Trucking Regulation

Economic and safety concerns attributed to non-North American motor carriers operating in the U.S. may be misguided, according to federal data.

Trucking companies and drivers responding to the deadly flood in Central Texas are temporarily exempt from work-hour rules.

After getting boxed out of a key tax break in One Big Beautiful Bill, small-business truck drivers are refocusing on legislation giving them overtime protection.

New immigration restrictions could curb driver availability, trigger a massive capacity crunch, and pull the trucking industry out of The Great Freight Recession. The Trump administration’s English Language Proficiency (ELP) mandate, effective June 2025, is already limiting the 3.5 million driver pool, particularly impacting immigrants, who according to the BLS account for at least 20% […]

Virginia truck drivers that need a skill performance certificate will benefit from a more streamlined evaluation process.

Dallas-based CloudTrucks tells regulators it can improve its driver hiring if allowed to be unhindered from a federal requirement.

The Western States Trucking Association has taken steps against the Clean Truck Partnership.

CarriersEdge launched an English Language Proficiency Assessment in June 2025 to help trucking carriers comply with U.S. regulations under 49 CFR §391.11(b)(2). The tool evaluates drivers’ language skills for roadside inspections, using audio-visual cues.

The Trump administration has launched a sweeping package of initiatives affecting trucking that includes investigating fraudulent CDLs, money for parking, and work-hour flexibility.

The English Language Proficiency (ELP) rule, now in effect, could significantly reduce trucking capacity. For a decade, large truckload carriers have embraced regulations like the ELD mandate and Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to limit market capacity, but effects were typically short-lived. The ELP mandate, enforced by a DOT Executive Order, requires commercial drivers to demonstrate […]

Regulators are giving thousands of truck drivers relief from work-hour rules to prevent fireworks shows around the country from fizzling out.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is intensifying enforcement of English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards, signaling major operational changes for the trucking industry. As of today, June 25, 2025, drivers who fail to meet these requirements face immediate grounding, potentially straining trucking capacity, increasing tender rejections, and driving up national truckload rates. FreightWaves estimates […]

Justice Department press release describes violations of several FMCSA rules by Shaquan Jelks; magistrate order on detention spells out some of the details.

New legislation would mandate that all truck drivers be tested for proficiency in speaking and reading English before being allowed on the road.

DOT’s proposed new enforcement policy could result in a disincentive to investigate motor carrier violations, according to accident victim advocates.

Legislation signed by President Trump impacting California’s clean truck rules immediately brought a lawsuit from the state.

A new enforcement policy proposed by DOT raises the question of whether the trucking industry will become less safe or will be better able to comply with regulations.

Applicants for CDL grants may have an easier time now that Biden-era DEI and climate change requirements have been stripped out of the approval process.

The death of the Advanced Clean Fleets rule in California dealt a blow to zero-emission vehicles in drayage, but Long Beach remains committed.

Improving how truck driver registrations are vetted and collecting better crash data are among FMCSA’s FY26 priorities, according to a new detailed budget request.

House legislation would ban hauling horses across state lines in livestock trailers designed for smaller animals.

Sweeping regulatory changes aimed at slashing trucking industry red tape are raising red flags from industry experts and safety advocates.

Recent identity verification changes by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are having a major impact on the number of newly minted operating authorities, according to research from CarrierOK.

The government is cleaning up motor carrier safety regulations to ensure consistency and improve clarity for the trucking industry.

The Trump administration is amending a list of truck safety rules, aiming to streamline regulations and make compliance easier.

A U.S. senator wants to cut through red tape that’s keeping driverless cars and trucks from commercial viability.

New legislation would codify into law the Trump administration’s policy shift that places truck drivers out of service for lacking English reading and speaking skills.

President Trump is expected to sign bills nullifying requirements that would have required the trucking industry to convert much of its fleet to zero-emission by 2035.

The Trump administration is opening a new round of federal grant applications for truck drivers and truck operations.

Trucks parked illegally on an Illinois exit ramp contributed to a deadly 2023 crash, according to the nation’s top safety watchdog.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday signed an order to again require strict enforcement of English language proficiency rules for commercial truck drivers.

