Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Jan. 26, 2026:
House funding bill includes money for truck parking, codifies ELP as OOS
The U.S. House on Thursday passed legislation that will provide funding for several areas of the government, including the Department of Transportation. The measure is a bipartisan effort and cleared the chamber with a 341-88 vote. It will now move to the Senate, where it will need to be approved to become law.
While the bill also includes funding for the Pentagon and departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, some DOT-related provisions are related to the trucking industry.
After legislation was introduced last year that would codify President Trump’s executive order requiring English language proficiency for truck drivers, the DOT appropriations legislation includes a provision that would require the DOT secretary to update federal regulations to ensure that non-compliance with the ELP requirement in 49 Code of Federal Regulations 391.11(b)(2) triggers an out-of-service order.
The legislation also earmarks $200 million solely for projects that provide commercial vehicle parking. Projects eligible for the funding would have to “be within reasonable access to or in the right of way of an Interstate highway, the National Highway System, or the National Highway Freight Network,” according to the legislation. The bill would also bar any funding recipients from charging fees to truck drivers to use parking constructed, expanded, opened, maintained, or improved with a grant using the funding.
Language of the bill would also not allow any of the $200 million for truck parking to be used “for the construction, or development phase activities that would enable the construction, of charging or fueling infrastructure for the propulsion of a vehicle, including a commercial motor vehicle.”
Finally, the bill would also ban the use of funds by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to require the use of electronic logging devices for CMVs transporting livestock or insects -- an exemption that has been in place since the implementation of the ELD rule.
Unlike the first draft of the fiscal year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill introduced last summer, the version approved Thursday does not include a ban on the promulgation of a rule to require speed limiters on heavy-duty trucks. It also removed a provision to protect the federal preemption determination as regards California’s meal and rest break rule.
With this bill’s passage, the House has now passed all 12 annual appropriations measures to keep various departments open through Sept. 30. The Senate is expected to vote on the bills before the Jan. 30 deadline.
FedEx Freight offering private senior notes ahead of spin-off
FedEx Corp. (CCJ Top 250, No. 1) announced today that FedEx Freight Holding Company has begun a private offering of senior notes, which are a type of bond.
The notes are being offered to help fund the proposed spin-off of FedEx Freight from FedEx, which will result in FedEx Freight owning and operating FedEx’s less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation services business, including FedEx Freight Direct and LTL Select, and the other businesses, including FedEx Custom Critical. The spin-off is expected to be completed on June 1.
FedEx Freight Holding intends to distribute the net proceeds from the offering of the notes to FedEx as part of the consideration for FedEx’s contribution of assets in connection with the spin-off.
The notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 and are being offered and sold only to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States to non-U.S. persons in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act.
[Related: FedEx has filed paperwork for FedEx Freight spinoff]
Peninsula Truck Lines announces surcharge for loads in Pacific Northwest
Peninsula Truck Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 202) has announced that it will implement a Pacific Northwest Compliance Surcharge to help offset the rising regulatory and compliance costs associated with operating in Washington and Oregon.
Effective April 6, the surcharge will be $3 per shipment and will apply to all freight originating in or destined for Washington or Oregon. The surcharge will be itemized separately on customer invoices.
“Peninsula Truck Lines has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, and we are committed to serving this region safely, responsibly, and in full compliance with all applicable regulations,” said Tim Vander Pol, President and Chief Steward of Peninsula Truck Lines. “This surcharge reflects a portion of the additional costs required to operate in an increasingly complex regulatory environment, while continuing to provide the high level of service our customers expect.”
Over the past several years, both Washington and Oregon have enacted a range of transportation, labor, environmental, and payroll regulations that have significantly increased the cost of providing freight services, the company said. These measures include fuel-related programs, payroll and benefits mandates, and transportation funding packages that increase fuel taxes, registration and weight fees, and administrative requirements.
Collectively, Peninsula said the changes have resulted in higher operating, reporting, and compliance costs for motor carriers serving the Pacific Northwest.
“Peninsula Truck Lines has made extensive efforts to absorb these costs internally and improve efficiency before implementing the surcharge,” said Vander Pol. “The company will continue to evaluate operational efficiencies while maintaining its focus on safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance.”
