What the Big Beautiful Bill means for trucking

The Big Beautiful Bill is now law, and trucking finally scored some long-promised wins. Top of the list: dedicated funding for truck parking, a hard-fought issue with real momentum behind it. But while some corners of the industry are celebrating, the bill stops short of delivering across the board.

Meanwhile, Trump’s international tariffs are back in play. That means pressure on U.S. ports, and a potential squeeze on freight volumes just as the market is trying to stabilize. Supply chain expert Frank Kenney explains what’s coming.

Also: Manufacturing crept up in June, but soft consumer demand is still keeping freight lanes quiet.

It's a train, not a truck! Check out this rig hauling five trailers (with dollies) in South Australia. Let's hope he never has to go into reverse.

 We all need one of these. Have you ever had a day when you just . . . want . . . traffic . . . to get out of your way? Just so you can get off the road and go home? This product is for you.

Our new favorite vlog stars a Yeti. Maybe you've seen this hairy driver before, but he's new to us. Personally, we don't know how he can get out of the air-conditioning with his current haircut.

Gravity still works. Two of the most helpless feelings when you're driving a truck is when something awful happens in front of you that you can't avoid hitting and when the trailer you're hauling goes AWOL. Here you see both at the same time.

All eyes on what the Big Beautiful Bill means for business

When President Trump signed into law the voluminous Big Beautiful Bill on July 4, it brought up the most important question for the trucking industry: good or bad?

The legislation contains the Pro-Trucker Package, which both the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association have given a big thumbs-up. The package includes money to build more truck parking spots around the country and also provides for the launch of two pilot programs for testing the potential flexibility for hours-of-service regulations.

But OOIDA is displeased about truckers' exclusion from overtime protections after the Fair Labor Standards Act was not updated in the new law. OOIDA continues to push a bipartisan GOT Truckers Act that gives truckers overtime pay and tax relief that other blue-collar industry workers already enjoy. 

“It’s time for Congress to fix a nearly century-old oversight by passing the bipartisan GOT Truckers Act and ensure truckers are eligible for both overtime pay and the tax relief extended to other blue-collar workers," OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer said after the bill became law.

Why this matters: It doesn't take a lot of effort to see that there aren't enough parking spots for semi-trucks throughout the country. More spots will provide welcome relief for drivers and fleet managers. But for fleet owners to recruit drivers and keep them, they'll need drivers to make more money from the overtime hours they work. Read more about the mixed emotions about the bill in FleetOwner.

4 on fire: 4 semis catch fire at Colorado truck stop.

Trucker attack: Ohio prosecutor investigates police attack on trucker.

Runaway tanker: Man steals water truck, leads troopers on a chase.

Truck champ: Texas driver claims 2025 Arkansas Truck Driving Championship.

 "The tariffs are just another disruption that we’ve been seeing since Covid... Businesses are at a point where resiliency is really what they need. And that resiliency comes from looking at who are my suppliers? Where are my suppliers? And how quickly can I switch suppliers?”
—Frank Kenney, CLEO Director of Industry Strategy on "What the Truck?!?"

America's supply chain has been under a microscope since the pandemic in March 2020. And every time something significant happens globally, the supply chain seems fragile enough to be threatened. The latest issue is President Trump's country-by-country tariffs. Watch (or listen to) Kenney's insightful comments here, at roughly the 18-minute mark.

Manufacturing was up in June but it's still low

The June Purchasing Managers' Index from the Institute for Supply Management showed a small uptick (0.5%) to 49% for the month of June. Although overall production was up 4.9% for the month and inventory levels also rose slightly, demand remained low. That lower demand is creating drag on overall manufacturing. 

Why this matters: A PMI of less than 50% suggests that the industry is in contraction mode. Perhaps more serious was this assessment: "For every positive comment from survey participants in last month's report, 11 were negative," PMI Manufacturing Business Survey Committee Chair Susan Spence told analysts in a conference call. (Trucking Dive)

Trucking jobs static year over year

The number of jobs in the trucking industry declined slightly in June, but for the most recent 12-month cycle, the job total was about the same, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 2,700 more jobs in the sector in June than there were a year ago. 

Why this matters: For an industry being pressured from so many areas, overall job stability is a positive sign. This is a labor number to keep an eye on as the Trump tariffs hit and shipping ports slow down in the coming months. (FreightWaves)

Washington State truckers call out state leaders

The Washington State Trucking Association put state leaders on notice about their failure to help fleets comply with EV progress. In a letter to the state's Department of Ecology, the association pointed out that the state had expected to have 1,400 EV truck charging ports by 2025.

Why this matters: This is another example of state regulations conflicting with federal law, causing confusion and frustration for all involved. The federal government is not pushing EV truck mandates like it did under the Biden administration. It's not clear that there is a good solution coming soon. (Everett Post)

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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Alan Schmadtke and edited by Bianca Prieto.