Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, March 4, 2026:
- 352 citations issued in one-day on I-15.
- More paid hourly parking coming to South Florida.
- Lighting manufacturer’s exemption request: Comments extended.
- Truck rental company celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
California enforcement effort puts 18 drivers, 40 trucks OOS
A coordinated “Commercial Strike Force” operation spanning the length of I-15 from San Diega to the Nevada state line in California resulted in 40 vehicles and 18 drivers declared out-of-service.
Multiple California Highway Patrol jurisdictions along the I-15 corridor participated in the effort Feb. 26, combining resources and personnel across divisions for comprehensive corridor coverage.
According to CHP out of Rancho Cucamonga, officers inspected 245 vehicles in the effort. In addition to the OOS orders, results included:
- 20 driver's license violations
- 24 registration violations
- 27 operating authority violations
- 39 hours-of-service or logbook-related violations
- 270 mechanical violations
- 23 non-emergency stop violations
- 77 out-of-lane violations
- 6 cell phone violations
- 107 unsafe speed violations
- 48 additional moving violations
- 352 total commercial citations issued
- 56 commercial warnings issued
- 43 citations issued to non-commercial vehicles
- 11 verbal warnings
[Related: ELD tampering in crosshairs for Roadcheck 2026 blitz]
ParkPro to offer hourly truck parking spaces at NHL arena
ParkPro, a national provider of paid truck parking, has announced that hundreds of new, hourly truck parking spaces will officially open this summer in South Florida at Amerant Bank Arena, home of the Florida Panthers NHL team.
Carriers working with ParkPro will be able to offer drivers secure, reservable, and conveniently located spaces in a designated truck parking zone within the Sunrise, Florida-based property just outside Ft. Lauderdale, the company said.
“In 2024, we announced the Panthers as our flagship host,” said Tra Williams, CEO of ParkPro, during a speech at the Truckload Carriers Association Conference in Orlando, Florida. “Since then, we’ve focused on execution -- optimizing the platform, refining operations, and ensuring that when we go live, it works in the real world. When ParkPro is officially LIVE, Amerant Bank Arena alone will create parking for up to 200 trucks.”
Florida's been a mixed bag for truckers when it comes to positive/negative parking opinion. The state ranked No. 1 on Overdrive readers' list for best state overall for parking, yet others also called out the Miami-Fort Lauderdale region for worst metro area in the nation.
New spaces at Amerant Bank Arena adds some capacity, yet among the biggest complaints earmarked by Overdrive readers for the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro was that almost all truck parking there was pay-to-park.
New paid parking options don't address that complaint, yet ParkPro noted they do at least make the sports venue the first in the nation to offer spaces at an arena.
Miami ranked 6th-worst among metro areas for truck parking in Overdrive's 2025 Truckers' Highway Report Card, which you can download via this link.
[Related: New truck stop near Dallas offers paid parking, free amenities]
“We are proud to partner with ParkPro to offer our unused parking lots at Amerant Bank Arena as a solution for long-haul truck drivers to rest along routes for their safety and wellbeing of drivers around them,” said Florida Panthers EVP of People & Facilities Rob Stevenson. "We have a unique responsibility as a sports and entertainment location to be innovative when it comes to leveraging the spaces we operate for functionality and the wellbeing of our community."
ParkPro currently operates in select locations across the United States, and will officially launch on Platform Science, Apple iOS, and Android devices starting this summer. ParkPro benefits include on-site security, lighting, and access to nearby hotels and restaurants at many of its platform properties, the company added.
[Related: Truck Parking: DOT update on funding, development]
FMCSA extends comment period for Grote’s lighting exemption request
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is extending the comment period on a recent exemption request from Grote Industries to give interested parties more time to weigh in.
Grote’s request, published in the Federal Register by FMCSA on Feb. 9, sought an exemption that would allow motor carriers to operate CMVs equipped with auxiliary rear or side lamps that flash or strobe when controlled by Grote’s Rear-End Collision Warning (RCW) system.
Grote’s request would allow motor carriers the use of one or more non-steady-burning auxiliary lamps installed symmetrically about the vertical centerline on the rear or sides of trucks when used in conjunction with Grote’s RCW system.
The company’s RCW system uses rear-facing, long-range radar to calculate time-to-collision (TTC) for vehicles approaching from behind and activates auxiliary warning lamps when a collision risk threshold is reached. The system activates a signal circuit when the TTC is less than or equal to a specific safety threshold – typically between 2.1 and 4.0 seconds – which represents the average time required for a driver and vehicle to react to a hazard.
Under the request, when the RCW system detects an imminent risk, the auxiliary lamps would either be:
- Red in color and flash 4–16 times within four seconds, or
- Amber in color and function as an SAE J595 Class 3 or Class 2 strobe lamp for up to four seconds.
Following either initial sequence, the lamps burn steady red for the remaining duration of the warning event as long as the collision risk persists. Once the potential risk has subsided and the TTC exceeds the safety threshold, the signal circuit is deactivated, ending the warning event and turning off the auxiliary lamps.
With the comment period extension, FMCSA said it “finds it is appropriate to extend the comment period to provide interested parties additional time to submit their responses to the notice.”
The comment period was initially set to conclude on March 11, but the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance filed a comment requesting an extension. CVSA said a 60-day extension would allow its membership to discuss the proposed exemption request during its 2026 Workshop, which is scheduled for April 19-23.
FMCSA granted the request, and comments are now due by May 10.
[Related: Grote Industries asks FMCSA for rear lighting waiver]
PacLease rolls out patriotic rental trucks to celebrate America’s 250th birthday
With the country’s 250th birthday just around the corner, PacLease has begun celebrating the milestone with a custom graphics package on its U.S.-based rental trucks. The effort is in conjunction with Freedom 250, the national, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of the U.S.’ 250th birthday.
Freedom 250 trucks pulling the effort's mobile museum will be making stops at a variety of locations and events across the nation throughout the year. Find a full schedule via this link.
New rental box trucks and day cabs that are put into service at PacLease U.S. company stores and participating U.S. franchises showcase vibrant red, white, and blue designs with PacLease branding featuring the logo from the Freedom 250 organization.PacLease
The Freedom 250 logo draws inspiration from the flag that Betsy Ross created. It’s one of the earliest symbols of American Independence and has stars representing the original 13 colonies – echoing the unity and spirit of 1776.
“We are excited to announce the new graphics package design in honor of America’s 250th anniversary,” said Michelle Harry, Paccar Leasing Marketing & Service Director. “We want to celebrate with the rest of the industry – other companies will be doing similar projects. Our rental trucks allow us to showcase the pride we have in America.”
