Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 30, 2026:
- Owners-operators, other carriers could get more recourse to challenge violations if this legislation passes.
- Is hauling hazmat in an electric truck more dangerous? DOT wants to know.
- More rest area truck parking open in Southwest state.
Bill to reform DataQs process reintroduced
Legislation introduced this week in the U.S. House takes another shot at DataQs reform after similar legislation stalled in the previous Congress.
Reps. Tracey Mann (R-Kansas) and Sharice Davids (D-Kansas) reintroduced the “Motor Carrier Safety Screening Modernization Act,” which would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to establish guidelines for states to follow in reviewing DataQs-system challenges to violations and crashes. Currently, states have the authority to establish their own review process.
The legislation would also expand access to FMCSA’s Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP), allowing motor carriers to review safety records for both prospective and current drivers rather than just for pre-employment purposes.
“The men and women who keep our supply chain efficient play a critical role in feeding, fueling, and clothing the world,” said Rep. Mann. “This commonsense legislation makes our roadways safer, gives trucking companies the tools they need to strengthen driver training and safety programs, and improves the efficiency of our supply chain. By cutting unnecessary red tape and ensuring accuracy in driver safety records, we can better support both our nation’s truckers and the businesses that rely on them every day.”
Under terms of the bill, if a citation or violation is being contested with a challenge via DataQs, the citation or violation would be required to be labeled to indicate that it is being contested in the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) and other relevant databases.
[Related: How to challenge erroneous violation and crash data: FMCSA's DataQs system]
The bill would also amend the DataQ appeals process by requiring FMCSA to enact program participation guidelines that direct states and other federal agencies that receive Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program funding to provide for an appeals process in which, following the conclusion of a request for data review, an affected party can appeal the decision. Such an appeal would have to be adjudicated by a person other than the officer that issued the violation.
FMCSA last year proposed to essentially do just that with more impartiality in the challenge process, among other proposals.
Since 2009, the PSP has provided motor carriers access to data about driver-related safety violations during the hiring process, but current law prohibits carriers from accessing those same records after a driver is hired. The legislation would update the PSP to allow for continuous access.
[Related: Following the rules of the road, and how they follow you: Inspections, violations, safety scores]
According to a press release from Rep. Mann, the bill has received support from the American Trucking Associations, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, National Safety Council, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association, Truckload Carriers Association, Women in Trucking and others.
The bill was previously introduced in 2023 and passed the House Transportation Committee, but it never made it to the House floor for a vote.
[Related: DataQs reform: FMCSA pivots to new state requirements for funding]
DOT wants to hear about risks, challenges of hazmat transport with EVs
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is requesting public input on the safety risks, operational challenges, and regulatory considerations associated with transporting hazardous materials using heavy-duty electric vehicles compared to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
PHMSA said the goal of its request is to “understand what impact the transition from ICE to EV motor carriers may have on hazmat packaging integrity, transportation safety, emergency response protocols, regulatory compliance, and overall vehicle risk.”
Information collected during the 90-day comment period may be used in developing further research into the safety of transporting hazmat in EVs, the agency added.
“Hazmat transportation historically has depended on gasoline and diesel-powered motor carriers, which operate under established safety regulations, containment protocols, and response procedures,” PHMSA said in a Federal Register notice publishing Monday, Feb. 2.
With the use of electric trucks becoming more prevalent, new factors including battery chemistry, powertrain design differences, charging infrastructure, and vehicle weight distribution might all introduce safety risks not associated with ICE vehicles, the agency noted.
[Related: Port dray haulers turn cautiously toward battery-electric trucks]
PHMSA is requesting input from industry experts, fleet operators, manufacturers, emergency responders, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders to help identify safety gaps, emerging safety innovations in transportation technology (or next-generation safety solutions), and potential regulatory adaptations related to hazmat transportation across various technologies.
Responses should compare the risks between heavy-duty EVs and ICE vehicles, with a focus on hazmat packaging and product safety, as well as risks to the vehicles. Specific questions can be found in the notice.
The comment period will open when the notice publishes Feb. 2. Comments can be filed at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket No. PHMSA-2025-0678.
Arizona expands rest area truck parking
The Arizona Department of Transportation has opened a new truck parking lot at the Sunset Point Rest Area as part of a statewide plan to add hundreds of truck parking spaces to meet the growing demand along interstates.
The new lot could well increase Overdrive readers' already-high regard for Arizona with respect to its parking availability. The state ranked No. 8 overall for “Best Parking” in the late-2025-published Truckers’ Highway Report Card.
The new lot on I-17 between Black Canyon City and Cordes Junction features 19 spaces at a rest area where demand is high for truck parking, as the existing 27 spaces for commercial vehicles are often at or near capacity, ADOT said. The $4.1 million project also added waterless vaulted toilets and covered ramadas.
The lot was constructed with gravel supported with a grid, which costs about half as much as asphalt pavement. The surface is permeable, which maximizes the space available for parking because no water retention areas are needed, the agency added.
The expanded parking at Sunset Point is the result of an ADOT plan to construct several hundred truck parking spaces in seven rest area sites along interstates in areas with the greatest needs. Additional parking is expected to come online within the next year at four other rest areas:
- I-40 Parks Rest Area: This formerly closed facility just west of Flagstaff will reopen in spring 2026 for truck parking only, adding 21 new spaces to the 18 existing spaces.
- I-17 Christensen Rest Area: The existing 21 spaces at this formerly closed facility just south of Flagstaff will reopen in spring 2026 for truck parking only.
- I-10 Burnt Wells Rest Area: This facility west of Phoenix will add 125 spaces in late 2026.
- I-40 Meteor Crater Rest Area: This facility just west of Winslow will add 133 spaces in winter 2027.
The expansion plans are in addition to 57 new truck parking spaces ADOT opened in December at the Haviland Rest Area on I-40 west of Kingman.
[Related: Truckers' 2025 Highway Report Card: Worst roads, states, routes, parking]
