Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026:
- President Trump's nominee to head up the Federal Reserve could bring more uncertainty.
- Florida doubles down on English-only driver's license testing.
- Man sentenced for torching Swift trailers.
What Trump’s new Fed chair pick could mean for inflation, tariffs
While the Federal Reserve is famously an independent entity, politics are entrenched in all aspects of government in today’s world.
President Donald Trump on Jan. 30 announced that he would be nominating Kevin Warsh as Chairman of the Federal Reserve to replace Jerome Powell.
“I cannot remember a confirmation hearing for a Fed chair that had this type of political overtone to it,” MacKay & Company Economist Dr. Bob Dieli told Overdrive sister publication TPS’s Beth Colvin. “You have to feel sorry for Warsh. He’s going to take some blows some other people up for confirmation wouldn’t.”
Warsh, 55, is a former governor of the Fed and was the youngest governor ever when he was appointed at 35. He resigned in 2011 during the administration of President Barack Obama over disputes on the policy of quantitative easing, where the Fed buys government bonds in an effort to lower long-term interest rates, boost spending and investment and stimulate growth. Warsh was succeeded on Fed's board by Jerome Powell, who is now chair of the Fed, in 2012.
Prior to his stint on the Fed, Warsh was a mergers and acquisitions specialist at Morgan Stanley. During the financial crisis of 2008, he helped manage the Fed’s response to the crisis by serving as bridge to Wall Street and was known as a conservative voice on the board.
[Related: Owner-ops, experts cautiously optimistic for 2026 rates bump]
As reported by TPS, confirmation of Warsh is likely to be contentious on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has resolved to oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed until the case involving Lisa Cook, a governor who is embroiled in a court case over whether Trump can fire members of the Fed’s board, is resolved. Tillis is a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which has 13 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Tillis’s refusal would set up a locked committee that could leave a Fed chair nomination without a recommendation of approval by the full Senate.
Should Warsh succeed and be confirmed, Dieli told TPS his first meeting as chairman would be in June. And even then, contention will remain. Traditionally, former Fed chairs have left the board completely, even if they had time remaining on their term, yet Powell hasn’t said whether he intends to vacate his seat after his chairmanship is over.
“There was none of this ‘I’m going to hang around,’” Dieli says. “The objective was to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Furthermore, Warsh may be walking into a board unusually divided. Dieli said board votes were almost always unanimous, with the governors voting with the chairman. However, in the last two votes, there have been notable dissents. There were three in December and two in January’s vote to hold interest rates steady. Dieli called the dissents “extraordinary.”
So what are Warsh’s monetary policies? He’s historically been “an inflation hawk,” according to TPS’ Colvin, and has called inflation “a choice” by the Fed.
Read more on Warsh’s financial policies and what the Fed could look like under his chairmanship in TPS’ full report here.
[Related: $9,500 tariff on a new truck? 2027 emissions regs pre-buy in question]
Florida will only administer license exams in English
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has announced that, beginning Friday, Feb. 6, all driver license knowledge and skills examinations -- both regular licenses and CDLs -- will be administered exclusively in English. The change applies to all driver license classifications, including exams administered orally.
Previously, knowledge exams for most non-commercial driver license classifications were offered in multiple languages, while commercial learner’s permit (CLP) and CDL knowledge exams were only available in English and Spanish.
[Related: Florida bill would force carriers that hire illegal aliens to pay for crash injuries]
Under the updated policy, all driver license knowledge and skills testing will be conducted only in English.
To implement this change, FLHSMV has updated its driver license testing system statewide. Language translation services will no longer be permitted for knowledge or skills examinations, and any printed exams in languages other than English will be removed for use.
Legislation introduced in the Florida legislature last month would, among other provisions, prohibit all CDL pre-licensing instruction, testing, and licensing procedures from being given in any other language than English. FLHSMV's move this week covers a portion of that requirement, whether the legislation becomes law or not.
[Related: English-only CDL written tests: House bill introduced]
Man sentenced to 10 more years in prison for setting fire to Swift trailers
A man received a 10-year prison sentence from a federal court in Arizona for setting fire to three Swift Transportation trailers in the state.U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona
An individual convicted of maliciously setting fires to three semi-trailers owned by Swift Transportation has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Viorel Pricop, 67, of Allen Park, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker in the District of Arizona. At the conclusion of an 8-day trial, a jury found Pricop guilty of three counts of Arson of a Vehicle or Property in Interstate Commerce on Aug. 21, 2024.
“This defendant left a nation-wide path of destruction that threatened lives, property, and critical infrastructure,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Thanks to the dedicated work of federal prosecutors and ATF agents, the DOJ brought him to justice. This case is proof that the federal government will bring its full weight to bear in order to stop dangerous and destructive criminals.”
Pricop set fire to three semi-truck trailers belonging to Phoenix-based Swift Transportation as part of a larger pattern of arsons targeting Swift, Courchaine’s office said in a press release. Two of the arsons occurred in Willcox, Arizona, and one occurred in Holbrook, Arizona.
"The 10-year sentence handed down to Pricop marks the culmination of a multi-year, multi-state investigation into a dangerous campaign of targeted arson,” said Shawn Stallo, ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Phoenix Field Division. "This successful outcome was made possible through the exhaustive use of ATF resources, including our K-9 units, the Fire Research Laboratory, and the technical expertise of our Certified Fire Investigators who methodically linked these fires across the country. By leveraging these specialized tools to hold this serial arsonist accountable, we have ensured that he can no longer threaten the lives of drivers or the safety of our nation's interstate commerce.”
Pricop set at least 16 additional Swift Transportation semi-trailers on fire in multiple states between October 2021 and September 2022. These arsons occurred at locations spanning from Barstow, California, to McCalla, Alabama, with most occurring along I-10 and I-40. Federal criminal charges associated with some of the fires were filed against Pricop in several districts and were the basis of a 2024 criminal trial in the Central District of California, where Pricop was found guilty of six arsons. He was sentenced to 10 years, 1 month of prison and ordered to pay $648,384 in restitution in that case.
Pricop was convicted in 2018 in the Eastern District of Michigan for a tax offense and transportation of stolen goods, charges stemming from an investigation conducted by Swift. Pricop was sentenced to time served in that case, amounting to approximately 26 months’ imprisonment. His term of supervised release ended in June 2019, approximately two years before the arsons in this case began.
[Related: Michigan man guilty of maliciously setting fires to Swift trailers]
