Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026:
- More HOS flexibility on the way?
- Easier check-in for paid parking reservations at truck stop chain.
- Big highway projects upcoming in two states.
FMCSA advances HOS pilot programs after test periods
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced plans to move forward with two Hours of Service Pilot Programs. They're designed to evaluate whether providing truck drivers greater flexibility and control in scheduling their work can maintain or improve safety.
The two pilot programs are the Flexible Sleeper Berth Pilot Program and the Split Duty Period Pilot Program.
The sleeper berth pilot allows drivers to split their off-duty time into two periods in any combination, up to a 5/5 split, as long as the two periods total at least 10 hours and one period includes at least five consecutive hours in the sleeper berth.
The split-duty pilot allows drivers to pause their 14-hour driving window for up to three hours each day when they spend qualifying time in a non-driving status. Qualifying time can include off-duty time, sleeper berth time, or on-duty time spent at a pickup or delivery location.
As FMCSA prepares for the full launch of the pilot programs in 2027, the agency recently completed pre-tests with a select number of truck drivers. The pre-tests allowed the agency to evaluate program procedures, data collection methods, and driver participation requirements before opening the pilot programs to more drivers next year.
[Related: Sleeper berth: Will truckers be able to split as they see fit?]
The split-sleeper pre-test ran from April 1 through June 11, 2026, and included nine drivers from three motor carriers in Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Drivers participated for six weeks and received $600 for their participation.
The split-duty pre-test ran from May 18 through July 17, 2026, and included nine drivers from three motor carriers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Drivers participated for six weeks and received $600 for their participation.
Pre-test results will be used to refine the pilot programs ahead of the 2027 launch. Each is expected to include 256 drivers, for a total of 512 participants. Drivers will participate for four months and will receive up to $1,600 for completing tasks.
FMCSA noted that in the split-duty pilot program, allowing drivers to pause their on-duty clock, the agency “will monitor shippers to ensure the increased flexibility does not lead to increased detention and exploitation of drivers.”
Truck drivers and motor carriers interested in learning more about next steps or to participate in the trials are asked to send contact information to [email protected].
[Related: FMCSA offers details on proposed HOS-flexibility pilot programs]
Pilot going digital for paid-to-park check-in
Pilot announced a new digital parking experience aimed at making reserving and checking into paid parking spaces faster and more convenient.
Pilot’s Prime Parking is moving from paper hang tags to digital check-in through the Pilot app.
Instead of having to go inside the store to a counter or kiosk to get a hang tag for your truck, drivers will now be able to check in digitally when they arrive at one of Pilot’s more than 900 travel centers across North America. The truck’s license plate information will be used to help verify reservations, making the process simple and quick, the company said.
Drivers can make Prime Parking reservations several ways -- the Pilot app, the Pilot website, Pilot Guest Services, or in-store at the register.
During the reservation process, drivers will be asked to provide the truck's license plate number. While it’s not required, the license plate helps Pilot identify the correct truck during a reservation.
Once the reservation is complete, drivers will receive confirmation that the Prime Parking space has been reserved.
Upon arrival at the designated location, open the Pilot app and locate the reservation, then follow the prompts in the app to check in to the reserved space, Pilot noted.
[Related: Will Truck Parking Club ever start accepting fuel stop points?]
Mississippi planning major construction project on I-20, I-55
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is launching one of its most significant infrastructure investments in recent years with the I-20/I-55 Freight Corridors Improvement Project, better known as “The Big Fix.”
The project aims to “modernize some of the state’s most heavily-traveled corridors, enhancing safety, improving mobility and extending the life of many interstate bridges throughout the Jackson-metro,” said Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons.
The project includes:
- I-20 from Wiggins Road to just east of the Pearson Road/SR 468 interchange
- I-55 from McDowell Road to north of the High St. interchange (including cross streets and ramps)
- I-220 from I-20 to the Lynch Street bridge
- U.S. 51 from I-55 to the end of state maintenance north of U.S. 80
[Related: 255 more truck parking spaces coming to I-70 rest areas]
During the project, MDOT plans to rehab and modernize 36 bridges, resurface or repair 32 miles of interstate (16 miles in each direction), and install Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology that will further provide travelers with real-time information and traffic updates.
Repairs to 36 bridges include decks, beams, girder and epoxy joints. Structural work ranges from bridge deck overlays, rail replacement, shoulder widening, vertical clearance corrections, pile encasement and bearing replacement. Other bridge work items include structural steel painting, fiber-reinforced polymer wrap application, along with cap cleaning and undersealing, among other work.
Roadway work includes pavement rehabilitation, concrete punchout repairs, mill and overlay, drainage work, slide repairs, shoulder widening, concrete removal and replacement, guardrail replacement, slope repairs, geometry corrections, barrier replacement and other work items.
ITS and other miscellaneous work includes the installation of truss and pedestal-mounted Digital Message Signs (DMS), camera installation, fiber extensions, sign truss replacements, safety fencing, tree removal, Smart Work Zone technology and interchange landscaping, upgrading entrances into the city of Jackson at High Street and State Street.
The project is on track to begin this fall and will be ongoing for roughly two and a half years. MDOT hopes to minimize traffic inconvenience as much as possible. For the remainder of this year, the impact will be minimal -- most work will be performed via lane closures at night, and on weekends when possible.
Plans do call for two 45-day full interstate shutdowns on I-20, one in each direction. The first is scheduled to take place on I-20 WB in summer 2027, the second on I-20 EB during summer 2028.
During full shutdown periods, critical work will include shoulder widening, end wall replacement and repair, barrier work and full depth pavement removal and replacement, among other projects. Performing this portion under lane closures would be extremely costly and significantly extend the project schedule due to the traffic control measures required.
The public can stay up-to-date on The Big Fix progress, lane closures and travel impacts here.
I-10 project begins this weekend
A project to add traffic capacity and improve traffic flow at the I-10 interchange at Jackrabbit Trail, just west of Phoenix, Arizona, is starting this weekend, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The two-year project will provide new freeway bridges, widen the on- and off-ramps at Jackrabbit Trail, and make much-needed cross street improvements in the area, ADOT noted.
Restrictions are scheduled to begin this weekend as crews set zones for initial work at the interchange. The EB I-10 off-ramp and WB I-10 on-ramp at Jackrabbit Trail closes from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 29. Detours will be available via the I-10 interchanges at Verrado Way and Perryville Road. SB Jackrabbit Trail also will be closed Saturday between McDowell Road and Roosevelt Street.
The improvement project also will require future closures and/or lane restrictions along I-10, Jackrabbit Trail and on- and off-ramps. The goal is to remove and reconstruct the existing I-10 bridges over Jackrabbit Trail and widen Jackrabbit Trail to three lanes in each direction from McDowell Road to just south of the interchange.
Traffic signals will be added and the on- and off-ramps will be widened to provide additional turn lanes.
More information about the project is available here.
In Overdrive's 2025 Truckers' Highway Report Card survey ranking the nation's worst and best haul routes, owner-operators ranked Arizona as the third-worst state in the country for highway quality. While I-40 was the primary reason for that ranking, 23% of readers that named Arizona as having the worst roads still flagged I-10 in the state as the worst route in the state.
[Related: Like a 'bronco buster at a rodeo': Truckers' experience on American roadways today]
