Article Summary
Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 24, 2026:
- Truck stopped after blowing by weigh station busted for hauling marijuana.
- Trucking execs update on industry clean-up with regulators.
- New truck route into Canada opening Monday.
- Rush Enterprises, Carrier Transicold dealer network form joint venture.
Michigan police seize marijuana, cash from truck during stop
On Monday, July 21, at approximately 7:15 p.m., a Michigan State Police (MSP) Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) officer initiated a traffic stop on a 2023 Freightliner tractor-trailer after it bypassed the I-75 weigh station in Erie Township.
During the traffic stop, the officer made contact with the driver, a 25-year-old man from North Hollywood, California, and observed several indicators of possible criminal activity. The driver consented to a search of the commercial vehicle.
During the search, the officer discovered a large amount of vacuum-sealed U.S. currency concealed in the truck's sleeper berth. Based on the circumstances, the officer suspected the cash was connected to drug trafficking. The tractor-trailer was then escorted to the weigh station for a more thorough inspection.
Upon returning to the weigh station, the investigation was turned over to detectives with the Monroe Area Narcotics Team and Investigative Services (M.A.N.T.I.S.) due to indications of possible drug trafficking. A subsequent search of the tractor and trailer resulted in the seizure of approximately 97 kilograms of processed marijuana and $346,000 in U.S. currency, both of which were vacuum-sealed.
The truck, owned by a company based in Bartlett, Tennessee, was traveling from California to New Jersey at the time of the traffic stop. The driver was lodged at the Monroe County Jail pending review of possible charges by the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office. The investigation remains ongoing.
Trucking org execs update on trucking clean-up efforts
The Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC), made up of state and national trucking association executives, this week released a progress report documenting federal and state action to remove illegal operators, strengthen regulatory oversight and restore fairness for trucking companies and professional drivers.
The report follows TAEC’s release last fall of its Trucking Resurgence: The Fight for Fairness and Safety, an action plan identifying regulatory and enforcement gaps that allowed unsafe and fraudulent operators to enter the trucking industry.
Since then, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and state governments have acted across nearly every priority identified in the plan, producing measurable results, the group said.
“This progress demonstrates what can happen when the trucking industry and its regulators recognize a problem, work together toward solutions,” said Tony Bradley, president and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association and chairman of TAEC. “Legitimate carriers and professional drivers have invested too much in safety and compliance to be undercut by operators who exploit gaps in the system. We are encouraged by the results, committed to keeping this momentum going.”
The progress report highlights enforcement and reform efforts, including:
- Nearly 10,000 CDL schools removed from the federal Training Provider Registry
- 550 fraudulent CDL schools shut down
- $217 million in new federal safety and CDL integrity investments
- 704 investigations of high-risk carriers, with 430 carriers voluntarily ceasing operations and another 60-70 shut down
- 3,200 visa revocations tied to cabotage enforcement
- Audits of all 50 states’ CDL programs and non-domiciled CDL issuance
- More than 194,000 non-domiciled CDLs that will no longer qualify under strengthened federal requirements
- $273 million in highway funding withheld from noncompliant states
- More than 27,000 drivers placed out of service for English-language proficiency violations
- 76 noncompliant electronic logging device platforms removed from the approved registry and 426 blocked
- More than 20 states engaged in legislative action
The original Trucking Resurgence plan focused on seven areas: CDL integrity, federal motor carrier safety data, cross-border workforce integrity, non-domiciled CDLs, English-language proficiency, trucking fraud and ELDs. Many of the plan’s recommendations called for better use of existing authority, stronger verification and more consistent enforcement.
Despite the progress, the report emphasizes that sustained enforcement and additional reform remain necessary. It also highlights the need to ensure FMCSA has the staffing required to identify high-risk operators before they endanger the motoring public.
[Related: ATA, trucking execs reveal plan for non-domiciled CDL, trucking data overhaul]
New U.S.-Canada border crossing bridge opening Monday
Every day, hundreds of millions of dollars in trade cross the U.S.-Canada border between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, making it the busiest international land border crossing in North America.
The new Gordie Howe International Bridge, opening to traffic on Monday, July 27, will be a vital economic link between the U.S. and Canada.
Spanning the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, the six-lane, cable-stayed bridge will link I-75 in Michigan with Highway 401 in Ontario. The crossing includes modern ports of entry on both sides of the border equipped with advanced screening and border management technologies.
The bridge will look to ease traffic at the two busiest border crossings connecting the U.S. and Canada -- the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. It will give large trucks a second option in the area, as large trucks are not allowed in the tunnel.
To support this opening and ensure that benefits are felt on both sides of the border, Canada and the United States have agreed to a series of cooperative measures focused on toll governance and transparency, as well as investments in the region, including through the establishment of a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations.
The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) has also announced toll rates and, with Bridging North America (BNA), launched “Breakaway,” a toll discount program for the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Drivers in vehicles equipped with Breakaway tags will drive to any open toll lane. In less than five seconds, charges will be attributed to their account, the boom will lift, and they will continue on their journey.
Commercial trucks, oversized vehicles and larger passenger vehicles will pay a standard toll of $12 CAD/$8.75 USD per axle, with a Breakaway rate of $9.60 CAD/$6.90 USD per axle.
Rush Enterprises enters joint venture with Carrier Transicold dealer MCT
Commercial vehicle dealership network Rush Enterprises announced this week that it has signed an agreement to form a joint venture with MCT Companies, one of the largest Carrier Transicold dealers in the United States.
Rush Enterprises and an affiliate of MCT Companies will each own 50% of the new joint venture entity, which will operate MCT Companies’ network of truck, trailer and rail refrigeration and auxiliary power unit dealerships throughout the Midwest and on both the East and West Coasts.
The joint venture will enhance service capabilities for refrigerated transportation customers through continued investment in technology and operations, the companies said.
The formation of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, but the parties expect the transaction to close during the third quarter of 2026.
The joint venture will be named MCT Holdings, LLC, and will be led by Bill Willett as Chief Executive Officer and President. For financial reporting purposes, Rush Enterprises does not intend to consolidate the joint venture within its Truck Segment or any other operating segment.
MCT Companies owns and operates a network of 17 Carrier Transicold full-service dealerships and three mobile service locations strategically located across the refrigerated freight market in California, Nebraska, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
