Archive
Every briefing
19 pieces, newest first. Start with any headline. Each one opens with a plain-language box if you do not work in freight.
Diesel6 min read
G7 nations will release up to 100 million barrels of diesel and crude from emergency stocks after U.S. pressure
The coordinated drawdown starts immediately over four months, with a big diesel push in the first 20 days, as the official U.S. on-highway average sits at $6.382.
Cargo theft6 min read
Los Angeles jury convicts two men in a $2 million scheme that bought trucking companies to steal cargo
A federal jury found Arshpreet Singh and Vikramjeet Singh guilty of conspiracy after they and others used purchased or hijacked carriers to pick up loads that never arrived.
Fraudulent companies6 min read
Six family trucking firms sue C.H. Robinson and TQL, alleging they steered loads to chameleon carriers
A new federal racketeering lawsuit claims two major freight brokers used unsafe, name-changing trucking outfits to undercut legitimate carriers on price.
Licenses & drivers6 min read
Texas troopers seize $1.4 million in fentanyl and other drugs from a commercial truck at the Laredo border
A commercial driver and passenger were arrested after a port-of-entry inspection turned up 153 pounds of narcotics, including enough fentanyl for nearly 20 million lethal doses.
Cargo theft6 min read
Cook County deputies recover a $60,000 glycerin load after thieves clone the shipping papers
Investigators stopped a trailer in Thornton, Illinois, that had been rerouted with fake documents; no arrests yet.
Laws & rules6 min read
DOT opens a 30-day comment window on a petition to add medical safeguards for invalid urine drug tests
A notice published October 1 asks the public whether federal drug-testing rules should give truck drivers and other safety-sensitive workers a short window to document medical reasons for abnormal results before an observed retest or refusal finding.
The basics6 min read
FMCSA gives gasoline and diesel haulers extra driving hours through mid-December
A temporary federal waiver loosens the normal clock so fuel can keep moving amid tight supplies and fall demand.
Licenses & drivers4 min read
Oregon troopers arrested a truck driver after his company sent the camera video
A dashboard camera at an Interstate 84 rest stop showed a driver using cocaine. His company called Oregon State Police. He is charged with a misdemeanor and due in court November 16.
Laws & rules4 min read
FMCSA said no to paper logbooks
A driver group asked to let truckers write their hours on paper again. On September 29 the agency turned that down. The electronic log stays the rule.
Cargo theft6 min read
A load disappears. Who pays?
There is no single answer, which is why the argument starts while the freight is still missing. The contract decides more than the press release does.
Fraudulent companies6 min read
Double brokering, explained like a package that changed hands
You hired one company. A second company, then a third, took the job without telling you. Sometimes the freight arrives. Sometimes that was the point of the handoff.
Government4 min read
Federal officers parked 78 truck drivers in one night
FMCSA and Homeland Security joined state police in four southeastern states on September 30. They inspected 552 trucks and took 78 drivers and 25 vehicles out of service.
Licenses & drivers4 min read
Kentucky will waive the written CDL test for some veterans
Governor Andy Beshear signed an emergency rule on September 29. It applies only to Kentucky residents with recent military driving jobs, and the state still has to approve the form.
Licenses & drivers4 min read
Police arrested a man accused of attacking trucks with an axe on I-80
Indiana State Police say a driver in a Volkswagen stopped semis near Hammond, then came out with an axe. He was arrested after a pursuit.
The basics6 min read
Texas lets trucks burn cheaper red-dyed diesel on public roads for now
Governor Greg Abbott’s Sept. 28 emergency order suspends state penalties on dyed diesel for highway use and raises weight limits on some fuel and farm loads while diesel prices stay high.
Licenses & drivers5 min read
The physical that never happened
Every commercial driver needs a medical certificate. Federal investigators say some clinics sell the signature. The risk is a driver who should not have been driving, with paperwork that says otherwise.
Laws & rules7 min read
What a “non-domiciled CDL” is, without the jargon
States can license some drivers who don't live there. Federal auditors say several states issued those licenses to people who were not eligible, or for years longer than the law allows.
Licenses & drivers4 min read
You have until October 9 to comment on parking drivers for English
Inspectors can already take a driver out of service for English. FMCSA wants that written into the rule itself. The comment window closes October 9.
Licenses & drivers3 min read
A truck driver pulled another driver out of a burning rig at Snoqualmie Pass
On a rain-slick Interstate 90, a tractor-trailer went through a wall and caught fire. The driver behind it kicked in the windshield and got the man out before a second tank exploded.