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Regulatory enforcement and CDL school crackdowns are shrinking capacity, and the FMCSA considers making out-of-service the permanent rule for English proficiency violations. The agency wants your comments on that potential change.
Plus, we’ve got the latest on diesel and driver pay. Spoiler: both are up.
Before we get into it, check this out. The X-ray reveals all — including the man you tried to hide in your truck!
A quick note: We know diesel prices are impacting drivers across the U.S. Write in and tell us how you’re being impacted and what you’re doing to keep the wheels turning.
⬇️ $6.382
AVG. COST OF DIESEL PER GALLON IN U.S. AS OF 09/28, DOWN -0.147¢
ROADSIDE READS
Another record. Talking about record diesel prices is starting to feel like a broken record … one analyst said he wouldn’t be surprised to see $7.25 per gallon, and small carriers without fuel discounts or surcharge programs may take a hit. California is already above $8 a gallon.
Diesel consequence. Surging fuel costs have all kinds of ripple effects, including higher prices for goods that trucks haul (aka, pretty much everything). But here’s another impact: school bus routes may be cut back or halted altogether, making it challenging if not impossible for many kids to get to school.
Fact or fiction? Rumors have been swirling about a trucker strike taking place this week. Fact-checkers and many in the industry say … not happening.
Ride along. CNBC went for a ride in an Aurora driverless truck. Check out the video here — do you think it’s cool or creepy that no one’s behind the wheel?
Business launch. A military veteran received a very nice gift: a Freightliner Cascadia to help jumpstart building his own trucking business.
INDUSTRY VOICES
“We believe Roehl drivers should earn more.”
No “synergies,” “paradigm shift,” or other corporate jargon from Roehl Transport CEO Rick Roehl — just a refreshingly straightforward and true statement, and Roehl is taking action to match his words. The trucking firm announced a driver pay hike of 7-11% effective Oct. 4. That’s after the carrier raised pay 3-6% in June. Roehl drivers with a year on the job now average annual salaries of nearly $75K.
Anderson Trucking Service, Averitt and Nussbaum have also announced salary bumps and different pay structures around detention, drop and hook and weekly minimums.
Why this matters: Quality truck drivers are in high demand, and the numbers reflect that reality. What’s interesting is that these raises aren’t just per-mile increases. Carriers are also paying for detention time, training and activities like flatbed tarping. It’s a sign that if you’re a fleet exec looking for drivers, be prepared not only to pay up, but maybe to pay differently. (Trucking Dive)
YOUR TAKE
What are your thoughts on making OOS for English proficiency violations permanent?
FAST LANE
PERMANENT RULE: FMCSA proposes making OOS for English proficiency violations permanent; opens comments
BANKRUPTCY FILINGS: 16 transportation companies filed Ch. 7 or 11 within last month
NUCLEAR VERDICTS: Jury verdicts against trucking totaled $3.4B last year, triple 2024
DELAYED START: Tesla starts scaled production of semi-truck seven years after planned
EV LAW: Calif. governor signs legislation requiring OEMs to submit vehicle pricing for state incentives
CARGO THEFT: Man pretended to be FedEx employee, stole trailer full of electronics
SEEN & HEARD
There's also a reduction in capacity coming into that truck space, meaning driver school regulations and enforcement … That's why we've tried to lean into the intermodal value proposition that we've created over the decades.”
Whenever trucking tightens, rail makes a play for the freight. Gabriel of BNSF discusses tighter capacity in road freight alongside higher fuel prices, and how he sees those factors contributing to growth in intermodal. (Talking Transports)
ROAD REPORT
Trucking market flips, but trucks are hauling less
Truck tonnage dropped last month after also falling in July. The index, put out by the American Trucking Associations, mostly measures contract freight. Even with the dips, the trucking market overall is doing well due to supply constraints, according to ATA Chief Economist Robert Costello.
Why this matters: There’s a strange dynamic going on in trucking right now. Rates and the market are improving, but not because there are more loads to haul — rather, because fewer carriers are available to haul the loads. Execs can read this as, carriers have the upper hand with shippers right now, but shippers still aren’t sending out tons of freight. (American Trucking Associations)
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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia and edited by Bianca Prieto.
