Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Dec. 5, 2025:
Alabama joins forces with ICE in trucking immigration crackdown
A collaboration between the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that began in October has resulted in 82 truck drivers being detained by ICE for immigration offenses.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Dec. 4 announced the results of the collaborative effort through ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit (MCSU). The partnership, initiated October 27, has yielded substantial operational successes and strengthened public safety along Alabama’s major interstate corridors, Ivey noted.
As part of its targeted enforcement strategy, ALEA focused on high-crash rural interstate corridors, where commercial vehicle traffic is heavy and safety risks are elevated. Since the partnership began, approximately 242 individuals encountered during CMV inspections have been referred to ICE for immigration status checks. Of those, ICE detained 82 individuals based on their immigration status. Among the 82 detained, 12 did not have a driver’s license of any kind, and the remaining held out-of-state licenses.
The majority of the 82 detentions occurred during two targeted operations conducted Oct. 27-30, and Nov. 16-18. Additionally, ICE personnel have been integrated into ALEA’s routine commercial vehicle enforcement assignments when available.
“Alabama is leading the way when it comes to going after illegal bad actors in trucking,” Gov. Ivey said. “I’m proud of ALEA for taking decisive action and grateful for our strong partnership with ICE. Alabama will not look the other way while illegal immigration and illegal operators threaten the safety of our communities or undermine the integrity of our trucking industry.”
Alabama Trucking Association President & CEO Mark Colson praised the coordinated efforts and emphasized their importance to the industry.
“Alabama’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned small businesses and professional drivers who follow the rules and operate safely, but a growing number of illegal operators and bad actors who exploit regulatory loopholes are compromising safety and undercutting hard-working Alabamians who move our economy,” said Colson. “Fortunately, due to the leadership and enforcement actions by Gov. Kay Ivey and ALEA, Alabama is doing its part to keep our highways safe and keep the bad actors out of the trucking industry.”
Colson added that Alabama’s recent actions “align with the trucking industry’s Trucking Resurgence action plan, which is a nationwide roadmap to systematically root out those in trucking who operate illegally and harm the reputation of a strong and proud industry.”
[Related: Trucking association leaders offer recommendations on getting bad actors out of industry]
Fleet owner sentenced for tax evasion, ordered to pay $1.9M in restitution
A trucking company owner from Stark County, Ohio, has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion.
Alice F. Martin, 66, of Louisville, Ohio, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent, after pleading guilty in August to Attempt to Evade and Defeat Income Tax, and Attempt to Evade and Defeat Payment of Tax. She was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and to pay $1,971,660.86 in restitution.
According to court documents, Martin attempted to evade the payment of taxes, penalties, and interest tied to a trucking company that she owned and operated under the name of Martin Logistics. The tax evasion scheme consisted of a plan to phase out the company after it became burdened with tax debt as a strategy to avoid paying taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
However, Martin intended to continue operating her trucking business through a new company, TSA Transportation. Income that TSA Transportation received was then deposited into a bank account for another business entity that Martin owned and controlled, A.F. Martin.
She also placed Martin Logistics’ assets, such as trucks and trailers, under the name of yet another company she established, Martin Global.
IRS investigators found that from around 2013 to 2018, Martin directed approximately $18 million in gross receipts from TSA Transportation to be deposited into the bank account of the A.F. Martin company. The investigation concluded that she did not report $3.6 million in taxable income and failed to pay approximately $1.2 million in federal taxes due between 2013 and 2018.
IRS Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) conducted the investigation leading to the indictment.
Border Patrol turns back two Mexican truck drivers for cabotage
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the I-19 immigration checkpoint in Nogales, Arizona, recently sent two Mexican national truck drivers back to Mexico during immigration inspections.
Border Patrol agents conducting the inspections “determined the drivers, who were Mexican nationals, were determined to be in violation of multiple federal regulations, including cabotage laws.”
The drivers were returned to Mexico and informed that their border crossing cards would be processed for revocation due to violations of their visa terms. The drivers retrieved personal belongings from the trucks, and the units were towed. Truck owners were notified of the enforcement actions.
Cabotage laws bar the transportation of goods or passengers between two points within the United States by foreign carriers or drivers. These laws are designed to ensure that domestic transportation services are reserved for U.S. companies and workers, preventing unfair competition from foreign entities.
