Article Summary
Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 17, 2026:
- Illegal cargo leads to four arrests in Florida.
- More emergency HOS relief granted.
- Non-profit’s bid for CDL, ELD exemptions shut down.
Four arrested for allegedly using trucks to traffic cocaine
Four individuals have been arrested and charged in Florida for their involvement in an alleged interstate cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the arrests Wednesday, July 15. Those arrested allegedly transported roughly 60 kilograms of cocaine from El Paso, Texas, into the Tampa Bay area.
“This operation dismantled a dangerous cartel pipeline flooding Florida communities with cocaine,” said Uthmeier. “Thanks to the outstanding work of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, FDLE, and our Statewide Prosecutors, we have removed 60 kilograms of poison from our streets and are holding these traffickers fully accountable.”
The defendants -- Daniel Cruz Pinales, Arturo Carlos, Joaquin Enriquez, and Jesus Guadalupe Chan Morales -- face charges of Trafficking in Cocaine (400 grams to 150 kilograms) and Conspiracy. The investigation is ongoing and more charges and arrests are expected.
On July 11, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office detectives, working with Florida Department of Law Enforcement through the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) program, conducted surveillance on a drug trafficking organization. Investigators identified a monthly supply pattern involving white Freightliner tractor-trailers.
Two members of the organization were observed retrieving bags from the trucks in Wesley Chapel and transporting them in a chase vehicle to a handoff with Pinales in a Tampa parking lot. Pinales was stopped with three suitcases containing an estimated 60 kilograms (132 pounds) of cocaine, which field-tested positive for the substance. Enriquez, Morales, and Carlos were taken into custody without incident.
Under the current charges, the defendants face a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
Texas flooding prompts HOS relief for support haulers
Severe storms in Texas ongoing this week that included heavy rainfall and flash flooding have prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to declare a “state of disaster” in 59 counties.
The declaration automatically triggers a two-week suspension of hours-of-service regulations for truck drivers and motor carriers providing direct assistance to the affected areas. Drivers responding to the emergency are exempt from applicable regulations in all states on their route to the emergency, even if those states are not involved in the emergency or stated in the declaration.
Abbott’s declaration is in effect through July 28, unless extended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The full list of counties covered by the emergency can be found in the declaration.
Other states, including Oregon and Nebraska, also have ongoing emergency HOS waivers for drivers providing assistance.
[Related: Make truckers prove passenger authorization documentation: CVSA]
FMCSA denies exemption request from Mississippi non-profit
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced its decision to deny an application for an exemption from certain CDL and ELD regulations for a Mississippi-based non-profit, the Diamond Excursions Ladies Edition, doing business as Project Gap.
Project Gap, a food pantry and emergency supply program, last November requested an exemption that would cover trips picking up and delivering donated goods, including food, water, hygiene items, and essential supplies, to underserved communities and areas affected by natural disasters. Unpaid, volunteer drivers conduct all transportation for the organization.
According to Project Gap, vehicle use is limited to donation collection, community distribution events, and disaster relief missions, some in interstate commerce. The group also noted the trips are “infrequent and mission specific,” yet told FMCSA in its application that its trips exceed 8 days in a 30-day period, so they are not eligible for the ELD exemption for less frequent use.
The group claimed the ELD and CDL requirements (its drivers also don’t have CDLs) “pose significant burdens on Project Gap's ability to serve affected communities, particularly during emergencies and natural disasters.”
In denying the request, FMCSA said it received 81 comments on the initial request with only two in favor and 75 in opposition to granting one or both of the exemptions. Many of those opposed cited safety concerns.
FMCSA said Project Gap “failed to establish that the exemptions would likely achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved without the exemptions,” adding that the group “did not provide information on what training the drivers receive and how that training compares to the training required for a driver to receive a CDL,” nor about how it would ensure HOS compliance without ELDs.
[Related: No HOS violations, no ELD required: New trucking group seeks mandate exemption]
