Department of transportation

Rob Carpenter Wednesday, January 28, 2026

The Military Doesn’t Just Train Drivers. It Builds Citizens. Maybe That’s What We’re Missing.

The favorite argument from those supporting the ATA’s teen trucker push is “if they can go to war at 18, they can drive a truck at 18.” Military service transforms young people into disciplined, responsible adults who understand that their decisions affect others. That’s why military-trained drivers have 42% fewer accidents. The solution isn’t younger drivers; it’s requiring the standards that make military drivers safer. We’ve lost something fundamental in how we raise our young people, and the highway data proves it.

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Rob Carpenter Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Trump Administration Waves White Flag on Transportation Funding Immigration Fight, But the War is Far From Over

The Trump administration’s decision to drop its appeal that tied billions in transportation funding to immigration enforcement represents a significant legal setback, but don’t mistake this tactical retreat for surrender. For motor carriers employing non-domiciled CDL holders, the regulatory battlefield has only shifted, not cleared.

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Rob Carpenter Sunday, January 11, 2026

Tennessee Becomes Latest Target in Duffy’s CDL Compliance Crackdown

Tennessee has notified approximately 8,800 CDL holders that they must provide proof of citizenship or lawful presence by April 6 or face an automatic downgrade to a standard driver’s license. The move follows Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s escalating enforcement campaign that has already frozen California’s non-domiciled licensing program and threatened multiple states with the loss of federal highway funds.

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Rob Carpenter Thursday, December 11, 2025

Has FMCSA’s Decade-Old Chameleon Carrier System Been Running on Autopilot?

When a November 2025 draft memo from the Department of Transportation surfaced promising a groundbreaking “data-driven severity matrix” to catch chameleon carriers, it raised uncomfortable questions about ARCHI (Application Review and Chameleon Investigation), built with $3.5 million in congressional funding in 2012-2013. Is this bureaucratic amnesia, rebranding of an underperforming system, or evidence that FMCSA’s chameleon detection infrastructure has been quietly abandoned?

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Trains.com Staff Tuesday, January 28, 2025

UPDATED: Trump administration rescinds funding freeze

President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday rescinded a freeze on federal grants and other funding that could have had far-reaching effects on the transportation sector, one day after the order was announced amid public uncertainty and criticism, media outlets reported. The reversal also follows a federal judge’s order on Tuesday that temporarily blocked the pause […]

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Wednesday, July 10, 2024

FreightWaves Infographics: DOT awards $1.8B for freight projects, other transportation work

To view more FreightWaves infographics, click here

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