Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026:
Roehl offering $10,000 retention incentive
Roehl Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 57) this week announced the introduction of a $10,000 Retention Incentive for experienced CDL-A drivers who join the company beginning Nov. 2. The new incentive applies to most Roehl fleets and will be available to drivers who join the company through the week of Dec. 14.
The move follows two driver pay increases at Roehl so far this year.
"We recently enhanced our pay package with retention incentives for current drivers because we believe experience, commitment and longevity should be rewarded," said Tim Norlin, Vice President of Driver Employment for Roehl Transport. "This new $10,000 retention incentive extends that philosophy to experienced drivers looking for a company that truly invests in their success."
Unlike many sign-on bonuses in the trucking industry, Roehl's retention incentive is designed to reward drivers for building a lasting career, the company said. Experienced CDL-A drivers will receive their first $500 payment after hauling their first load, followed by an additional $500 every 10,000 miles, up to a total of $10,000.
Driver retention, pay and driver shortage took up three of the 10 spots on the American Transportation Research Institute's (ATRI) annual Top Industry Issues report released earlier this month.
PAM Transport seeks pre-CDL exemption
PAM Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 55) is requesting an exemption from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regs that would allow a commercial license permit holder who has passed the CDL skills test to operate without another CDL holder in the front seat prior to being issued CDL credentials.
Similar exemptions have been granted to a number of fleets, including C.R. England, Covenant and others.
In its request, PAM said a CDL holder would remain in the truck while the CLP holder is driving, but not necessarily in the passenger seat.
The company said the exemption, if granted, “would allow the CLP holder to begin employment in a timelier manner, strengthen their newly acquired driving skills, and participate in a revenue-generating trip back to their state of domicile to obtain their CDL documents.”
PAM estimated that approximately 500-700 CLP holders would operate each year under the terms of the exemption.
In granting previous exemptions like this one, FMCSA has contended that “CLP holders who have passed the CDL skills test are eligible to obtain a CDL without further training,” and as such, the only remaining step is to return to their home state to get the credential.
“If these CLP holders had obtained their training and CLPs in their state of domicile, they could immediately obtain their CDL at the in-State SDLA and immediately begin driving a CMV without any on-board supervision,” FMCSA said in granting Covenant’s exemption in September.
FMCSA is accepting public comments on PAM’s request through Nov. 27.
Grote’s lighting exemption request reopened for comments
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has reopened the comment period for an exemption request from Grote Industries to allow motor carriers to operate CMVs equipped with auxiliary warning lamps controlled by Grote's Rear-End Collision Warning (RCW) system.
FMCSA previously accepted comments on the request in February, but Grote has now provided additional information the design and operation of the RCW system, including the color and activation sequence of the auxiliary warning lamps, the interaction between the RCW and brake-activated warning functions, system operation on combination vehicles, and the operation of the radar detection system.
As originally reported, Grote’s RCW system uses rear-facing, long-range radar to calculate time-to-collision (TTC) for vehicles approaching from behind and activates auxiliary warning lamps when a collision risk threshold is reached. The system activates a signal circuit when the TTC is less than or equal to a specific safety threshold -- typically between 2.1 and 4.0 seconds -- which represents the average time required for a driver and vehicle to react to a hazard.
In documents later provided to FMCSA upon request, Grote clarified that when operating as part of the RCW system, the auxiliary warning lamps pulse in amber for up to four seconds with each activation of the RCW signal circuit and do not transition to a steady-burning red indication. Grote explained that the transition from amber pulsation to steady-burning red is associated with the brake-activated auxiliary pulsating lamp function, not the RCW warning function.
The RCW system uses the same auxiliary lamps used by its brake-activated auxiliary pulsating lamp system. When an RCW event and a braking event occur at the same time, Grote said the brake-activated function takes precedence over the RCW function, so when the service brakes are applied during an RCW event, the auxiliary lamps would transition from the RCW warning sequence to the applicable brake-activated warning sequence.
Additionally, Grote clarified that the RCW system does not require the vehicle’s driver to activate or otherwise interact with the system and that operation of the RCW radar would not interfere with other radar-based vehicle detection systems.
FMCSA is accepting comments on the supplemental information here through Nov. 19.
[Related: Lighting manufacturer, fleet seek exemption for flashing rear lights]
Tanker fleet requests lighting exemption
On the topic of lighting exemptions, fuel distribution fleet R.B. Stewart Petroleum Products has petitioned FMCSA for an exemption that would allow the company to install Intellistop lighting modules on its vehicles.
The Intellistop modules, which have been approved by FMCSA for use by other fleets, pulses the rear clearance, identification, and brake lamps from low-level lighting intensity to high-level lighting intensity 4 times in 2 seconds when the brakes are applied, and then return the lights to a steady-burning state while the brakes remain engaged.
R.B. Stewart said using the modules would enhance visibility of its vehicles under braking and provide an additional layer of protection from rear-end collisions.
FMCSA is accepting comments on the request here through Nov. 25.
[Related: House says 'no' to blanket pulsating brake light provision]
