Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, April 21, 2026:
- Truck driver caught with illegal drugs in trailer.
- Increased truck parking availability visibility coming to this state.
- Large fleet wants to continue using pre-CDL drivers without CDL holder in the front seat.
- Longtime ATRI leader plans retirement.
Truck driver faces drug charges after 400 pounds of suspected cocaine found in trailer
Inside the rear of the trailer, several duffle bags and cardboard boxes were found, containing approximately 392 pounds of suspected cocaine.Indiana State Police
Police in Indiana seized nearly 400 pounds of suspected cocaine during a traffic stop of a commercial motor vehicle.
The stop occurred in Putnam County along I-70 near Cloverdale when an Indiana State Police trooper stopped a truck for speeding.
During the interaction with the driver, 27-year-old Harmandeep Singh of Bakersfield, California, the trooper observed multiple criminal indicators suggesting the driver was operating below industry standards.
Consent to search the tractor and trailer was requested and granted. Inside the rear of the trailer, several duffle bags and cardboard boxes contained approximately 392 pounds (178 kilograms) of suspected cocaine. The estimated street value of the seized narcotics is approximately $9 million.
Singh was taken into custody and transported to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $30,000 cash bond preliminarily charged with:
- Dealing Narcotic Drug, Level 2 Felony
- Possession of Narcotic Drug, Level 3 Felony
Final charges will be determined by the Putnam County Prosecutor.
[Related: Trucking crime: Export snakes on a truck, drug trafficking, loan fraud]
Tennessee to test truck parking info systems at I-40 rest area
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is implementing Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS) pilot technologies at its I-40 Welcome Center in Smith County, east of Nashville.
The pilot project, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s SMART Grants Program, is intended to help truck drivers find safe, reliable parking when moving essential freight across the Southeast, TDOT said.
While the new tech won’t increase actual truck parking capacity in the Volunteer State, it may help truck drivers find available spots in a state ranked by Overdrive readers in 2025 as one of the worst in the country for truck parking in the 2025 Truckers’ Highway Report Card. Tennessee received a dishonorable mention from truckers in that report.
Beginning April 22, crews will begin installing pilot technologies at the welcome center, which has both eastbound and westbound access points at mile marker 267. Construction will result in intermittent closures of truck and passenger vehicle parking spaces, as well as daily shoulder closures in both directions.
Following construction completion and full system integration into TDOT’s SmartWay system, estimated for June, truckers will be encouraged to submit feedback on the technologies to help TDOT determine the most reliable occupancy detection technology and overall systems standards.
Four different methods of monitoring technology will be deployed:
- Magnetometers to detect the number of trucks entering and exiting the Welcome Center’s eastbound lot
- Radar-Camera Fusion Sensor detecting the number of trucks entering and exiting the Welcome Center’s eastbound lot
- Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to detect the number of available parking spaces in the Welcome Center’s westbound lot
- Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to detect the number of available parking spaces in the Welcome Center’s westbound lot
The technologies will provide real-time availability information to commercial truck drivers through roadside signage and in-cab alerts via ELDs, TDOT said. Similar to TDOT SmartWay cameras, any camera deployed at the I-40 Welcome Center to monitor parking will not be recorded or used for enforcement purposes, the agency added.
“By giving drivers early, reliable information through these innovative solutions, we help them make smarter decisions,” said TDOT Commissioner Will Reid. “Our goal is simple: to support the men and women who keep our freight moving, while protecting everyone who uses Tennessee roadways.”
[Related: Truck parking replacing old coops]
Covenant/Landair request renewal of pre-CDL team-driving exemption
Landair Transport, doing business as Covenant Transport, is petitioning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for an extension to an existing exemption that allows the company’s pre-CDL commercial learner’s permit holders to effectively run team.
FMCSA granted the exemption in 2024, allowing a CLP holder who has passed the CDL skills test to operate a Covenant Logistics truck without a co-driver in the passenger seat.
As with other similar exemptions granted to C.R. England, CRST, and other fleets, the waiver allows CLP holders who have passed the CDL skills test but not yet returned to their home state to obtain their CDL to essentially drive in team operations with another driver in the truck, but not necessarily in the passenger seat as required by federal regulations.
At the time the exemption was first granted, Covenant said that granting the waiver would allow these drivers to “begin immediate and productive on-the-job training” and allow them “to improve their recently acquired driving skill set and put them to work immediately at an income that meets or exceeds industry standards.”
Covenant is requesting a 5-year renewal of the exemption. FMCSA will accept public comments on the request here through May 21.
[Related: Covenant/Landair get pre-CDL waiver]
ATRI president plans 2027 retirement
Rebecca Brewster, President of the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), announced that she will retire in early 2027 after serving the organization for 34 years. She's led ATRI as its president and chief operating officer dor 25 years.
Rebecca Brewster
“Serving the trucking industry through ATRI has been one of the greatest privileges of my life and I sincerely appreciate the Board’s long-time support of and confidence in my leadership,” said Brewster. “The ATRI team is well-positioned to carry on ATRI’s mission of research to improve the industry’s safety and productivity and I look forward to working with the new leader on the transition.”
ATRI’s Board of Directors, led by Werner Enterprises Chairman Derek Leathers, has appointed a search committee of Board members to identify Brewster’s successor. ATRI Board member Brenda Neville, Iowa Motor Truck Association President and CEO, will chair the search committee.
“Rebecca’s leadership of ATRI has made a lasting impact on the trucking industry,” said Leathers. “We are grateful for her three decades of leadership and the legacy she will leave behind.”
In May, the ATRI search committee will commence its work to identify a new leader.
[Related: Brokers, parking, emissions regs: Owner-ops' top trucking concerns]
