Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 23, 2026:
The U.S. House on Thursday passed legislation that will provide funding for several areas of the government, including the Department of Transportation. The measure is a bipartisan effort and cleared the chamber with a 341-88 vote. It will now move to the Senate, where it will face a separate vote.
Legislation introduced last year to codify President Trump’s executive order requiring English language proficiency for truck drivers was included in the bill. A provision would require the DOT secretary to update federal regulations to ensure that non-compliance with the ELP requirement in 49 Code of Federal Regulations 391.11(b)(2) triggers an out-of-service order.
[Related: Congress looks to codify ELP requirements for truck drivers]
The legislation also earmarks $200 million solely for projects that provide commercial vehicle parking. Projects eligible for the funding would have to “be within reasonable access to or in the right of way of an Interstate highway, the National Highway System, or the National Highway Freight Network,” according to the legislation. The bill would also bar any funding recipients from charging fees to truck drivers to use parking constructed, expanded, opened, maintained, or improved with grant funding.
Language in the bill would also prevent any of the $200 million for truck parking to be used “for the construction, or development phase activities that would enable the construction, of charging or fueling infrastructure for the propulsion of a vehicle, including a commercial motor vehicle.”
Finally, the bill would also ban the use of funds by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to require the use of electronic logging devices for trucks transporting livestock or insects -- an exemption that has been in place since the implementation of the ELD rule.
