Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, March 11, 2026:
Diesel prices rising, but truck stops say no shortage
Diesel prices jumped almost $1 per gallon during the week ending March 9, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA). The EIA’s national average for a gallon of on-highway diesel is up to $4.86—96.2 cents higher than the prior week’s average at the beginning of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict.
The average cost of a gallon of diesel is $1.28 higher right now than it was at the same time last year, according to the EIA.
About 20% of the world’s energy supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the beginning of the Iran conflict. There doesn’t, however, appear to be much lingering concern in the near term about diesel supply stateside, other than how much it costs.
Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, vice president of public affairs at the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO), told CCJ the organization's members haven’t expressed concern about tightening diesel supply as the situation in Iran continues to play out. Similarly, Love’s told CCJ it has not experienced outages at its locations. Pilot and TravelCenters of America did not respond.
ATA’s Women in Motion urges Congress for more truck parking
The American Trucking Associations’ Women In Motion (WIM) Council has called on two congressional committees to prioritize expanding access to truck parking in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization.
WIM Chair Emily Williams sent the letters to the leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works in response to feedback from WIM members that a lack of truck parking is severely limiting opportunities for women to pursue trucking careers.
The two committees are tasked with updating and extending the nation’s highway programs before they expire on Sept. 30, 2026.
“Amenities like lighted parking lots, bathroom access, and on-site security are not simply matters of convenience – they are essential to ensuring women’s safety and wellbeing,” Williams wrote. “Serious safety implications exist for the broader public as well. When trucks are forced to park in unmarked and unauthorized locations, such as along highway ramps, it creates hazards for truck drivers and motorists alike, contributing to thousands of crashes each year.”
Williams added that investing in truck parking “would address a basic safety and workforce necessity for our nation’s 3.6 million truck drivers, including hundreds of thousands of women truck drivers, who deserve a safe, secure place to rest at the end of their shifts.”
Legislation passed earlier this year to fund the government through Sept. 30, for the first time, included $200 million in earmarked specifically for truck parking.
[Related: Funding bill signed into law enshrines ELP as an OOS violation]
NMFTA launches new tool to help prevent freight fraud
A new resource for motor carriers, shippers, brokers and others in trucking has launched with the goal of helping educate, detect and prevent the growing threat of freight fraud.
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s new Freight Fraud Prevention Hub serves as a centralized destination for educational content, practical tools, and timely insights focused on carrier identity, impersonation risks, and fraud-prevention best practices, the organization said.
As of October 2025, $6.6 billion is the annual cost of freight fraud to the U.S. transportation industry according to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). CargoNet’s annual analysis reported the average value per theft rose to $273,990, up 36% from $202,364 in 2024.
“As freight fraud continues to rise across the industry, education and verification are critical,” said Joe Ohr, chief operating officer for NMFTA. “The Hub reflects the industry’s commitment to protecting the integrity of carrier identification and supporting the entire supply chain with clear, actionable resources.”
The Freight Fraud Prevention Hub launch coincides with NMFTA’s SCAC Verified campaign. While the recent launch of SCAC Verified strengthens carrier identity verification, the Hub provides the industry with education, tools, and best practices to detect and prevent fraud across the supply chain, NMFTA said.
The Freight Fraud Prevention Hub currently offers:
- Freight fraud prevention best practices to help organizations reduce risk
- "Fraud Basics" educational content explaining how fraud works, and how it impacts the transportation system
- Expert webinars and insights with industry leaders sharing real-world fraud trends and prevention strategies
- Ongoing insights and partner contributions to help organizations stay ahead of emerging fraud threats
