TCA calls for increased staffing, funding of FMCSA
Kris Rutherford The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) recently released a major policy white paper outlining a comprehensive set of reforms to modernize the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and strengthen commercial motor vehicle safety...
What makes this freight market cycle strange?
This freight market's early cycle phase is characterized by low supply and flat demand. What will that mean for rates going forward? Jermy Wolfe Key takeaways For-hire trucking is just out of the bottoming phase of a market cycle. Heating freight demand would normally...
What’s Coming: Rulemakings on the 2026 Federal Regulatory Agenda
Scopelitis Each year, the U.S. Department of Transportation lays out its plans through the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The newly announced Agency Rule List points to a busy slate of pending FMCSA and NHTSA actions—most still in the...
Speeding is fine, until it’s your truck: Study reveals a double standard
Tyson Fisher The number on speed limit signs is supposed to be the maximum speed for motorists, but most drivers see it as merely a suggestion. That statement may not sound surprising to truck drivers, who on a daily basis experience passenger vehicles flying past...
Important Update: Temporary Suspension of Biennial Update Requirement
FMCSA continues supporting the transition to Motus: USDOT Registration System, launched on May 19th. To help reduce service disruptions during the registration system transition, FMCSA has temporarily suspended enforcement of biennial updates and the inactivation of...
White-labeled and vulnerable: The urgent case for FMCSA to overhaul ELD certification
Joe Ohr Article Summary As cybersecurity researchers demonstrate the ability to manipulate commercial truck systems, the industry must move past easily exploitable, self-certified ELDs to protect hours-of-service regulations and keep fatigued drivers off the road....
Three common methods of ELD manipulation
Yevgeniy Melnik Multiple logbook fraud (double-logging) Some drivers maintain two sets of logs — one for the ELD, one for reality. Logs are edited or selectively erased to make it appear the driver was resting when they were actually driving. Brokers booking these...