Trucking news and briefs for Monday, May 11, 2026:
Roehl partners with Kodiak to deploy autonomous trucks
Roehl Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 57) last week announced it is autonomously hauling freight with Kodiak AI in Texas.
Starting in April, trucks equipped with the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak’s autonomous system, began hauling freight between Dallas and Houston four times roundtrip per week for Roehl.Kodiak
“Working with Roehl Transport reflects a shared commitment to safety in trucking,” said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. “By combining our AI-powered autonomous capabilities with Roehl’s safety approach, we’re proving how our technology can enhance efficiency while making meaningful progress toward safer roads at scale.”
Kodiak is continuing to progress toward closing its long-haul safety case and launching driverless operations by the end of 2026. The company delivers freight between Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, and El Paso using its autonomous technology, the company said. As of the end of 2025, Kodiak had deployed a fleet of 20 self-driving trucks operated by its customer, Atlas Energy Solutions, in West Texas’s Permian Basin.
“Roehl Transport is built on values, and Safety is our cornerstone value,” said Rick Roehl, CEO of Roehl Transport. “The Kodiak Driver was built with this same philosophy. Kodiak’s safety-first approach was a key factor in our decision to partner with Kodiak. Their innovation and strong commitment to safety closely align with our values, and together, we are helping make our roads safer.”
Averitt expands Florida warehouse space
Averitt (CCJ Top 250, No. 25) has expanded capabilities at its Ocala, Florida, facility with the addition of 8,500 square feet of enclosed dock warehousing space, bringing the total square footage of dock and warehousing space to over 36,000.
The Ocala facility, which opened in February, was designed to support growing freight demand in Central Florida and is part of Averitt’s overall facility growth plan across its network, the company said. The addition of enclosed warehousing space reflects both an expansion of services and a forward-looking investment in a market that continues to experience rapid economic and logistics growth.
This past weekend, Averitt welcomed members of the local community, customers, and business leaders to the facility for open house events and an official ribbon cutting.Averitt
“We are grateful to everyone who joined us for the open house and ribbon cutting to see our new Ocala facility and the addition of our enclosed dock warehousing space,” said Justin Burkett, regional vice president of sales in the Florida area for Averitt. “With that space, we are able to provide secure, flexible warehousing and more efficiently manage the transition between transportation and storage for our customers.”
Four-hour inspection blitz nets 153 violations, 15 trucks, 10 drivers OOS
Last week on Wednesday, April 29, commercial vehicle inspectors in Wyoming and Utah teamed up for a four-hour inspection blitz that resulted in more than 150 violations and numerous out-of-service orders.
Wyoming Highway Patrol reported that its officers joined Utah Highway Patrol and U.S. Department of Transportation agents in a “saturation detail” along I-80 at the border between the two states.
During the four-hour operation, officers were looking for safety violations and trucks that were skipping the Evanston and Echo ports of entry.
Officers conducted inspections on 34 trucks, with 153 violations found. Additionally, 15 trucks and 10 drivers were placed out-of-service.
“In one case inspectors found a cracked frame on a trailer loaded with construction supplies,” WHP said.
Arizona sheriff warns of truck, train heists
Yavapai County (Arizona) Sheriff's deputies have responded to a string of high-tech cargo burglaries following two separate but similar incidents involving professional theft rings, the sheriff’s office reported on May 6.
YCSO, in collaboration with federal agencies, is currently working to identify suspects linked to an organized criminal network.
The first incident occurred in Ash Fork on Tuesday, April 14. A tractor-trailer transporting a high-value load of tech products from California made a stop at a truck stop off I-40. Detectives discovered that a pair of Sprinter-style vans followed the truck into the parking lot. Then, in a highly coordinated move, the suspects waited for the truck driving team to enter the store before breaching the trailer doors.
In just 11 minutes, the thieves transferred four pallets into the waiting vans. The stolen merchandise is valued between $150,000 and $175,000.
YCSO detectives learned that two sprinter vans, one grey and one white, were involved in the heist, and the driver of the white van was identified as a Hispanic male.
The second heist occurred at approximately 5 a.m. on April 20. Authorities responded to a call from BNSF Railway regarding a burglarized railcar. In this instance, the suspects organized a sophisticated and planned attack on the train.
Through investigative methods, it was determined that the tactics used in both the truck burglary and the railcar burglary resemble the operations of an illegal criminal alien organization based out of Southern California.
Investigations into the thefts remain active and ongoing, YCSO said. The sheriff's office is asking the public and members of the trucking community to remain vigilant.
Anyone with information regarding Sprinter-style vans operating without license plates, or have observed suspicious activity near I-40 truck stops or rail lines, is asked to get in touch with local law enforcement.
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