The last-gasp OOIDA fight against the AB5 independent contractor law in California’s trucking sector has suffered defeat at the appellate level.

Regulators say the drug-testing oversight for truckers hauling production crews and film equipment is still safe enough to allow for reduced federal requirements.

Stricter language requirements for truck drivers and motor carrier hours-of-service reforms figured prominently in responses to DOT’s request for a regulatory overhaul.

On Monday, the FMCSA revoked eight electronic logging devices tied to Gorilla Fleet Safety LLC, citing failure to meet federal technical standards. Fleets now face a 60-day deadline to replace noncompliant systems or risk violations.

An industry group tells DOT that the future is now when it comes to deploying autonomous trucks.

Critics of the reinstatement of English language proficiency out-of-service violations argue that the directive is more political than practical and risks diverting attention from more pressing safety issues on U.S. highways.

State and federal officials are looking at ways to close loopholes and tighten regulations that govern how non-U.S. truck drivers gain the right to operate within the U.S.

Texas law enforcement, faced with a sharp increase in the number of truckers who had the Mexican equivalent of a U.S. CDL, used an informal geography test to learn that many of those individuals were from Honduras, Guatemala or other nations.

There is no easy fix: Enhancing trucking safety and driver competence, as well as combating CDL fraud, will take an all-hands-on-deck effort at every level of government.

An agreement California has reached with Nebraska and 15 other states is another nail in the coffin of the Golden State’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule.

One of President Trump’s favorite political organizations is pushing his administration to make it easier to grant waivers and exemptions for small trucking companies.

Illegal work by B-1 visa truck drivers does serious harm to the U.S. trucking industry, stakeholders said.

More scrutiny of truck drivers and fraudulent CDLs could have operational and cost implications for trucking companies.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is getting conflicting advice from trucking’s biggest lobbying groups over whether ELDs should remain a requirement for tracking driver hours.

Two recent developments on independent contractor law are headed in different directions.

The FMCSA would be a more efficient regulator if it changed the definition of “commercial motor vehicle,” a group representing small carriers asserts.

A potential drop in trucking capacity may be coming starting June 25 after CVSA voted to place drivers who violate English proficiency regulations out of service.

OOIDA report challenges driver shortage narrative, argues turnover is the issue

The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to revoke two trucking-related Environmental Protection Agency waivers granted to California.

New research details potential safety, financial and environmental benefits of repealing the 12% excise tax on new trucks.

Freight carriers are pressuring Congress and the Trump administration to address the rise in “strategic” cargo theft.

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday requiring that truck drivers speak and read English or risk being taken off the road.

A Washington high school failed to convince federal regulators of the benefits of altering the training rules for teenage truck drivers.

Trucking’s lead safety agency has been failing to properly monitor billions of dollars in taxpayer money aimed at preventing crashes, according to a government watchdog.

House lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation to ease regulatory restrictions on haulers of dry goods such as flour and grain.

The FMCSA says it does not have to correct a federally funded study that an insurance group claims underestimates the safety benefits of side underride guards.

WASHINGTON – A brake-light technology company focused on reducing rear-end truck crashes got another boost from regulators with a ruling that two private fleets can deploy its equipment even though it is at odds with current rules. Intellistop, which makes a module that briefly pulses a truck’s brake lights immediately after the brakes are engaged, […]

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has voided thousands of medical examiner certificates issued by two Houston-area doctors, putting the livelihoods of over 15,000 commercial drivers at risk. A “high volume” of physical examinations performed by Dr. Jenny Le (Medical Examiner National Registry No. 4762579227) and Dr. Dustin Mai (National Registry No. 7120983977) […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen is again leading the charge to keep regulators from capping truck speeds below the legal limits posted on highways and interstates. The Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act, introduced on Thursday by the Oklahoma Republican, would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from requiring that […]

New legislation aims to crack down on fraud that drives up insurance costs for the trucking industry. 

Despite pushback from safety groups, FMCSA is allowing a private fleet owner to continue its sleeper berth exemption until 2030.

