Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 24, 2026:
Trucking org execs update on trucking clean-up efforts
The Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC), made up of state and national trucking association executives, this week released a progress report documenting federal and state action to remove illegal operators, strengthen regulatory oversight and restore fairness for trucking companies and professional drivers.
The report follows TAEC’s release last fall of its Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety, an action plan identifying regulatory and enforcement gaps that allowed unsafe and fraudulent operators to enter the trucking industry.
Since then, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and state governments have acted across nearly every priority identified in the plan, producing measurable results, the group said.
“This progress demonstrates what can happen when the trucking industry and its regulators recognize a problem, work together toward solutions,” said Tony Bradley, president and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association and chairman of TAEC. “Legitimate carriers and professional drivers have invested too much in safety and compliance to be undercut by operators who exploit gaps in the system. We are encouraged by the results, committed to keeping this momentum going.”
The progress report highlights extensive enforcement and reform efforts, including:
- Nearly 10,000 CDL schools removed from the federal Training Provider Registry
- 550 fraudulent CDL schools shut down
- $217 million in new federal safety and CDL integrity investments
- 704 investigations of high-risk carriers, with 430 carriers voluntarily ceasing operations and another 60-70 shut down
- 3,200 visa revocations tied to cabotage enforcement
- Audits of all 50 states’ CDL programs and non-domiciled CDL issuance
- More than 194,000 non-domiciled CDLs that will no longer qualify under strengthened federal requirements
- $273 million in highway funding withheld from noncompliant states
- More than 27,000 drivers placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations
- 76 noncompliant electronic logging device platforms removed from the approved registry and 426 blocked
- More than 20 states engaged in legislative action
The original Trucking Resurgence plan focused on seven areas: CDL integrity, federal motor carrier safety data, cross-border workforce integrity, non-domiciled CDLs, English-language proficiency, trucking fraud and ELDs. Many of the plan’s recommendations called for better use of existing authority, stronger verification and more consistent enforcement.
Despite the progress, the report emphasizes that sustained enforcement and additional reform remain necessary. It also highlights the need to ensure FMCSA has the staffing required to identify high-risk operators before they endanger the motoring public.
[Related: Trucking association leaders offer recommendations on getting bad actors out of industry]
Fleetmaster Express enhances driver pay package
Family-owned trucking company Fleetmaster Express has introduced a new driver compensation package designed to reward truck drivers with higher starting pay, quarterly performance incentives and enhanced opportunities to earn more through sign-on and referral bonuses.
Under the new pay package company drivers will receive starting pay between 57 and 62 cents per mile based on hiring location, which includes Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.
In addition to the new base pay, Fleetmaster Express drivers can earn up to an additional 3 cents per mile every quarter through the company's new Quarterly Mileage Incentive. Under the incentive program, drivers can earn:
- An extra 1 cent per mile for driving at least 30,000 miles during the quarter
- An extra 1 cent per mile for maintaining an idle percentage below 20%
- An extra 1 cent per mile for having no preventable accidents
"Our drivers are the foundation of everything we do," said Travis Smith, president at Fleetmaster Express. "This new pay package recognizes the value they bring to our customers every day while rewarding the habits that make great drivers successful. We're investing in our drivers because we know their success is our success."
Eligible Regional and OTR drivers can also receive a sign-on bonus of up to $3,000, paid quickly after joining Fleetmaster Express:
- $1,000 after the first full week
- $1,000 after 30 days
- $1,000 after 60 days
Current Fleetmaster Express drivers can also earn up to $3,000 for every qualified driver they refer. Referral bonus payments include:
- $1,000 after the referred driver completes their first full week
- $1,000 after 30 days
- $1,000 after 60 days
New U.S.-Canada border crossing bridge opening Monday
Every day, hundreds of millions of dollars in trade cross the U.S.-Canada border between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, making it the busiest international land border crossing in North America.
The new Gordie Howe International Bridge, opening to traffic on Monday, July 27, will be a vital economic link between the U.S. and Canada.
Spanning the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, the six-lane, cable-stayed bridge will link I-75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario. The crossing includes modern ports of entry on both sides of the border equipped with advanced screening and border management technologies, creating one of the most advanced and secure land border crossings in North America.
The bridge will look to ease traffic at the two busiest border crossings connecting the U.S. and Canada -- the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. It will give large trucks a second option in the area, as large trucks are not allowed in the tunnel.
To support this opening and ensure that benefits are felt on both sides of the border, Canada and the United States have agreed to a series of cooperative measures focused on toll governance and transparency, as well as investments in the region, including through the establishment of a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) has also announced toll rates and, with Bridging North America (BNA), launched “Breakaway,” a toll discount program for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Drivers in vehicles equipped with Breakaway tags will drive to any open toll lane. In less than five seconds, charges will be attributed to their account, the boom will lift, and they will continue on their journey.
Commercial trucks, oversized vehicles and larger passenger vehicles will pay a standard toll of $12 CAD/$8.75 USD per axle, with a Breakaway rate of $9.60 CAD/$6.90 USD per axle.
Trailer orders see typical June slowdown as cancellations fall
Net orders for U.S. trailers slowed in June due to seasonal trends, but a retreat in order cancellations provided a bright spot, according to a report released by ACT Research.
June’s cancellation rate dropped to 1% of the backlog, down nearly half from May’s elevated 1.9% level. The decline pushes cancellations back to the top of the industry’s target range, signaling stabilization across the sector.
Jennifer McNealy, director of commercial vehicle market research and publications at ACT Research, noted that high cancellations were reported in most segments, "meaning the situation was broad-based."”
Motor carriers added more than 8,700 trailers in the second quarter of this year, according to data from RigDig, a company owned by CCJ parent company Fusable.
Overall net U.S. trailer orders fell to 13,500 units in June – down roughly 35% from May and nearly 9% lower than June 2025 levels, the firm’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers report showed.
Net orders have outpaced production in four of the first six months of 2026. However, June reversed that trend as manufacturers built roughly 4,500 more trailers than were ordered, shrinking an already thin industry backlog by 5% month-over-month.
Despite the backlog compression and ongoing market concerns, ACT Research noted that broader industry optimism is rising, driven by stabilizing cancellation trends, improving freight rates, and clearer regulatory policy.
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