Trucking

Rob Carpenter Friday, January 30, 2026

Congress Proposes Taking the Fox Out of the Henhouse

When a driver or carrier challenges bad data through FMCSA’s DataQs system, the appeal often goes right back to the same officer who issued the violation. That’s about to change. The Motor Carrier Safety Screening Modernization Act finally brings independent review to the challenge process, and that’s the real game changer buried in this bill.

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Rob Carpenter Friday, January 30, 2026

FMCSA Counts Inspections. Nobody Counts Compliance.

FMCSA and its state partners conduct 3.3 million roadside inspections annually, placing nearly a million vehicles and drivers out of service, but states are measured on inspection volume, not enforcement outcomes. The inspectors’ own alliance wants to eliminate the requirement that carriers confirm they fixed the problems. There are 800,000 carriers and 12,000 audits a year. Texas has a state law that conflicts with federal ELP requirements, so drivers get licensed there and are placed out of service elsewhere. We’re counting inspections. Nobody’s counting compliance.

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Rob Carpenter Friday, January 30, 2026

Non-Domiciled Rule Stayed, But FMCSA Is Still Stacking Paper

The D.C. Circuit stayed FMCSA’s non-domiciled CDL rule in November. The agency asked to place the litigation on hold while it works on a final rule. FMCSA is still seeking three-year approval for the information collection requirements, states must retain ID documents and SAVE queries for two years, and produce them within 48 hours of request.

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Rob Carpenter Thursday, January 29, 2026

The $75,000 Bond and Truckers Left Holding The Bag

Nearly 88,000 trucking companies closed in 2023. Fraud losses topped $455 million in 2024. Carriers filing claims against $75,000 surety bonds are discovering that the pot’s already been split 50 ways. As the Supreme Court prepares to rule on whether brokers can be held liable for hiring bad carriers, it’s time to ask: who really bears the risk in freight, and is the system rigged against the people actually moving the loads?

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Rob Carpenter Thursday, January 29, 2026

Bomb Cyclone Bearing Down on Mid-Atlantic and New England: What Drivers and Fleets Need to Know

The National Weather Service is forecasting a “significant East Coast winter storm threat” for this weekend, with a coastal low forming Friday and rapidly intensifying into a bomb cyclone as it tracks up the Eastern Seaboard. If you’re running freight anywhere from the Carolinas to Boston over the next five days, you need to pay attention right now.

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