Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, May 7, 2026:
- Southeast Georgia haulers may need to reroute after city’s truck ban.
- Sentence handed down for CLP cheater.
- $21K in unpaid tolls leads to charges.
Georgia city banning trucks from downtown area
The city of Port Wentworth, Georgia, will ban tractor-trailers from the downtown corridor of the Coastal Highway, effective July 1.
Ahead of the ban, the city is launching a public information campaign to prepare residents, business owners, drivers and others for the change.
The effort supports the city's long-term downtown revitalization strategy and follows the Georgia Department of Transportation's approval of Port Wentworth's request to assume local jurisdiction over the downtown portion of State Route 25, from Grange Road to Bonnybridge Road. Trucks will be rerouted around the downtown area. Specific routing details were not immediately available, but city communications said drivers should follow posted signage.
City officials said the downtown truck ban is intended to “improve public safety, reduce heavy truck congestion, and transform downtown into a more walkable, business-friendly destination for residents and visitors,” adding that GDOT’s approval was “a major step in redirecting through-truck traffic away from the city center and converting the corridor from a truck-dominated thoroughfare into a pedestrian-focused main street.”
Throughout May, Port Wentworth will engage drivers with public education, flyers, text alerts, signage and outreach; ordinance and speed limit updates; and possible town hall meetings.
The city will continue its public outreach, coupled with a formal warning period for trucks not using designated alternate routes, through June up to formal full enforcement of the ban July 1.
Residents, business owners, truck drivers, and logistics partners are encouraged to review official notices, follow posted signage, and stay informed through the city's website and official communication channels.
[Related: Baltimore officials eye severe truck parking restrictions in residential areas]
Bluetooth CLP testing cheater sentenced
A man convicted for providing answers to exam questions to an individual taking a commercial learner’s permit (CLP) test was sentenced May 1 to time served (approximately 23 months in federal prison).
Frank Castro, 53, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, was charged by a federal grand jury in April 2024 and convicted in January 2025 of “unlawful production of an identification document.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, on or about Oct. 18, 2021, Castro told an undercover agent that he could help him obtain a CLP in Massachusetts for $3,000. On or about Dec. 10, 2021, Castro explained the agent would need to sneak a Bluetooth device into the testing area at a Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) location, and to surreptitiously place the device into his ear, then cover it with headphones used during the exam.
Castro said that he would be connected with the undercover agent via the Bluetooth device such that he could hear the audio questions and provide the agent with the correct answers.
On or about Dec. 22, 2021, the undercover agent deposited $3,000 into Castro’s bank account before proceeding to the Danvers RMV to take the CLP exam. The undercover agent connected with Castro using the Bluetooth device, and Castro provided the exam answers to the undercover agent in real time during the exam. The undercover agent passed the exam with Castro’s unlawful assistance and received a Massachusetts CLP.
[Related: Police officer convicted of extortion over fake CDL testing]
Alleged Ohio toll dodger indicted
An Illinois man was indicted on Grand Theft in the Williams County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas following an investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP).
A grand jury indicted Moath Musamih, 39 of Orland Park, Illinois, on April 21 after he allegedly deprived the Ohio Turnpike of $21,991 in tolls over a two-year period. Ohio officials said Musamih was determined to have been using the Ohio Turnpike while evading tolls from April 2024 to April 2026.
If convicted, Musamih could face a maximum of 18 months in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. The vehicle used in connection with the theft offense, a Freightliner Cascadia, could be subject to criminal forfeiture through the Williams County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission recently announced an effort to collect unpaid tolls from what it called “rogue commercial trucking companies” that have between $5,000 and nearly $156,000 in unpaid tolls, totaling $5.2 million from 315 different companies.
[Related: Ohio Turnpike targeting trucking companies for unpaid tolls]
