Trucking news & briefs for Friday, June 12, 2026:
- Truck driver wants FMCSA to ban off-duty notification of random drug screen selection.
- New and expanded Love's locations go live.
Ban off-duty random drug screens? Driver petitions for rulemaking
Truck driver Nathan Weidert has submitted a petition for rulemaking to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to prevent off-duty driver notifications of random drug screens.
Current regulations do not "prohibit an employer from notifying a driver of his/her selection for a random controlled substances test while the driver is in an off-duty status," according to this Q&A about FMCSA guidance.
Weidert's petition for the change follows his own experience of a former employer facing a quarterly deadline for random testing of their CDL drivers. Weidert had been driving seasonally for the company and was at the very end of his contract term. "There was no more work scheduled for them," he wrote in the petition.
He told Overdrive the company nonetheless selected him for random testing and that, when he objected that he was no longer under the company's employment, reported the refusal to test to the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, necessitating burdensome return-to-duty procedures on his part to be authorized to operate a truck again.
"They used me as a scapegoat ... to meet their own deadline and protect themselves, thereby causing me great unnecessary stress and a lot of frustration," he wrote in the petition. "Forcing a driver to proceed immediately to a collection site when they are off-duty ignores common sense and impacts a driver’s rest periods, along with their hours-of-service (HOS) clock."
[Related: How does your drug/alcohol testing consortium notify you of randoms?]
The same FMCSA guidance Q&A referenced above notes that "the time the driver spends traveling to and from the collection site, and all time associated with providing the specimen, must be recorded as on-duty time for purposes of compliance with the hours-of-service rules."
Weidert's petition specificallly asks FMCSA to "amend 49 CFR 382.305" to outlaw the off-duty notification and testing, better aligning drug screens with guidance around alcohol testing in some ways.
"Alcohol testing can only be done on-duty," Weirdert wrote in the petition, or "when a CDL holder is about to perform, currently performing, or just completed performing a safety-sensitive function. Not when a CDL holder is attending a funeral, at a wedding, or working at another job."
Weidert's petition invoked ongoing federal efforts to modernize its systems and better police the bad actors in the business.
"As we have witnessed over the last few years," he wrote, "there are far too many motor carriers operating within the trucking industry that take shortcuts and find regulatory loopholes without prioritizing safety. Notifying CDL holders that they must immediately submit to a random drug test while they are off-duty presents logistical, safety and compliance problems. Above all, choosing to notify and select drivers for off-duty random drug testing shows an employer does not value a driver’s time or professional licensure, nor does it promote driver retention."
FMCSA did not respond in for publication to questions about next steps for the submission. Petitions under active consideration are generally posted for public comment/feedback.
You can download and read Weidert's in full via this link the agency's public submissions docket.
[Related: Trucker locked in FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol 'Clearinghouse jail' fights to break out]
New Love's in Florida panhandle, updates in Oklahoma, Illinois
Love's Travel Stops announced a new truck stop in Gretna, Florida, located at 265 Opportunity Way (I-10, exit 174). The stop features 121 truck parking spaces, free for Love’s customers. The Florida panhandle region truck stop's adding spaces to a state lauded more often than not by Overdrive readers for plentiful parking options.
Florida ranked No. 3 for best state for parking in the 2025 Truckers' HIghway Report Card, based on reader surveys.
So far in 2026, Love’s has added 991 truck parking spaces across the country, the company said.
The new stop in Gretna also features fresh food offerings, and an Arby's and Dunkin' both opening June 15.
It's got eight diesel bays, six showers, laundry facilities, a dog park and a Cat Scale.
Situated between existing Love's stops in Cottondale and Lee, the Gretna stop includes space allocated for EV chargers, allowing Love’s to quickly partner with local utility companies to install charging stations should customer demand arise.
Love’s will donate $2,500 each to Gretna Elementary School and West Gadsden Middle School as part of the grand opening. The company will also donate $5,000 to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.
Grand reopenings have continued for the truck stop chain, too, with recent updates for the Love's locations Elk City, Oklahoma, and Roscoe, Illinois. Guests can now experience updated environments designed to improve traffic flow and elevate the overall shopping experience, the company said. Both locations feature fully renovated and modernized restrooms and remodeled sales floors.
So far in 2026, Love’s has completed updates to 18 locations and opened 10 new stores.
In honor of the grand reopenings, Love’s will donate $5,000 to the Oklahoma Health Foundation and $5,000 to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
[Related: Truckers still torn: Truck Parking Club's huge growth with pay-to-park]
