Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, April 23, 2026:
Bill to crack down on freight fraud introduced in U.S. House
Companion legislation to a bill introduced earlier this year in the U.S. Senate that aims to address numerous issues related to freight fraud and cargo theft in the U.S. has been introduced in the U.S. House.
The Securing American Freight, Enforcement, and Reliability Transport Act,” or the SAFER Transport Act, was introduced earlier this year by Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana). Last week, Rep. Brad Knott (R-North Carolina) introduced the bill in the House. As reported when it was first introduced, the bill would strengthen federal efforts to prevent, detect, and punish freight fraud and cargo theft perpetrators across the transportation ecosystem.
Among other provisions, the legislation would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to establish a “Freight Fraud and Theft Advisory Committee” to take public input on how to reduce fraud and theft, and provide input and recommendations to the Transportation Secretary and Congress. It would also require a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the DOT and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to formalize how agencies handle information related to freight fraud.
"For too long, criminals and bad actors have exploited weak enforcement and outdated systems to target our freight network,” Knott said. “The SAFER Transport Act restores integrity, builds real guardrails, and gives our drivers and businesses the tools to stop fraud and theft. When we secure America's roads, we protect cargo, jobs, families, and our nation’s economy."
Other provisions include:
- Phasing out MC numbers within 5 years of the bill’s enactment, if passed, and transitioning to using only USDOT numbers.
- Withholding registration and obtaining a USDOT number from anyone convicted of a felony related to theft, fraud and more in commercial transportation operations.
- Requiring motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders to notify the FMCSA of a change in ownership, including through purchase, sale, merger, acquisition or other transfer, within 30 days.
- Requiring states provide monthly reports to the Transportation Secretary about the number of CLPs, CDLs, non-domiciled CDLs and endorsements issued, as well as the number of, and justification for, revocations, suspensions and downgrades.
- Improving the Training Provider Registry by establishing an audit process, requiring providers register a principal place of business (PPOB) and more.
- Requiring FMCSA to develop and implement one or more automated systems to flag suspicious activity in the registration system or by motor carriers, brokers and others. FMCSA would be required to review each flagged user to determine whether they engaged in fraud.
- Improving enforcement of cabotage laws.
- Requiring “foreign dispatch services” to register as brokers. Foreign dispatch services are defined in the bill as those not located in the U.S., Mexico or Canada, that act as a direct licensed agent on behalf of one or more motor carriers.
[Related: SAFER Transport Act would require prosecution of fraudsters, ban felons from freight]
PlusAI calls off plan to take company public
Autonomous trucking tech company PlusAI has terminated a previously planned business combination with Churchill Capital Corp IX.
The move, announced in January but called off this week due to “market conditions,” would have given the artificial intelligence company a public listing on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol PLS.
“Our business has significant momentum. With strong expected revenue in 2026 and continued growth on the horizon in 2027, we are executing on our strategy and delivering real value to our customers. SuperDrive is proving itself in commercial operations today and HyperFoundry is picking up momentum,” said David Liu, CEO and Co-Founder of PlusAI. "The trajectory ahead gives us tremendous confidence in where PlusAI is headed. The support from our existing investors on our next capital raise is a direct reflection of their conviction in our business fundamentals and our technology."
[Related: PlusAI expects to launch factory-built autonomous trucks next year]
CDL applicant pleads guilty for bribing skills tester
A prospective CDL holder from Idaho has pleaded guilty to federal program bribery for bribing a CDL skills test examiner.
Ryan Basnaw, 29, of Meridian, Idaho, admitted to, on July 2, 2025, offering and agreeing to give a CDL skills tester $500 cash in exchange for a passing score on a CDL skills test without ever taking the test.
Basnaw did so corruptly and with the intent to influence and reward the CDL skills tester, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, so that he could have three restrictions removed from his CDL without taking the required CDL skills test.
Basnaw is scheduled to be sentenced on June 16 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
Top truck stops for women truckers
The American Trucking Associations’ Women in Motion (WIM) Council and Trucker Path have identified the “Top 3 Women-Friendly Truck Stops” that have met all seven WIM criteria and scored highest on ratings by app users.
The WIM criteria are based on input from women drivers and include: lighted parking, lighted bathroom access, lighted lounge areas, lighted showers, lighted laundry facilities, 24/7 maintenance, and on-site security.
In 2024, and in partnership with WIM, Trucker Path built functionality into its app that enabled drivers to search for WIM-friendly amenities. To date, more than 12,000 truck stops have added information indicating the availability of at least one of these amenities, and nearly 250 now offer all seven.
The Top 3 Women-Friendly Truck Stops based on the criteria and ratings are:
- Compass Travel Center in DeMotte, Indiana, which was also rated number 25 on the Trucker Path Top 100 Truck Stops list.
- Garden Inn Truck Plaza in Mound City, Missouri
- Talent Truck Stop in Talent, Oregon
“Expanding the number of places where women drivers can safely stop and rest while on the road has been a key focus for WIM,” said Nikki Thomas, ATA vice president of industry affairs. “We congratulate the top three highest rated truck stops that have focused on this important objective and thank Trucker Path for helping make the road safer for women drivers.”
Women drivers consistently rank access to safe parking as their top obstacle.
“Amenities like lighted parking lots, bathroom access, and on-site security are not simply matters of convenience -- they are essential to ensuring women’s wellbeing,” Thomas added. “One of the most rewarding outcomes of the WIM-Trucker Path partnership has been hearing directly from truck stop owners who have added or upgraded amenities to help women feel safer at their facilities.”
Women drivers who download the Trucker Path app can search for stops along routes and select “More” to select the amenities that are important to them at those stops.
