Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Oct. 16, 2026:
Penske Automotive Group going private
Penske Automotive Group has agreed to be taken private by Motown Acquisition Corp. in a deal valued at approximately $16.3 billion, the company announced Thursday.
Penske Automotive Group includes Penske Transportation Solutions, the parent brand for Penske Truck Leasing, Penske Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 13), Epes Transport Systems, Penske Vehicle Services, and related businesses.
Under the merger agreement, public shareholders will receive $212.00 per share in cash—an 8.84% premium to the company's closing price on October 14, 2026.
Following the transaction, Penske Corporation will own approximately 64% of the company, and Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a shareholder for 25 years, will hold the remaining 36%.
The deal was unanimously recommended by a special committee of independent directors and approved by the company's board. It is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, pending regulatory approvals and shareholder votes. Once completed, Penske Automotive Group's common stock will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
ATRI researching driver health, impacts on operations
Given truck drivers’ unique health challenges OTR -- finding healthy food, physical activity -- industry researchers want to learn how driver health impacts trucking operations and costs.
According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), truck drivers are more likely than workers in other industries to experience negative health conditions that can reduce quality of life and life expectancy.
New ATRI research will identify the impact of driver health on trucking operations and costs to further underscore its importance to the industry. The research will be conducted two ways:
- Drivers are asked anonymously to share basic health information (e.g. time duration of their medical cards) as well as their experience with maintaining health and wellness while on the road.
- Motor carriers are asked for fleetwide averages for medical card durations, insurance costs, and operations key performance indicators. Motor carriers are also strongly encouraged to share the driver survey with their driver workforce.
“We already know driver health can affect safety. The next question is how much it may also be affecting operational risk and cost,” said driver health non-profit Project 61’s Founder and CEO Jeremy Reymer. “ATRI’s research will help fleets better understand the relationship between driver health and outcomes such as healthcare costs, workers’ compensation, productivity, turnover, and medical qualification.”
Drivers and motor carriers are invited to participate in the survey by Friday, Nov. 13. The online data collection forms can be accessed here. All responses are completely confidential.
Drug trafficking org allegedly used “unknowing” trucking companies to transport drugs
More than 20 individuals have been arrested in an alleged multi-county drug trafficking and racketeering enterprise in Florida in which traffickers “used unknowing over-the-road freight carriers” to move drugs across the U.S., according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The organization allegedly distributed large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances, and utilized OTR trucking companies, without the carriers’ knowledge, to smuggle cocaine from California into Florida.
“This joint operation dismantled a sophisticated criminal enterprise that was pumping dangerous drugs into Palm Beach, St. Lucie, and Broward County communities,” said Uthmeier. “Through the tireless work of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and our statewide prosecutors, we seized large amounts of cocaine, along with fentanyl and oxycodone pills. Florida families deserve safe streets free of these deadly substances, and we will hold every member of this organization accountable.”
The investigation began in March 2026 after social media activity led Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division investigators to a local distributor. Undercover controlled purchases and physical surveillance identified a well-organized network sourcing cocaine from Ariel Fernandez-Alonso and his associates. Fernandez-Alonso was identified as a major supplier who stated he received 50 to 60 kilograms of cocaine every 15 days.
The organization allegedly used unknowing over-the-road freight carriers to transport multi-kilogram shipments from California into Florida. Agents located and interdicted one such shipment as Fernandez-Alonso and associates began breaking down a pallet containing more than 40 kilograms of cocaine.
This past weekend, agents obtained and executed arrest warrants charging Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, Trafficking in Cocaine, Trafficking in Fentanyl, and Trafficking in Methamphetamine on targets across Palm Beach, St. Lucie, and Broward Counties. Officers from multiple agencies conducted more than 20 residential search warrants in the three counties, resulting in the arrest of over 20 individuals, including Richard Paterniti, Kenneth Charles, Jerri Kitzelman, Jerry Salerno, Craig Benard, and associates of Fernandez-Alonso.
All listed suspects are in custody, and additional arrests are expected. In total, officers seized at least 45 kilograms of cocaine, as well as oxycodone and fentanyl pills. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is finalizing the complete tally of drugs and arrests.
Among the defendants charged are:
- Ariel Fernandez-Alonso, charged with Trafficking in Cocaine (400 grams or more but less than 150 kilograms), a first-degree felony, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
- Richard Paterniti, Kenneth Charles, Craig Benard, and others, charged with Conspiracy to Commit, a first-degree felony, along with trafficking offenses involving cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
- Jerri Kitzelman and Jerry Salerno, charged with Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
Based on the current charges, Fernandez-Alonso, Paterniti, Charles, and Benard face 15-year mandatory minimum sentences for the trafficking counts in the Florida Department of Corrections. The investigations are ongoing and more charges are pending.
Iowa’s weight-limit harvest relief extended
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a proclamation extending the weight-limit relief offered to truckers hauling grain, fertilizer, and manure in the state.
The first proclamation of the season was issued in September and expired on Oct. 10. Reynolds signed the extension on Oct. 8, extending the relief through Nov. 7.
As reported, the proclamation suspends several regulatory provisions to allow trucks transporting soybeans, corn, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid, and gas), manure (dry and liquid), and distillers grains to be overweight, not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight, without a permit.
Suspension of the provisions applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa, excluding the interstate system, that:
- Do not exceed 90,000 pounds gross weight
- Do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the primary and non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in the Iowa Code by more than 12.5%
- Do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds
- Comply with posted limits on roads and bridges
