Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025:
- The more things change, the more they stay the same. The adage holds true for diesel prices in 2025.
- Island’s infrastructure challenges lead to FMCSA exemption for CDL testing.
- One state turns attention to 4-wheeler violations around trucks to improve safety.
Fuel prices close 2025 lower than they started
Diesel prices are now on a six-week streak of national declines, having fallen 36.8 cents during the period that began the week ending Nov. 24.
The Energy Information Administration reported Dec. 29 that the week’s national average for a gallon of on-highway diesel was $3.50, the lowest point since early June and three-tenths of a cent lower than the final national average of 2024.
During the most recent week ending Dec. 29, prices fell in all regions across the U.S. The largest decline was seen in the Rocky Mountain region, down 7.1 cents/gal.
The nation’s most expensive fuel is in California at $4.66/gallon, while the cheapest diesel is in the Gulf Coast region at $3.18/gallon.
Prices in other regions, according to EIA:
- New England -- $4.04
- Central Atlantic -- $3.88
- Lower Atlantic -- $3.52
- Midwest -- $3.42
- Rocky Mountain -- $3.23
- West Coast less California -- $3.72
ProMiles’ diesel averages during the same week fell by 5.6 cents to $3.52/gallon nationwide. According to the ProMiles Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $4.85/gallon, the cheapest in the Rocky Mountain region at $3.17/gallon.
FMCSA grants CDL testing waiver for Martha’s Vineyard drivers
Prospective CDL holders who take their skills test on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard are now able to obtain a restricted CDL and skip specific portions of the skills test due to the island’s infrastructure.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration granted an exemption to the Massachusetts Department of State Police that allows the state to waive specific portions of the CDL skills test for drivers who take the test on Martha’s Vineyard.
The state applied for the exemption earlier this year noting that the island does not have the infrastructure for applicant drivers to demonstrate the two sets of lane changes required by the CDL skills test. The DSP said travel to and from the island with commercial vehicles is often difficult and expensive, and that there are no reasonable substitutions for lane change maneuvers on the island.
In granting the waiver from that requirement, FMCSA said the state “must issue those drivers restricted CDLs limiting the drivers to operating a CMV on Martha’s Vineyard,” adding that “allowing the Massachusetts Department of State Police to use an alternative route to administer portions of the safe on-road driving skills test and to issue restricted CDLs will address the infrastructure barriers while establishing safeguards to achieve an equivalent level of safety.”
[Related: Massachusetts seeks CDL skills testing waiver for Martha’s Vineyard]
Truck enforcement police in Maine turn attention to car drivers
It’s common knowledge in trucking that the majority of accidents involving a commercial vehicle and a passenger vehicle are the fault of the passenger car.
With that in mind, Maine State Police’s Troop K Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit recently launched an initiative targeting passenger car violations in the context of commercial vehicle safety.
A Facebook post from MSP calls the initiative “a proactive approach to enhance highway safety in Maine.” The agency noted that 65% of fatal commercial vehicle crashes in 2025 were attributed to passenger cars.
The enforcement details in Bangor, Winthrop, and the greater Portland area were particularly important due to the high volume of commercial traffic in these towns, MSP added. By focusing on passenger cars that violate traffic laws around commercial trucks, the unit seeks to create safer on-road interactions.
[Related: Holiday-traffic highway-safety PSAs fit for our four-wheeled friends]
