Is 2026 the right year to sell a trucking company?

Plus: AI for load status updates | The cost of missing small details

After a slowdown in 2025, M&A activity may be poised for a rebound. We break down what experts are seeing and share one trucking executive’s experience navigating an acquisition.

Plus, some food for thought on big-picture thinking vs. a focus on details in trucking leadership.

Oh, and just a typical day at a Love's travel stop.

ROADSIDE READS

Calling all carriers. The American Trucking Associations has launched a survey to assess driver compensation—everything from pay to benefits to bonuses.

Q&A. This interview with Cowan’s president shares his viewpoints on the acquisition by Schneider and how it’s helped the business.

Safety first. Dive deep into road safety data, risk factors and top predictions in this report.

A really wide load. Check out photos and videos of this truck hauling an entire building.

INDUSTRY VOICES

The importance of details in the trucking industry

Do you consider yourself a big-picture thinker or a detail-oriented person? Turns out, both qualities are necessary to be a successful trucking leader, according to Mike Stanton, COO of Lily Transportation.

Stanton writes that the little things often help differentiate one business from another. Even a typo in a proposal to a shipper could have the potential customer wondering, what other details is this carrier overlooking?

“When a business gets the small stuff right, it instills confidence in its customers that it is getting the big stuff right as well,” Stanton writes.

Why this matters: Leadership is often described as having a 30,000-foot view. But in an industry as precise as trucking, the small details matter just as much. Fleet managers who can think in both mindsets will help set up their businesses for success. (CCJ Digital)

FAST LANE

CDL COMPLIANCE: N.J. restarts issuance of non-domiciled CDLs

VOLUME SURGE? SCOTUS tariff ruling could boost freight volumes

CHAPTER 11: Trucking company STG Logistics files for bankruptcy

COMBAT CRIME: House committee passes bill targeting cargo theft

REPAIR RIGHTS: OOIDA tells Congress to let fleets use independent repair shops

SURVEY SAYS: 42% of transportation leaders not yet exploring agentic AI

SEEN & HEARD

"It’s eating the lunch of American truckers, because it’s driving down to unreasonable levels the compensation for truck drivers."- Steven Bradbury, Deputy Secretary of Transportation

At the Transportation Research Board's annual meeting, Bradbury mentioned the DOT's planned efforts to use AI to identify and combat fraud in the trucking industry. He spoke about instances of trucking companies illegally hiring foreign workers, pushing down wages across the board. (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine)

ROAD REPORT

Trucking M&A slow in 2025 but could rebound in 2026

Merger and acquisition activity in the trucking sphere was slow last year amid economic and market uncertainty. In fact, global deal volume for transportation and logistics in 2025 fell almost 22% from 2024 and about 36% from 2021. But analysts anticipate more optimism and M&A activity for this year.

Why this matters: For small trucking carriers interested in selling their businesses, there may be a more favorable economic climate this year to make a deal. In addition, highly specialized companies drew interest from buyers even in a slow M&A year, and that trend will likely continue in 2026. (Transport Topics)

CONNECTED FLEET

Penske deploys AI ‘teammates’ for freight visibility

Penske Logistics is rolling out an AI tool to track down load updates. The AI agent, by the company Augment, proactively contacts carriers and dispatchers to check the status of a shipment in real time. In its initial phase, Penske said it expects the tool to validate the status of 600,000 loads and expects productivity gains of up to 40%.

Why this matters: Real-time visibility continues to be a sticking point in the logistics world, with some shipments requiring employees to make phone calls, taking time away from more strategic work. Penske’s rollout shows one way AI has the potential to boost visibility and productivity. (FreightWaves)