Truckers are getting a new opportunity to tell the Trump administration what regulations are hurting their business.

Businesses would be required to treat truck drivers like their own employees when it comes to bathroom facilities if Congress can get a law passed.

Federal trucking regulators have declined to investigate whether truck trailers built without side guards should be deemed unsafe.

Federal transportation officials at the Mid-America Trucking Show discussed a deregulatory approach that aligns with the Trump administration’s policy of eliminating 10 regulations for every new one introduced.

Truck drivers will benefit from thousands of dollars in tax cuts and incentives if Congress can pass the latest versions of previous bills.

Trucking interests are weighing in on their priorities as Congress begins planning the next highway bill.

Derek Barrs, a member of the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board, has been nominated to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

A former head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, now executive director of the Clean Freight Coalition, recapped some key trucking-related environmental battles in Washington.

American Trucking Associations economist Bob Costello foresees negative impacts on freight markets from new port fees on Chinese ships calling at U.S. ports.

The announcement by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on emissions rule terminations marks a quick reversal of the previous Biden-Harris administration’s Clean Trucks Plan.

A controversial rulemaking stalled at DOT has major implications for highway safety and trucking costs.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency will reconsider the Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles regulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles.

The Trump administration has picked Adrienne Camire to lead the nation’s top truck safety regulatory agency.

With success in cutting down the number of overweight trucks on a key highway, New York City looks to expand use of weigh-in-motion technology around the state.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have made another push to better compensate truck drivers for lost wages due to delays on the road.

New England may be the first location in the country to see an impact from the tariff on imported Canadian oil.

House lawmakers are trying to rein in fatal crashes involving long-haul truckers who contract with the U.S. Postal Service.

Trucking companies and drivers are again pushing lawmakers to dedicate money for more parking spaces as one of their top safety issues.

U.S. senators heard suggestions on how to empower regulators and law enforcement to deal with thieves and scammers in trucking and rail.

The CVSA has set the dates for International Roadcheck.

The Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration has taken a significant step toward potentially overturning California’s stricter truck emissions regulations.

An immigration policy expert provides insight for motor carriers and truck drivers into potential cost and service effects of White House executive orders.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has terminated New York City’s congestion pricing plan, drawing praise from trucking groups.

An EPA action initiating the process of revoking three California emissions waivers faces legal hurdles.

A group representing small transportation companies has successfully lobbied the FMCSA to keep the door open on a rulemaking that pits brokers against truckers.

An emergency waiver easing truck driver restrictions for haulers of live chickens is the first move by the Trump administration to directly address a nationwide egg shortage.

The ping-pong question of how the National Labor Relations Board defines independent contractors is on hold, for now, in a key trucking case.

Congress will try again to crack down on fake brokers and trucking companies that slip under the regulatory radar.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Truck Leasing Task Force delivered a scathing report on lease-purchase programs managed by motor carriers in the trucking industry.

A federal task force wants Congress to shut down leasing programs used in the trucking industry due to “widespread harm” that they cause small-business owners.

Potential regulations aimed at boosting truck safety – including protecting women – will receive new scrutiny under one of many actions taken by President Trump on Inauguration Day.

The president-elect sided with protesting truckers five years ago, but will his new administration be willing to expand federal oversight of private broker contracts?

FTR’s 2025 Transportation Outlook predicts steady growth in spot and contract rates amid a shifting economic and political landscape but cautions that the increases will not be as significant as those of 2020 or 2021

California’s trucking industry is starting to try to figure out what the world looks like with the Advanced Clean Fleets rule dead.

The California Air Resources Board has withdrawn its request for a waiver to implement the Advanced Clean Fleets rule.

A New Mexico carrier came up short in its lawsuit against the Biden administration’s independent contractor rule.

Daimler Truck North America has lifted its ban on sales of new internal combustion engine trucks in Oregon over a dispute about the Advanced Clean Trucks rule that several states have adopted following California’s lead.

Regulators have issued an emergency hours-of-service exemption for truck drivers and carriers in response to high demand caused by severe winter storms.