Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, April 22, 2026:
- Diesel's falling. How did rates respond?
- Toll dodgers under fire in Ohio.
- Prospective truck driver faces jail time for bribing CDL tester.
- Top truck stops for women truckers.
Fuel prices net big decline
For the second week in a row, truck drivers likely saw some relief at the fuel pumps based on the Energy Information Administration’s weekly report.
EIA’s modeling showed a national average of $5.40/gal. for on-highway diesel during the week ending April 20, which is 20.5 cents lower than the week before. Combined with the prior week’s 3.5-cent decline, diesel’s national average is down 24 cents in the last two weeks.
With falling diesel prices comes some moderation in all-in spot rates. As shown in yesterday's report at this link, Truckstop.com and FTR Transportation Intelligence showed broker-posted spot rates in the Truckstop system rising for the 13th straight week but mostly on the strength of flatbeds.
DAT tracked similar metrics, with dry van and reefer rates falling by 2 and 4 cents per mile, respectively, last week, flatbed rates gaining 3 cents/mile on freight strength in support of data-center buildouts. Rate gains of recent months, DAT analysts noted, keep linehaul well higher than a year ago, even excluding a calculated fuel surcharge.
Fuel’s big weekly decline was seen mostly across the country, though smaller decreases were seen in the Rocky Mountain and Central Atlantic regions, where prices fell by less than 10 cents a gallon. All other regions saw at least a 16-cent drop during the week.
The largest decrease was seen in the Gulf Coast region, where prices fell 24.1 cents, followed by California, which had a 23.4-cent decline.
Prices by region, according to EIA:
- New England -- $5.86
- Central Atlantic -- $5.92
- Lower Atlantic -- $5.30
- Midwest -- $5.17
- Gulf Coast -- $5.07
- Rocky Mountain -- $5.21
- West Coast less California -- $6.01
- California -- $7.33
ProMiles’ diesel averages during the same week fell by 6.8 cents to $5.31/gal. nationwide. According to the ProMiles Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $6.38/gal., and the cheapest in the Rocky Mountain region at $4.95.
[Related: Sweet dream? 2026 rates surge transforming a fuel nightmare]
Ohio Turnpike targets ‘rogue’ trucking companies for unpaid tolls
It’s time to pay up for more than 315 trucking companies that have racked up hefty toll bills in Ohio.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission announced an effort to collect unpaid tolls from what it called “rogue commercial trucking companies” in multiple states that owe at least $5,000 unpaid tolls there.
The Commission said last week it’s partnering with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, too, to address toll evasion on the Turnpike.
“The Ohio Turnpike is one of the nation’s major freight corridors and the vast majority of commercial trucking companies do the right thing and pay their tolls,” said Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Ferzan M. Ahmed. “But there is a growing number of companies that are breaking the law by avoiding paying their tolls.”
A total of 315 trucking companies from 26 states were identified on a public list that has been turned over to collections to recover unpaid tolls. These companies alone owe the Commission nearly $5.2 million in tolls incurred since April 2024. The full list of companies can be found here.
“Our goal is to provide the safest and best conditions at the lowest toll rate possible on the Ohio Turnpike,” added Ahmed. “These companies are making it more difficult to do so. They have had every opportunity to pay their tolls but have ignored three mailed invoices and have been sent to collections.”
According to the Commission, tolls that remain unpaid for 90 days from the date of the first invoice are sent to collections and/or vehicle registrations are held until payment is made. Unpaid toll balances on the public list range from $5,000 to nearly $156,000. The largest unpaid balance is owed by NYC Trucking, Inc., a company registered in Pennsylvania and current not authorized, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Safer sytem company snapshot.
The company had its authority revoked involuntarily in February this year after one month of reinstatement from a previous revocation.
[Related: Indiana wants to toll I-70, truckers' worst road in the nation]
“Companies are either simply choosing not to pay, or using deliberate toll evasion tactics, or both,” said Ahmed.
The Commission said it uses a range of methods to collect unpaid tolls, including:
- Capturing license plate images
- Mailing invoices
- Sending unpaid tolls to collections
- Preventing license plate renewals through vehicle registration holds
- Taking legal action when necessary
CDL applicant pleads guilty for bribing skills tester
A prospective CDL holder from Idaho pleaded guilty to federal program bribery for bribing a CDL skills test examiner.
Ryan Basnaw, 29, of Meridian, Idaho, admitted to offering and agreeing to give a CDL skills tester $500 cash in exchange for a passing score on a CDL skills test, without ever taking the test.
Basnaw did so corruptly and with the intent to influence and reward the CDL skills tester, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, so that he could have three restrictions removed from his CDL without taking the required CDL skills test.
Basnaw is scheduled to be sentenced June 16 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release, and up to a $250,000 fine.
[Related: State troopers indicted in CDL-test bribery scheme]
Top truck stops for women truckers
The American Trucking Associations’ Women in Motion (WIM) Council and Trucker Path have identified the “Top 3 Women-Friendly Truck Stops” that have met all seven WIM criteria and scored highest on ratings by app users.
The WIM criteria are based on input from women drivers and include lighted parking, lighted bathroom access, lighted lounge areas, lighted showers, lighted laundry facilities, 24/7 maintenance, and on-site security.
In 2024, and in partnership with WIM, Trucker Path built functionality into its app to enable drivers to search for WIM-friendly amenities. To date, more than 12,000 truck stops have added information indicating the availability of at least one of these amenities, and nearly 250 now offer all seven.
The Top 3 Women-Friendly Truck Stops based on the criteria and ratings are:
- Compass Travel Center in DeMotte, Indiana, which was also rated number 25 on the Trucker Path Top 100 Truck Stops list.
- Garden Inn Truck Plaza in Mound City, Missouri
- Talent Truck Stop in Talent, Oregon
“Expanding the number of places where women drivers can safely stop and rest while on the road has been a key focus for WIM,” said Nikki Thomas, ATA vice president of industry affairs. “We congratulate the top three highest rated truck stops that have focused on this important objective and thank Trucker Path for helping make the road safer for women drivers.”
Women drivers consistently rank access to safe parking as their top obstacle.
“Amenities like lighted parking lots, bathroom access, and on-site security are not simply matters of convenience -- they are essential to ensuring women’s wellbeing,” Thomas added. “One of the most rewarding outcomes of the WIM-Trucker Path partnership has been hearing directly from truck stop owners who have added or upgraded amenities to help women feel safer at their facilities.”
Women drivers who download the Trucker Path app can search for stops along routes and select “More” to select the amenities that are important to them at those stops.
[Related: Texas truck stop named top overall for 2026]
