Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Aug. 8, 2025:
- Three-truck small fleet wants FMCSA to remove registered entities’ contact information from public view in the agency’s SAFER system online to cut down on fraud and solicitation.
- 120 trucks, 170 trailers coming to Canada-headquartered Trimac Transportation with acquisition of Searcy Trucking.
- An enforcement event targeting trucks whose routes may not go by Nebraska weigh stations, troopers conducted 41 inspections and found 212 violations.
Small fleet petitions FMCSA to amend or clarify ‘broker’ definition, limit SAFER access
Alpha Drivers Transportation (ADT), a 2024 Overdrive Trucker of the Month, petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to amend or clarify the definition of the term broker in 49 CFR 371.2 to also include dispatching services, and to limit access to the agency’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) system. Petitions for rulemaking are reviewed by FMCSA and either granted for further action or denied.
ADT Vice President Alec Costerus, in filing the petition with FMCSA, said that because motor carriers’ contact information is publicly posted on the SAFER system, “FMCSA registrants are needlessly and excessively bombarded with emails, phone calls, and text messages by freight dispatchers, in an apparent work-around to avoid being subject to Brokers’ requirements.”
This is despite a warning on the SAFER website that notes “Unauthorized or improper use of this system is prohibited, and may result in civil and criminal penalties,” along with a consent agreement.
By posting FMCSA registrants’ contact information, Costerus said “FMCSA is an unwitting partner in these abusive, if not illegal, actions.” As such, he and ADT are calling “for FMCSA to shut down this unrestricted access to would-be evildoers.”
The petition added that the freight dispatchers bombarding carriers with various communications are "unregistered without a bond, without any prior commercial relationship" to the carriers being contacted. The "overwhelming proportion speak of foreign native tongues (offshore fraud?), utilizing spoofed telephone numbers. If it acts like a broker, negotiates freight, interacts with shippers and other brokers, and receives compensation therefor, and by all accounts acts as a type of freight intermediary, these dispatchers should have to adhere to and comply with industry standards to which brokers are held, i.e., insurance bonds and FMCSA registration as a broker.”
ADT’s petition also said having open access to the SAFER system has opened the door to would-be freight fraudsters to get carriers’ contact information.
To address these issues, ADT is asking FMCSA to do the following:
- Amend the definition of “broker” in 371.2 to include “dispatcher”
- Require dispatching services who would then meet the definition of “broker” be subject to the regulatory requirements of a broker, including but not limited to, obtaining a surety bond
- Make company contact data private and generally inaccessible to the general public. FMCSA should require database users to proactively certify that the use of such information is not for solicitation of customers with whom a prior business relationship does not exist.
- Give registrants the ability to opt-in or opt-out of solicitous contacts, where the default would be opt-out
- Fine violators a minimum of $1,000 per contact and establish an enforcement policy and procedure for reporting such violations
[Related: FMCSA guidance reaches for clarity: Do dispatch services need brokerage authority?]
Trimac acquires Canadian flatbed, heavy-haul fleet
Trimac Transportation is bolstering its flatbed, LTL and specialized services across Western Canada and the U.S. Midwest with the acquisition of Winnipeg-based Searcy Trucking.
With more than 120 trucks and 170 trailers, 56-year-old Searcy Trucking has grown into one of the largest open deck carriers in the region, supporting industries including construction, agriculture and industrial manufacturing.
“Searcy Trucking has built a strong reputation in the market, and we are excited to welcome them into the Trimac family,” said Matt Faure, President and CEO of Calgary, Alberta-based Trimac. “Searcy’s reputation for safe operations, integrity and specialized expertise aligns with our core values: Live Safety, Do the Right Thing and Rise to the Challenge. By combining strengths, we are creating even more value for customers and expanding what is possible for our teams across North America.”
Searcy also brings its Universal Reload division, also based in Winnipeg and providing transloading and warehousing services with 20,000 square feet of indoor storage and direct rail access. The company operates a logistics division offering transportation management and both heated and dry storage options.
Searcy owns one of the largest private fleets of Removable Goose Neck trailers in Western Canada, including up to 9-axle configurations that allow them to handle oversize, complex loads.
The company will retain the Searcy Trucking name and continue operations from its locations in Winnipeg and Altona, Manitoba. The leadership team will remain in place.
[Related: 450-truck Carroll Fulmer fleet closing shop]
Nebraska troopers find 212 violations during 41 inspections
Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) Carrier Enforcement Division conducted local commercial vehicle inspections on Wednesday, Aug. 6, in Buffalo County.
During this effort, the Metropolitan Aggressive and Prevention Selective (MAPS) Team conducted 41 vehicle inspections, during which they discovered 212 violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and state law. Troopers placed 17 vehicles and two drivers out of service.
Troopers issued a total of 28 citations during the inspections, and a total of 9 CVSA decals, indicating that the vehicle did not have any immediate safety issues.
The effort focused on commercial vehicles that may not pass through weigh stations as part of their regular routes.
