Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Feb. 27, 2026:
Wilson Logistics gets pre-CDL waiver renewed
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has renewed an exemption for Wilson Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 185) that allows a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holder to drive without a truck without a CDL holder in the front seat, as long as the CLP holder has passed the CDL skills test.
The fleet requested the renewal in December and has held the exemption since Feb. 23, 2021. It was set to expire Feb. 23, 2026.
Despite 65 of the 74 comments received by FMCSA being opposed to renewing the waiver, FMCSA said, “if these CLP holders had passed the skills test in their home State of domicile, they could immediately obtain their permanent or temporary CDL and begin driving CMVs without any on-board supervision.”
But because they passed the skills test away from their home state, they “must obtain the physical CDL credential from their State of domicile. The exemption therefore permits these individuals who are employed by Wilson Logistics to work productively as team CMV drivers during the period between passing the CDL skills test and receiving their CDL, without requiring the accompanying CDL holders to be on duty and in the front seat.”
The renewed waiver is effective through Feb. 24, 2031.
As a registered training provider with FMCSA, Wilson Logistics administers the CDL test for prospective driver employees, which the company calls “pre-apprentices,” that have completed the company’s CDL training program. Since the initial granting of its exemption in 2021, the company has trained 1,381 prospective driver employees and successfully tested and approved 1,264, or 91.5%, of these individuals.
Wilson describes its program as a company-sponsored, hands-on, on-the-job, pre-apprentice CDL training program accessible only to Wilson Logistics prospective driver employees.
While participating in the driver training, the pre-apprentices are not employed by Wilson Logistics. Once pre-apprentices obtain their CDL, they receive an offer of employment from Wilson.
Once a Wilson pre-apprentice has passed the CDL test, a Wilson trainer accompanies the CLP holder for their first 30,000 miles. For the first 10,000 miles, the trainer is in the front passenger seat of the CMV; during the remaining 20,000 miles, the trainer is in the truck, although not necessarily in the front seat of the vehicle. Trainers also accompany the CLP holders when they return to their state of domicile to receive their CDL after having passed the test.
Current regulations require that CLP holders always be accompanied by a valid CDL holder physically present in the front seat of the vehicle next to the CLP holder.
[Related: Top 250 fleet requests renewal of pre-CDL operation waiver]
Massachusetts legislation would harmonize ‘superload’ permitting
In an effort to harmonize permitting for “superloads” in the Northeast, the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association (SC&RA) is advocating in Massachusetts and elsewhere to improve the permitting process.
In Massachusetts in particular, SC&RA’s advocacy has helped lead to the introduction of legislation in both chambers of the state’s legislature that would increase the weight limit threshold for acquiring a superload permit to 199,000 pounds in gross vehicle weight from the current 130,000-pound limit -- “the most restrictive in the region,” the group noted.
In letters to both chambers of the Massachusetts legislature, SC&RA said the change “would directly align Massachusetts’ weight limit with the states of Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. The other New England states have limits and flexibilities built into their systems that make moving from one state to another more seamless as well.”
The legislation also would require the Massachusetts DOT to create an application and fee schedule for expedited superload permits, which is also common in surrounding states.
Finally, the legislation would authorize MassDOT to set appropriate terms and conditions for superload permits, ensuring a balance between safety, efficiency, and economic productivity, the group said.
Speaking Wednesday during the SC&RA Transportation Symposium in Birmingham, Alabama, current association Transportation Committee Chair Joanna Jungels, permit manager at Minnesota-headquartered ATS, Inc., outlined not only the push in Massachusetts but permit harmonization/modernization efforts ongoing in North Dakota, Tennessee, Oklahoma Colorado, Utah and California.
“We’re working with Kentucky on a new permit system” started in 2025, too, Jungels said, with lots of layers of difficulty in implemented. “Getting common routes denied is happening” in what’s a partially automated system like most in states who’ve moved to some measure of auto-issue permitting.
Jungels and the association hope engagement from oversize/overweight haulers and state officials, with whom the association has long sought to be a bridge, will answer the key question of “how can we help them [states] help us,” fundamentally, she said.
There are plenty bright spots in the notoriously variable permitting system state-to-state, yet also among policymakers. Jungels noted SC&RA would be watching closely federal and state investigatory and regulatory efforts aimed at rooting out trucking’s “bad actors,” she said, some of whom have been seen even in the oversize/overweight world “cutting corners, ignoring best practices and risking the safety of the motoring public.”
She went on to caution state and federal officials against “overly broad” response, with unnecessary restrictions that could make maintaining “our standards as professional operators” so difficult “we run the risk of losing out.”
At once, she sees potential with the new Congressional Trucking Caucus and a Trump administration with stability, for now, at the helm of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Could the 30-minute rest break exemption for oversize/overweight haulers, which SC&RA has long been able to extend, now be made permanent? There’s a chance, she said. --Todd Dills contributed to this report
Nebraska Trucking Association to offer TCA educational resources at discount to members
The Nebraska Trucking Association (NTA) and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) announced a strategic partnership designed to bring world-class education to Nebraska’s carriers.
The NTA is the first state trucking association to enter an educational partnership with TCA, one that provides even more essential professional development to Nebraska’s trucking community, the groups said.
NTA members already have access to the its robust training opportunities. Now through this collaboration, NTA members and non-members alike will gain access to TCA’s professional development program catalog and receive exclusive discount pricing, ensuring that Nebraska’s trucking professionals have the tools they need to lead with safety, efficiency, and innovation.
This partnership provides a clear path for professional growth in trucking, including:
- For small fleets: Small Carrier University (SCU) delivers high-level training in Operations, Maintenance, and Safety Performance – accessible from your home or office.
- For safety leaders: The Fundamentals of Safety Management offers a 7-course on-demand foundation for aspiring and veteran safety professionals.
- For current and future executives: The Online Leadership Series features six live virtual sessions (April – Sept 2026) and 10 on-demand modules focused on day-to-day leadership strategies.
- For HR and recruiting: The Online Recruitment & Retention Series provides a high-energy masterclass on attracting and keeping the best talent in a competitive market.
- For specialized knowledge: Access more than 175 on-demand webinars covering the industry’s most pressing topics, from AI to HR law.
On March 3, registration for the TCA professional development catalog will open through the NTA at nebtrucking.com/training.
“This is such an exciting time to be part of the NTA,” said association President and CEO Kent Grisham. “With the construction of our new training center well underway, and now the addition of TCA and NATMI training opportunities, the trucking industry in Nebraska will truly be the safest and most productive in the country.”
