Why I Keep This Page Updated
I spent 28 years behind the wheel, and I can tell you from experience: the stuff that changes your day-to-day as a driver rarely comes from a memo taped to the wall at the terminal. It shows up as a headline you almost scroll past — a new FMCSA rule, a parking lot that just got closed, or a scam targeting carrier registrations. I built this page so you don't have to hunt across a dozen sites to catch it.
At the top of the news section, you'll find featured summaries I've personally researched and written. Below those, you'll see a live external feed pulled directly from trusted trucking and freight outlets like FreightWaves, CDLLife, Land Line Media, and DAT. My goal is simple: give you one stop for the news that actually affects your CDL, your routes, and your paycheck.
What You'll Find in the Feed
The headlines below move fast and cover a lot of ground, but they generally fall into a few buckets:
- Safety & Enforcement — Inspection blitzes, roadside enforcement operations, crash reports, and out-of-service violations from state patrols and DOT.
- Regulations & FMCSA Updates — CDL rule changes, hours-of-service updates, registration systems like Motus, and anything coming out of the D.C. Circuit that touches your operating authority.
- Freight Rates & Market Conditions — Spot rates for dry van, flatbed, and reefer, plus tonnage and port data that tells you which way the freight market is leaning.
- Technology & the Road Ahead — Electric and natural gas fleets, autonomous trucking pilots, and the tech that's slowly changing what happens inside (and outside) the cab.
How Often This Updates
This feed pulls fresh headlines automatically, so you'll see new stories here throughout the day — not just once a week. If you're the kind of driver who checks the news at a fuel stop or during a mandatory break, this page is built to have something new most times you land on it.
Why It's Worth Staying Informed
I've watched drivers get blindsided by rule changes they didn't see coming, and I've watched others adjust their whole route or schedule because they caught a headline a week early. In this industry, the news isn't just background noise — it's often the difference between a smooth week and a headache. That's the whole reason this page exists.
Latest Trucking News & Updates
Super Ego Holding's Fleet Sale-Leaseback Financing Program Increases Truck Fleet Owners' Access to Capital
Super Ego Holding, a transportation and logistics company based in Elmhurst, Illinois, provides fleet sale-leaseback financing to help independent owner-operators and small-to-medium fleet owners release equity tied up in their equipment. Through this structured financing model, fleet managers sell their semi-trucks or trailers to Super Ego Holding for upfront cash while immediately leasing the vehicles back to maintain uninterrupted daily operations. This strategy gives carrier businesses a non-dilutive liquidity boost to cover working capital, manage volatile fuel costs, and handle operational expenses without sacrificing fleet capacity or scaling momentum.
FMCSA Restores 30-Day HOS For Truckers During Emergencies
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) finalized a rule changing 49 CFR 390.23(b) to restore the automatic Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulatory relief period for commercial truck drivers from 14 days back to 30 days during state- or regionally declared emergencies. The agency had reduced this window to 14 days in October 2023, but following pushback from state transportation departments and industry groups—such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)—FMCSA proposed reverting to the 30-day window in January 2026. The relief applies strictly to drivers providing "direct assistance" to emergency relief efforts, such as transporting fuel, food, or critical medical supplies, rather than acting as a blanket exemption for all regional freight. FMCSA anticipates the extended timeframe will streamline recovery operations, eliminate unnecessary extension requests, and reduce administrative paperwork for carriers and federal officials.
Ohio Launches 90-Day Fuel Tax Holiday, Dropping 47-Cent Diesel Tax Starting Sunday
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Substitute House Bill 519 into law, establishing a temporary 90-day motor fuel tax holiday. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, October 4, 2026, and continuing through January 2, 2027, the state completely suspends its 47-cent-per-gallon diesel tax as well as its 38.5-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax. Under state law, fuel retailers are legally required to pass the full savings directly to consumers at the pump, a relief measure estimated to deliver $725 million in total taxpayer savings. To prevent delays to road and bridge maintenance, the state is backfilling the lost infrastructure funding using surplus reserve funds.
From 110 Years to Parole: The Truck Driver at the Heart of Colorado’s Most Controversial Sentence Seeks Freedom
A tragic 2019 mountain highway crash caused by runaway brakes catapulted Rogel Aguilera-Mederos from an ordinary semitruck driver into the center of a national debate on mandatory minimums when his initial 110-year prison sentence sparked widespread public outrage and a historic clemency reduction to 10 years by Colorado's governor. Having served nearly five years of that commuted term while continuing to express deep remorse for the four lives lost, Aguilera-Mederos now stands before the parole board seeking early release, turning his final legal chapter into a testament to how public outcry, judicial reform, and executive mercy can reshape the trajectory of a deadly tragedy.
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Beyond My Coverage: Headlines from Around the Web
Nussbaum, Roehl Announce Second Driver Pay Increase This Year
This year has seen a swath of major truck driver pay increases as freight capacity has tightened.
Read More →Reefer Report: Citrus out of California reprices hard as Yakima apples top $14K into the East
Reefer spot linehaul averaged $2.73 per mile last week, minus fuel, up 0.7%, or $0.02 per mile, from the week before. The post Reefer Report: Citrus out of California reprices hard as Yakima apples top $14K into the East appeared first on DAT Freight & Analytics - Blog.
Read More →Broker newsletter: Every way to read the market, in one place
Where to get the data, what a Gulf landfall does to a routing guide, and how to price a bid from the shipper's side of the transaction. The post Broker newsletter: Every way to read the market, in one place appeared first on DAT Freight & Analytics - Blog.
