Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Sept. 21, 2026:
- Insurance company gives away a truck.
- Weigh station bypass for autonomous trucks?
- Former fleet operator guilty of COVID loan fraud.
Progressive awards truck driver with Freightliner
Fahad Al-Kadhim first served the U.S. military as an interpreter and translator during combat operations before becoming a U.S. citizen, joining the National Guard and becoming a truck driver.Progressive Insurance
A U.S. Army National Guard veteran has been awarded a 2024 Freightliner Cascadia as part of Progressive Insurance’s Keys to Progress program.
The award recognized Fahad Al-Kadhim, of Macomb, Michigan, for his commitment to service and will help him take the next step toward building his own trucking business, Progressive said.
"We’re proud to recognize veterans whose service continues long after they leave the military," said Karen Bailo, Progressive Commercial Lines President. "Fahad’s journey is one of courage, perseverance and purpose. Through Keys to Progress, we’re honored to provide him with a vehicle that can help turn his entrepreneurial goals into reality while continuing his commitment to keeping our roads and communities safe.”
Al-Kadhim first supported U.S. Marines and Army units as an interpreter and translator during combat operations before immigrating to the United States. After becoming a U.S. citizen, he continued his service by enlisting in the U.S. Army National Guard, where he trained as a truck driver.
A 2021 “Guardsman Highlight” from the Michigan National Guard detailed that Al-Kadhim was born and raised in Iraq and was captured by Al Qaeda when he was 17. After his family paid the ransom, he became an interpreter between 2008 and 2011. He enlisted in the National Guard in 2020 after coming to America.
Today, he is an experienced commercial driver and trainer who is passionate about developing safe, disciplined and accountable professional drivers while remaining active in organizations that support veterans and military families.
“What started as a passion for giving back to my community from behind the wheel can now be turned into providing me with the tools to build my own business," said Al-Kadhim. "I am deeply grateful to Progressive for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream of owning my own trucking business."
Kodiak partners with PrePass for autonomous truck weigh station bypass
Weigh station bypass and toll payment service provider PrePass is partnering with autonomous truck tech developer Kodiak AI to integrate Enhanced Inspections of Kodiak’s autonomous trucks, conducted by Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance-trained inspectors, into established state roadside screening and enforcement systems.
CVSA developed the Enhanced Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Program (Enhanced Inspections) to support commercial vehicles equipped with automated driving systems.
Under the program, a CVSA-trained inspector verifies that an autonomous commercial vehicle is free of safety defects before it begins driverless operations.Kodiak AI
Using the PrePass platform, the companies have created an automated bypass process that connects Enhanced Inspection information from Kodiak’s autonomous trucks directly with enforcement personnel who can verify information, authorize bypass, and provide additional instructions as needed.
A successful Enhanced Inspection remains valid for up to 24 hours, subject to applicable program requirements. The PrePass and Kodiak collaboration does not change or replace that process; it makes the resulting inspection information available through established roadside screening systems.
Initial implementation began Monday in Texas and Louisiana, and the collaboration paves the way for the safe scaling of driverless commercial vehicle operations nationwide, the companies said.
[Related: Operator mounts legal challenge to FMCSA 'driverless' truck warning device waiver]
“The next barrier to scaling driverless trucking isn’t inside the truck. It’s the infrastructure around it,” said Chas Wurster, Chief Technology Officer of PrePass. “PrePass has spent years preparing for this future through federal research, collaboration with state agencies and continued investment in roadside screening technology. By working with Kodiak to advance driverless trucking into real-world commercial operations, PrePass is operationalizing the blueprint for what comes next: bringing states, roadside infrastructure and trusted data together to make autonomous operations work at scale.”
The initiative supports Kodiak’s operational and regulatory readiness as the company prepares to launch driverless commercial vehicle operations on public highways by the end of this year.
“CVSA welcomes this collaboration between PrePass and Kodiak AI to support the implementation of CVSA’s Enhanced Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Program for autonomous trucks,” said CVSA Executive Director Collin Mooney. “As commercial motor vehicle technologies continue to advance, inspection and enforcement processes must evolve with them while maintaining a strong focus on transportation safety.”
[Related: Trucker to Congress: Keep drivers in autonomous trucks]
Trucking company owner sentenced for COVID loan fraud
The former owner of a trucking company was recently sentenced for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief loans.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Preston Fleming, 68, of Ducula, Georgia, was recently sentenced to six months of home confinement in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $170,000 in COVID-19 disaster relief loans for a trucking company that had ceased operating years earlier.
“Fleming lied about his company’s operations, lied about how the money would be used, and then lied again to have the loan forgiven, all so he could build himself a new home with pandemic relief funds meant to save struggling small businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “My office will continue to hold accountable anyone who treated disaster relief programs as a personal piggy bank.”
Fleming pleaded guilty on April 17, 2026, to one count of wire fraud. In addition to home confinement, Fleming was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay the total remaining balance of fraudulently obtained funds. Prosecutors had requested a term of imprisonment.
According to court documents, between 2018 and 2019, Fleming was a co-owner of Fleming Transport Services, Inc. (FTS), a Texas-based trucking company. FTS went out of business before the COVID-19 pandemic and was not an ongoing concern by January 2020. Despite that, between April 2020 and June 2021, Fleming submitted a series of false and fraudulent loan applications to the Small Business Administration in which he sought disaster relief funds through the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
Fleming falsely certified that FTS was operational as of January 2020 and that the loan proceeds would be used for payroll and other covered operating expenses. Based on the misrepresentations, the SBA and third-party lenders funded about $172,500 in loans. Rather than using the funds to support FTS, Fleming spent the loan proceeds on personal expenses. He bought land in Dacula, Georgia, and spent loan money to build a personal residence on that property. He also disbursed thousands of dollars in loan proceeds to a relative.
In August 2021, Fleming applied for forgiveness of the company’s $12,994 Paycheck Protection Program loan. On the application, Fleming falsely certified that he had complied with all program requirements. Based on those fraudulent documents, the SBA forgave the loan in full, plus interest.
“Preston Fleming’s conduct reflects a blatant audacity to commit fraud. As a former HUD employee, he knew the responsibilities that come with public service, yet he chose to exploit a national emergency for personal gain,” said HUD Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Jerome Winkle. “Applying for substantial COVID‑19 relief funds for a business he had already closed undermines the integrity of programs meant to support Americans in crisis. Our office remains steadfast in bringing accountability to those who abuse federal relief efforts.”
