Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, June 17, 2026:
- Missouri county hands down theft charges for team drivers allegedly stealing from World Cup team.
- More HOS relief on the Plains.
- Virginia petitions FMCSA for emergency-time CDL waiver.
Team drivers charged for allegedly stealing World Cup team’s gear
A pair of truck drivers were charged in Jackson County, Missouri, in connection with property stolen from England’s World Cup soccer team visiting Kansas City.
Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of Receiving Stolen Property, a class D felony under Missouri law, which carries between one to seven years in prison upon conviction.
According to charging documents, on June 12 around 5 p.m., the tractor-trailer containing Team England gear and other memorabilia arrived at the Swope Soccer Complex in Kansas City. Members of the organization’s logistics team reportedly noticed items misplaced in the trailer and that there were “items that were loaded in Florida that were not located in the trailer upon arrival to Kansas City.”
Team officials allegedly requested permission to check the cab for the gear, which Kamal initially refused. When told the other option was to call the police, Kamal allegedly handed over a pair of missing shoes. Kamal and Salik then proceeded to hand over the rest of the missing gear from the cab of the truck, according to the charging documents.
Upon conducting inventory of the items Kamal and Salik had in the cab, it was found they had:
- 4 pairs of cleats valued at $1,340.60
- 5 pairs of shoes valued at $1,139.50
- 1 red jersey signed by the team valued at $5,000
- 2 white jerseys signed by the team valued at $5,000 each
- 1 World Cup soccer ball valued at $214.50
- 4 navy shorts for the team with no value provided
- 4 navy shirts for the team with no value provided
- 4 light blue long sleeve shirts for the team with no value provided
- 4 light blue short sleeve shirts for the team with no value provided
- 2 lion stuffed animals with no value provided
- Multifunctional power strips valued at $40
- 1 JBL speaker valued at $149.95
- 1 Lego set of a Nike Air shoe valued at $99.99
The stolen property was estimated at about $18,000 in value.
“Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have traveled here to compete,” Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said. “We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately. Our office is committed to holding these individuals accountable.”
A Jackson County judge set each defendant’s bond at $75,000.
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Nebraska wildfire HOS waiver extended again
Truck drivers and motor carriers responding to wildfire relief efforts in Nebraska are getting an additional month of hours-of-service relief from federal regulators.
An hours-of-service waiver has been in effect since Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen issued a State of Emergency on March 16. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration extended the relief on March 30 at the request of state officials, then again on April 10 and May 8. The latest extension was set to expire June 14.
On June 12, FMCSA issued yet another extension, granting the HOS relief through July 14 due to ongoing wildfire activity over more than a million acres of land and severe drought conditions resulting in the urgent need for and hauling of livestock feed, the waiver states.
Under terms of the waiver, motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in Nebraska are granted emergency relief from the maximum driving time regulations in 49 CFR 395.3. The regulatory relief applies regardless of the origin of the trip, as long as the carrier or driver is providing direct assistance to the emergency in Nebraska.
Direct assistance does not include transportation related to long-term rehabilitation of damaged physical infrastructure after the initial threat to life and property has passed, FMCSA noted, nor does it include routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of the waiver.
[Related: How troopers tackle remote ELD manipulation, 'chameleon' operations]
Virginia requests waiver to allow CDL extensions during emergencies
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles has petitioned federal regulators for a waiver that would allow the state to extend the validity of CDLs and commercial learner’s permits during state-declared emergencies.
Specifically, the Virginia DMV is requesting that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration allow it to extend the validity of CDLs and CLPs for up to 90 days when the Governor has:
- Declared a state of emergency; or
- Issued an executive order or directive expressly authorizing extensions of CDLs and CLPs
The requested exemption would not apply to non-domiciled CDLs or CLPs, the request notes. The exemption would apply only to individuals who were issued a CDL or CLP after previously presenting proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residency.
According to the Virginia DMV, during declared states of emergency -- severe weather events, natural disasters, and other statewide disruptions -- access to DMV facilities and services may be significantly limited due to temporary office closures, reduced staffing levels, system outages, travel restrictions, and other safety concerns affecting in-person services. This could prevent otherwise qualified commercial drivers from completing timely renewals through no fault of their own, the department added.
As a result, these drivers could lose driving privileges due to circumstances beyond their control, which may result in workforce shortages and disruptions to the transportation of essential goods and services, particularly during emergency response and recovery efforts, Virginia DMV said.
To ensure an equivalent level of safety as not having an exemption, the DMV said it would implement internal administrative controls to ensure appropriate use of the exemption, if granted, including system tracking of extended credentials, documentation of emergency declarations and executive directives, record retention, and audit capability. Additionally, all records would be made available to FMCSA upon request.
FMCSA is requesting public comment on the request, which can be filed here through July 17.