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Used-Truck Remarketing Math Is Changing
Used-truck value is no longer just a concern at trade-in. Decisions made throughout a truck’s first life can influence what it’s worth years later.
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Nominations Open for HDT Emerging Leaders
Heavy Duty Trucking is looking for accomplished trucking fleet professionals under 40 who are making an impact and helping lead the industry forward.
Read More →Flatbed Report: Housing’s pipeline is softening, and the Fed isn’t why
Flatbed spot linehaul paid to carriers averaged $2.60 per mile last week, minus fuel, down 0.5%, or $0.01 per mile, from the week before. The post Flatbed Report: Housing’s pipeline is softening, and the Fed isn’t why appeared first on DAT Freight & Analytics - Blog.
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New California Law Could Shed Light on Electric Truck Prices
Why do battery-electric Class 8 trucks remain so expensive? A California bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom would give fleets and state agencies more visibility into what manufacturers charge.
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PrePass, Kodiak Connect Driverless Trucks to Roadside Enforcement
The system will allow enforcement agencies to verify Enhanced Inspection information and decide whether Kodiak’s autonomous trucks can bypass roadside screening sites.
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From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
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Why Private Fleets Are Taking More Freight
Private fleets are putting their own trucks on demanding customers and high-cost lanes as companies seek greater control over service, costs, and capacity.
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Color Match Smarter: Tools That Restore & Perform
For fleet managers and collision repair professionals keeping heavy-duty trucks on the road, getting the color right the first time isn't just about appearance — it's about efficiency, turnaround time, and bottom-line results. Discover how today's digital color tools are transforming the repair process from guesswork to precision.
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FMCSA Pauses Biennial-Update Enforcement Amid Motus Transition
Carriers whose updates were due on or after June 1 have more time, while FMCSA works to stabilize its new registration system and warns of phishing sites impersonating its new carrier registration system, Motus.
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Diesel Price Spike Shortens Payback for Natural Gas Trucks, Report Says
Energy Vision estimates fleets could recover the higher purchase price of an RNG-fueled Class 8 tractor in 1.3 to 2.8 years under current fuel-price scenarios.
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Wrong Repair Prompts Recall of Freightliner, Western Star 4x2 Trucks
DTNA is recalling more than 2,400 trucks that received an incompatible software fix instead of the hardware repair required to address brake valve corrosion.
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Calstart Becomes Catalyst Mobility, Reflecting Broader Focus
Calstart is now Catalyst Mobility, reflecting the nonprofit’s growing national role in clean transportation, including zero-emission trucks, infrastructure and incentive programs.
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Record Diesel Prices Squeeze Trucking Fleets
Average U.S. diesel prices have climbed to nearly $6 a gallon, surpassing the 2022 record as tight refinery capacity and Middle East disruptions keep fuel costs elevated.
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Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert
Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.
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Fragmented AI: Why Trucking Must Take Security More Seriously
As AI becomes embedded throughout transportation operations, the result can be a tech environment that looks more advanced on paper, but isn't necessarily more efficient, secure, or manageable in practice.
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Tesla Wants a Self-Driving Semi. Are Cameras Enough?
Could Tesla’s camera-only autonomous driving technology work on an 80,000-pound Semi? In this commentary, HDT's Deborah Lockridge takes a look at Tesla, Cybercab, and how autonomous trucks see the road.
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Kodiak: Driverless Long-Haul Truck Launch on Track for 2026
Kodiak AI says its driverless long-haul safety case is 93% complete and it remains on track to begin commercial operations by year-end 2026.
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What DOT’s Automated Vehicle Strategy Means for Trucking
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a new automated-vehicle strategy that outlines plans for driverless-truck regulations, cross-state freight corridors, and federal safety standards.
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East Coast Port Launches $45M Electric Truck Push
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced millions in incentives for zero-emission drayage trucks, yard tractors, and new charging hubs near the port.
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PlusAI Going Public to Fund Autonomous Truck Launch
A SPAC deal could provide PlusAI with up to $300 million as it works toward a 2027 commercial launch of factory-built autonomous trucks.
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The Maintenance Checks Trucking Fleets Should Prioritize Before Fall Freight Picks Up
Making it through August isn’t the same as being ready for the next several months of operation. Find out what systems may have suffered from summer heat and need to be checked out before fall.
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FMCSA Removes 110 Truck Driver Training Schools from Certified ELDT List
Federal regulators also are targeting more than 160 additional training providers and launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers as part of a broader crackdown on trucking fraud.
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Beyond DOT Compliance: What Makes a Trucking Fleet Truly Safe?
A trucking fleet can follow every rule and still make unsafe decisions. The real test comes when safety conflicts with freight, productivity, or cost.
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NHTSA Moves to Rewrite Truck Fuel-Economy Rules
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it lacks authority to regulate medium- and heavy-duty truck engines separately from complete vehicles, but the existing standards have not yet been eliminated.
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Hours of Service Pilot Programs: FMCSA Readies for 2027 Rollout
Two pilot programs could eventually reshape hours-of-service rules, giving truck drivers options to pause their 14-hour clock or use longer split sleeper rest periods.
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Zero-Emission Truck Corridor Planned for West Coast
California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Baja California are coordinating plans for truck charging and hydrogen fueling from Canada to Mexico.
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New Guide Offers Pet Safety Tips for Truck Drivers
Hundreds of thousands of pets travel in truck cabs. A new safety guide from Volvo Trucks and the Center for Pet Safety offers practical advice for truck drivers who bring dogs and cats along for the ride.
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