Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026:
ATRI issues call for carriers’ operational costs
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is calling on for-hire motor carriers to participate in its annual Operational Costs of Trucking report.
The annual report is trusted by thousands of industry decisionmakers every year as a key barometer of freight market conditions and is the leading public benchmarking tool for motor carriers of all sectors, from owner-operators to 10,000+ truck fleets, ATRI noted.
The report tracks cost metrics such as driver pay, equipment expenditures and insurance premiums, as well as key performance indicators such as non-revenue mileage, driver utilization, mileage between breakdowns, and revenue per truck per week.
All participating motor carriers receive a customized report that compares their costs and operations to an anonymized peer group of the same sector and size.
New in 2026, customized reports for multi-year participants will also include year-over-year comparisons to more directly evaluate trends over time.
“There are signs of growing opportunities for trucking in 2026, but only if fleets can maintain disciplined, nimble operations,” said Hirschbach Motor Lines Chief Financial Officer Andrew Hadland. “ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking and the customized report we receive as participants are important inputs for ensuring healthy performance in our costs and operations despite economic headwinds.”
For-hire motor carriers are invited to participate by Friday, April 24. Data for the year 2025 can be submitted online or by PDF – both forms are available on ATRI’s website along with a sample customized report and other helpful information for participants. All confidential data is protected and published only in anonymized averages.
[Related: How trucking's costs changed in 2024 from 2023]
Software issue affecting brakes prompts International recall
International Motors is recalling approximately 204 medium-duty trucks for an engine control unit (ECU) issue, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
The recall affects model year 2026-’27 International MV trucks. In the affected units, the ECU software may fail to engage the brakes with adaptive cruise control (ACC) or hill hold assist. A vehicle that does not automatically brake as expected increases the risk of a crash, the recall noted.
Dealers will update the brake ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 13. Owners can contact International's customer service at 1-800-448-7825 with recall number 26501. NHTSA’s recall number is 26V-084.
Southeastern Freight upgrades four facilities
Southeastern Freight Lines has enhanced four service centers in Texas, North Carolina and Puerto Rico. SEFL
Southeastern Freight Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 29) has announced enhancements to its service centers in Houston and El Paso, Texas; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Puerto Rico, reinforcing the company’s commitment to modern work environments that support associates and evolving customer demands, the company said.
“These investments are about giving our teams the tools and resources that they need to perform at their best,” said Ryan Smigiel, vice president of real estate at SEFL. “By expanding capacity and modernizing our environments, we’re improving operational performance and setting our associates up to deliver consistent, high-quality service well into the future.”
Renovations to the four locations include:
- Houston (9199 West Hardy Road): Boasting 129 dock doors and 247 associates, the service center received a yard expansion, designed to improve navigation and reduce congestion during inbound, outbound and breakbulk operations. The facility also received exterior paint and landscaping upgrades.
- El Paso (1090 Burgundy Drive): A new driver rest facility was constructed, featuring 11 rooms, a gym, a kitchen and a lounge. The 37-dock-door service center underwent a significant interior refresh, including upgraded finishes throughout the office area, the conference room and the dock. A dedicated wellness room was also added.
- Greensboro (8718 West Market Street): A newly built shop doubles the size of the previous facility, expanding tractor bays from five to 10 and trailer bays from two to six. The shop features modern amenities, including a state-of-the-art conference room and upgraded safety equipment. Supporting 183 associates, the 99-dock-door service center can have more technicians working, keep more equipment running and expand preventative maintenance capacity to reduce breakdowns and streamline operations.
- Puerto Rico (Centro Mercantille Int’l): With 20 associates and 14,000 square feet of staging space across 409 staging positions, the service center completed a full renovation. Upgrades include doubled conference room capacity, new workstations, an optimized office layout, upgraded data and electrical infrastructure and expanded camera coverage.
“These improvements set the stage for a year of continued growth and expanded capabilities, helping us serve our customers across El Paso, Houston, Greensboro and Puerto Rico more effectively,” said Smigiel.
Peterbilt graduates first Master Technician
Peterbilt is recognizing its first Master Technician, Michael Fitzpatrick of Ohio Peterbilt, marking a significant milestone in service excellence and reinforcing its commitment to advanced technician training.
The Peterbilt Master Technician designation is the highest level of technician achievement, representing a highly trained professional who has completed the most advanced level of education offered to diagnose, maintain and service Peterbilt vehicles. A Master Technician possesses in-depth knowledge across all major vehicle systems and is also recognized for their diagnostic, problem-solving abilities and leadership skills.
“We congratulate Michael Fitzpatrick on this significant achievement as our inaugural Peterbilt Master Technician,” said Danny Landholm, Peterbilt director of Dealer Network Development. “He has demonstrated exceptional expertise, leadership and mastery of advanced diagnostic and repair skills needed to support today’s increasingly complex vehicle technologies and the evolving needs of our customers.”
Pictured from left to right: Devin Stuck (Peterbilt) - Dealer Development Manager; Mike Devlin (Ohio Peterbilt) - Service Director; Adam Spinks (Peterbilt) - National Service Development Manager; Danny Landholm (Peterbilt) - Director of Dealer Network Development; Mike Fitzpatrick (Ohio Peterbilt) - Dealer Technical Manager and Peterbilt Master Technician; Ken Taylor (Ohio Peterbilt) – President; Mike Crawford (Ohio Peterbilt) - Vice President; Greg Rempe (Ohio Peterbilt) - Sales Director; and James Marshall (Ohio Peterbilt) - Parts Director.Peterbilt
Achieving Peterbilt Master Technician status requires extensive hands-on experience, completion of rigorous coursework and demonstrated proficiency in diagnosing and resolving critical vehicle system issues. As trusted technical leaders, to address complex truck, engine and electrical repair, Master Technicians will serve as mentors to other technicians to ensure vehicles meet Peterbilt’s high standards of performance and reliability.
“Earning the Master Technician designation is a proud moment in my career, and the training has prepared me to deliver an even higher level of service,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve focused on understanding how advanced vehicle systems work together across the entire truck. This is knowledge I can apply every day and share with other technicians so we can continue improving together.”
