Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, April 16, 2025:
Anti-cargo theft legislation reintroduced in Congress
A bipartisan and bicameral effort to crack down on the unprecedented rise in cargo theft and organized retail theft was reintroduced in Congress.
The "Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025" would establish an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This Coordination Center would allow increased collaboration between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, along with retail crime associations and subject matter experts, to create a cohesive strategy to combat these crimes and share valuable resources, bill sponsors said.
In addition to establishing the Coordination Center, the bill would also amend Title 18 of the U.S. Code to allow criminal forfeiture for convictions related to interstate shipments, transportation of stolen goods, and sale or receipt of stolen goods. It would expand the money laundering statutes to include gift cards as "monetary instruments," and likewise enable prosecution of organized retail and supply chain crime groups using interstate or foreign commerce (that is, the internet) to facilitate crimes. The bill would further toughen penalties by permitting the aggregation of theft values totaling $5,000 or more over 12 months as a basis for charging under Title 18 sections related the transportation, sale or receipt of stolen goods, lending wide latitude for prosecutors.
[Related: Owner-operator jailed after unwitting participation in cargo theft: Cautionary tale]
Similar legislation was introduced in both two previous Congressional sessions and was unsuccessful getting across the finish line.
The bipartisan legislation was introduced in the U.S. House by Reps. David Joyce (R-Ohio), Susie Lee (D-Nevada), David Valadao (R-California), Dina Titus (D-Nevada), Michael Baumgartner (R-Washington), Brad Schneider (D-Illinois), Laurel Lee (R-Florida), and Lou Correa (D-California). Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) introduced the Senate version of the bill.
The bill has received support from a number of supply chain- and retail-related organizations, including the American Trucking Associations, UPS, the Intermodal Association of North America and many others.
[Related: ‘You’re on your own’: Cargo theft, fraud challenges aired in Congress]
Flatbed spot rates just keep rising | According to the weekly spot market insights report by the Truckstop load board and FTR Transportation Intelligence, rates as a national average last week rose just slightly across segments, with both box segments taking a hit in line with seasonal expectations. The recent trends of increases for flatbeds, however, continued, marking the longest streak of growth for spot rates in the segment in three years. Rates sat 5.6% higher than in the same 2024 week. Excluding a calculated fuel surcharge, underlying linehaul was up a signficant 10%. The bad news? Load posts for platform freight fell sharply with both dry van and reefer volumes, dropping 15.3% for the first decrease in 11 weeks. Volume remained more than 27% above the same 2024 week, but the sharp fall could suggest recent strength was substantially linked to a tariff-related pull-forward of import activity. Jury's still out on that score, FTR noted. Time will tell.Truckstop/FTR
Another former Mass. trooper pleads guilty in CDL fraud scheme
A second former Massachusetts State Police (MSP) trooper has pleaded guilty for his role in an alleged conspiracy to falsify records by giving passing scores to commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants, including individuals who had failed or did not take the CDL skills test as required by federal law.
On April 1, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that former Massachusetts trooper Calvin Butner had agreed to plead guilty in the same scheme.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Perry Mendes, 64, of Wareham, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to falsify records, three counts of falsifying records and two counts of making false statements. In January 2024, Mendes was charged in January 2024 in a 74-count indictment along with five others in the alleged conspiracy and related schemes.
According to the charging document, between about May 2019 and January 2023, Mendes and others conspired to give automatic passing scores to at least 17 CDL applicants on their skills tests regardless of whether they actually passed, using the code word “golden handshake” or “golden,” for short, to identify applicants who would receive special treatment.
At a plea hearing last week, Mendes admitted to his role in the alleged conspiracy, including that he cut skills tests short for “golden” applicants; that he entered false information on CDL score sheets indicating that certain applicants had passed the skills test when they had not; and that he reported passing scores for applicants he knew had never taken the skills test.
On April 7, Butner pleaded guilty for his role in the charged offenses, and on March 21, civilian co-defendant Eric Mathison pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.
The conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000. Records falsification charges each come with a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000. False statements charges could each carry five-year prison sentences, up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
[Related: Trooper guilty in CDL test scheme]
St. Christopher raised $13.5K at MATS
The St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF) raised $13,500 through fundraising activities at the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, last month.
"I want to extend a truckload of gratitude to the generous donors and dedicated volunteers who made our silent auction and booth activities such a success,” said Norita Taylor, SCF president. “Your support, along with the participation of the auction winners, helped us raise the funds that will continue to fuel our mission. Thank you for being a part of something truly special.”
SCF was selected as the non-profit beneficiary to partner with MATS in hosting the Silent Auction during the Opening Night Reception that kicks off the truck show. The proceeds, which will directly benefit SCF’s mission to provide financial assistance to professional truck drivers in need, was made possible by numerous donors. Attendees at the show placed competitive bids on items provided by those donors.
SCF offered thanks to AMBEST for sponsoring the SCF booth, as well as to Konexial, Sapp Brothers, RoadPro, OOIDA, Grinds, and Progressive, which all donated prizes for the SCF spin-the-wheel. TravelCenters of America raised $1,356 for the SCF with their own prize wheel as well. Shell Rotella hosted a Thank-A-Trucker recording studio event at the show and donated $20/recording. Love’s Travel Centers matched the recording donations for a total $2,880 donation.
For those who were unable to attend MATS and missed the silent auction, a number of services were donated and are up for an online auction, which closes at 7 p.m. Eastern on April 21.
