Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, July 2, 2026:
Hazmat cleanup company requests HOS relief
Lone Star Haz Mat Response LLC, a company providing hazmat incident response, environmental cleanup and related emergency response services under contract with state and federal agencies -- including the Texas Department of Transportation and the Drug Enforcement Administration -- is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for an hours-of-service waiver for its “field response” drivers.
The requested exemption would allow those drivers to exceed HOS limits for the purpose of returning to their normal work reporting location or residence following hazardous materials incident response operations.
Lone Star said its drivers are dispatched only when they have sufficient hours available at the time of dispatch, yet, due to the unpredictable duration of incident response operations, drivers may exhaust their HOS limits while completing response activities.
The company estimated that the requested relief would only be used four or five times per month.
FMCSA is accepting public comments on the request here through July 30.
Railroad-assist fleet petitions FMCSA for HOS waiver
Mainline Services LLC is requesting from FMCSA an exemption that would exempt some of its drivers from certain hours-of-service regulations, including the 14-hour driving window and the 60/7- and 70/8-hour rules.
Mainline Services is a full-service railroad construction, maintenance-of-way, and emergency response contractor operating seven divisions across the U.S. that provides services including emergency derailment response, railcar dismantling, track construction and maintenance, heavy equipment recovery, disaster response, and rail infrastructure support. The company employs 135 drivers who operate and transport equipment designed to clear derailed or disabled trains and remove hazardous materials or other debris.
In its HOS relief request, the company said “many ‘unplanned events’ occur outside of normal business hours, and its drivers must travel to and work on or alongside railroad rights-of-way, often after having been on duty at their home base.”
The hours-of-service limitations when responding to those “unplanned events” can delay the drivers from reaching the location of the event, adding that “significant delays in restoring rail service and addressing public safety hazards may occur when drivers cannot travel to the incident location due to the HOS limitations encountered during mobilization.”
The company said that if granted the exemption, it will continue implementing and following these safety measures:
- Drivers will receive at least one hour of lead time before mobilizing equipment and beginning travel
- Drivers travel in convoys with escort vehicles positioned at the front and rear
- Vehicles are equipped with two-way radios
- Supervisors conduct radio checks every 30-45 minutes requiring each driver to confirm their status
- Supervisors train employees to recognize signs of driver fatigue
- Company policy clearly states that drivers are not required to operate a vehicle if they feel fatigued
FMCSA will accept public comments on Mainline’s request here through July 30.
Saia sponsoring NASCAR Cup Series car with patriotic scheme
Saia Inc. (CCJ Top 250, No. 18) will serve as the primary sponsor of Christopher Bell and the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry XSE during NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway over the Fourth of July weekend.
Featuring a patriotic paint scheme inspired by the holiday, the No. 20 Toyota will take to the track on July 5 as NASCAR fans gather to celebrate America’s independence and one of the sport’s most anticipated summer race weekends.
For Saia, the event represents more than a race sponsorship. The holiday provides an opportunity to recognize the men and women who serve their communities every day, from military members and veterans to the professional drivers who help keep America’s supply chain moving, the company said.
"Fourth of July weekend is a time to celebrate the values that bring people together, hard work, dedication and service," said Saia Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Saia Ray Ramu. "Those values are reflected both in the NASCAR community and throughout Saia's network. We're excited to partner with Christopher Bell and JGR at Chicagoland Speedway while also recognizing the organizations and individuals who make a difference in communities across the country."
Saia also highlighted its ongoing partnership with Wreaths Across America, through which Saia employees help transport and deliver wreaths to veterans' cemeteries across the country.
The Chicagoland Speedway event marks Saia's lone primary sponsorship race with Bell during the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season as part of the company's partnership with JGR, which includes seven races with Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 team.
Rush Enterprises expands network with big acquisition
Commercial vehicle dealership network Rush Enterprises has acquired certain assets of Peterbilt of Louisiana, expanding the company's dealership network into South Louisiana and strengthening its presence across the Gulf Coast.
The acquisition adds five full-service Peterbilt dealership locations, one collision center and one PacLease operation to the Rush Truck Centers network. The transaction adds 46 service bays, more than 23,000 square feet of parts storage and approximately 107,000 square feet of facility space to the company's footprint.
The locations, now operating as Rush Truck Centers and Rush Truck Leasing, are in Baton Rouge, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles and New Orleans.
"Peterbilt of Louisiana has built an outstanding reputation for serving customers throughout the region, and we are excited to welcome its employees to the Rush Enterprises family," said W.M. "Rusty" Rush, chairman, CEO and president of Rush Enterprises. "This acquisition strengthens our presence along the Gulf Coast, expands our service capabilities and positions us to better serve customers operating throughout one of the country's most important freight corridors. We look forward to building on the strong customer relationships the Peterbilt of Louisiana team has established over many years."
The locations will operate as part of Rush Truck Centers' newly formed Gulf South Region under the leadership of Regional General Manager Mark Kanitz.
With the acquisition, Rush Enterprises now boasts 167 Rush Truck Centers dealership locations and 61 Rush Truck Leasing locations across 24 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada.
