Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, June 25, 2025:
Unrest in Middle East sends diesel prices soaring
Just three weeks after hitting a nearly four-year low, diesel prices have skyrocketed to their highest average price in 11 months amid uncertainty in the Middle East. Since the week ending June 2 when fuel prices fell to an average of $3.45 a gallon nationwide, prices have jumped 32 cents to $3.775 during the most recent week ending June 23.
Crude oil futures prices on June 2 were $62.52 a barrel, and rising global tensions throughout the month have led to oil prices rising to a high of $73.84 a barrel on June 20.
According to the Energy Information Administration, diesel prices increased 2 cents during the week ending June 9, then jumped 10 cents the following week. During the most recent week ending June 23, prices climbed another 20.4 cents.
Fuel prices rose in all regions across the U.S. last week, with the biggest increases seen in the Midwest and Gulf Coast regions at 24 cents and 22.4 cents, respectively. The West Coast is seeing the highest prices at the pump, with California’s average diesel price at $4.89 a gallon, and the West Coast less California region at $4.08 a gallon.
The cheapest fuel is in the Gulf Coast region at $3.44/gal., followed by the Rocky Mountain region at $3.69/gal.
Prices in other regions, according to EIA:
- New England -- $3.97
- Central Atlantic -- $3.92
- Lower Atlantic -- $3.73
- Midwest -- $3.78
ProMiles’ diesel averages during the same week showed prices increase by 14.3 cents to $3.61/gal. According to the ProMiles Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $5.03, the cheapest in the Gulf Coast region at $3.27.
[Related: What's 1 extra mpg worth in profit at today's freight rates? An extra 3 mpg?]
CarriersEdge launches new tool for carriers to assess drivers' English language proficiency as OOS enforcement begins
Out-of-service enforcement of the English-language requirements within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations officially resumed Wednesday following an executive order by President Donald Trump and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance voting to return English language proficiency (ELP) as an out-of-service violation earlier this year.
With OOS enforcement returning, online truck driver training provider CarriersEdge has released an English Language Proficiency Assessment to help motor carriers and drivers prepare for enforcement of the regulation.
“Many of our customers have contacted us to say they are very worried about the new enforcement rules and the ambiguity regarding how they will be applied,” said Jane Jazrawy, CarriersEdge CEO. "The easy-to-administer assessment is a diagnostic tool carriers can use to understand what sort of risk they are facing with their drivers.”
[Related: FMCSA issues ELP-enforcement policy guidance for inspectors]
The test, available to all CarriersEdge customers, utilizes a series of visual cues and audio questions to assess a driver's ability to understand and respond to the types of questions they may encounter during a roadside inspection. It includes identifying the meaning of various road signs and responding to questions they may be asked. The results can provide carriers with insights into how their drivers might perform in a real-world scenario.
According to guidance released by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month, inspectors will begin all inspection interactions in English, and if initial contact with the driver indicates that he/she may not understand the initial instructions, the inspector should conduct an ELP assessment to evaluate the driver’s compliance with 49 CFR § 391.11(b)(2). That assessment, according to FMCSA, should consist of a driver interview and, if necessary, a highway traffic sign recognition assessment.
CarriersEdge noted that passing its assessment is not a guarantee that a driver’s English proficiency is sufficient to pass an actual roadside inspection to avoid being placed out-of-service and advised that carriers evaluate their risk and plan accordingly.
[Related: Booming interest in English classes in the nation's ELP violation capital]
31 ‘superloads’ set to move through Oregon this summer
The Oregon Department of Transportation is alerting travelers that delays should be expected on various highways and local roads between the Port of Morrow along the Columbia River at the Oregon-Washington border and the Idaho border through the summer, as a series of 31 “superloads” is scheduled to move through the state.
The freight contains no hazardous materials, fuels or liquids, ODOT said. The shipments are expected to travel 10 to 30 mph along segments of U.S. 730, OR 37, Interstate 84 in Pendleton, U.S. 395, U.S. 26, and OR 201. Each will exit Oregon into Idaho via OR 201 south of Adrian. The map of the route can be viewed here.
Oversized loads will travel from the Port of Morrow through Pilot Rock during nighttime hours and continue from Pilot Rock to the Idaho border during both daytime and nighttime hours. The loads will be parked off the roadway when not traveling.
The size of each shipment will require the use of both travel lanes on two-lane highways, resulting in delays. Traffic will be stopped at regular intervals with pilot cars guiding the loads. They pull over at designated sites to let waiting vehicles pass.
Superloads require special permits and traffic plans to help ensure the safety of everyone along the route. A superload is a category of oversize loads and, in Oregon, the term superload is designated for loads that exceed one or more of the following:
- Over 16 feet wide on the interstate
- Over 14 feet wide on any state two-lane highway. This does not include mobiles with a 14-foot box or less and up to a 12-inch eave.
- Over 17 feet high on any highway
- Mobile with a box width over 14 feet wide and/or overall width greater than 15 feet
- Overall length greater than 150 feet
Repair shop owner charged for emissions 'deletes'
Matthew Caroluzzi and his Pennsylvania-based business Matt’s Heavy Duty Mobile Diagnostics and Truck Repair and Heavy Towing (Matt’s HD) were charged earlier this month with nine counts of violating the Clean Air Act and one count of conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act and aiding and abetting.
According to the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Matt's HD was a certified vehicle safety inspection station in Pennsylvania that performed repairs and maintenance on commercial motor vehicles, including medium- and heavy-duty diesel trucks and other vehicles.
Caroluzzi, Matt's HD, and others allegedly performed hundreds of “deletes” of hardware components of commercial motor vehicle emission control systems and software “tunes,” OIG said. Hardware alterations to emissions control systems are often referred to as “deletes” and tamper with the monitoring function of diesel trucks' on-board diagnostics (OBD) monitoring systems. OIG said this enabled numerous vehicles to function while emitting higher levels of air pollutants into the atmosphere.
Caroluzzi and his co-conspirator employees recorded “deletes” and “tunes” as “deletes” on work orders and invoices, but later allegedly disguised the illegal conduct by using code words such as “reprogram,” “re-flash,” and “ECM repair” on Matt's HD paperwork. The act of rendering an OBD system ineffective is sometimes referred to as “tuning” or “flashing.”
Caroluzzi, Matt's HD, and co-conspirators benefitted financially by collecting approximately $1 million in fees from customers for performing, and aiding and abetting the performance of, deletes and tunes on more than 700 diesel-powered trucks, prosecutors allege.
[Related: Used-truck pricing, long-term value: Aftertreatment maintenance could play increasing role]
