Article Summary
Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, July 15, 2026:
- Carrying a passenger? CVSA wants authorization documentation in-cab.
- First-of-its-kind runaway truck ramp now operational in Texas.
- More wildfire relief granted on the Plains.
CVSA petitions FMCSA to require documentation of passenger authorization
In an effort to help roadside inspectors combat human trafficking, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance filed a Petition for Rulemaking with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, asking the agency to require written or electronic documentation of authorization for passengers in a commercial motor vehicle.
In its petition, CVSA said it’s “imperative that the law enforcement community and industry partners be involved in fighting” the crime of human trafficking. “These stakeholders need to learn to recognize the signs of human trafficking and how to report it, as their involvement is vital in assisting in victim recovery,” the organization added.
The Alliance in its petition noted that roadside inspectors “are in a unique position to identify instances of human trafficking when conducting inspections on commercial motor vehicles” -- so much so that FMCSA “has encouraged its Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) partners to incorporate human trafficking prevention efforts into their commercial motor vehicle safety programs.”
Under current regulations, truck drivers can carry a non-driver passenger as long as they have written authorization to do so by the motor carrier controlling the truck. Exemptions to that rule include provisions for emergencies, likewise those delegated as livestock handler assistants and carrier employees or others specifically assigned to a truck by the authority-holding motor carrier. In many Overdrive readers' cases, that carrier's the owner-operator him- or herself.
Authorization is supposed to include the name of the person to be transported, the points where the transportation is to begin and end, and the date the authority expires.
The problem inspectors face, CVSA said in its petition, is that regulatory guidance doesn’t require the written authorization be carried onboard the truck, but rather maintained at the motor carrier’s place of business.
“Due to the DOT Regulatory Guidance to § 392.60 -- Unauthorized persons not to be transported, drivers are not required to carry and produce the documentation,” CVSA said. Roadside inspectors thus “can have difficulty verifying whether or not a passenger found in a property-carrying CMV is authorized to be there, and therefore whether they may be the victim of human trafficking.”
CVSA asks that FMCSA update the guidance to instead require that the documentation, in either hard copy or electronic format, be maintained onboard, as well as at the carrier’s place of business.
According to Overdrive sister company RigDig's accounting, the unauthorized-passenger regulation hasn't exactly been commonly found by truck enforcement departments.
Since 2023, few states have issued more than 200 such violations, or roughly 50 annually. Among those that have -- Arizona, California, Pennsylvania and Texas -- only the Lone Star State clocked a total past the 200s at almost 500.
CVSA in its petition countered an expected argument that documents can be easily falsified, noting that federal regulations already require drivers to keep plenty such in-cab -- driver’s licenses, medical certificates, bills of lading, lease agreements, load permits. All can be and are falsified.
And the requirement for roadside presentation "provides an opportunity for enforcement to review and verify the document for enforcement purposes,” CVSA said. The same could apply to passenger authorization. “Requiring the letter roadside would be an additional tool for the inspectors to use" to investigate suspected trafficking.
[Related: How carrier vetting changed, before and after SCOTUS ruling]
'First of its kind': Texas installs mechanical truck runaway ramp in El Paso
A new safety feature, designed to catch runaway trucks on Loop 375 (Transmountain Road) just north of El Paso, Texas, is now open to the public.
The mechanical runaway truck ramp opened July 1 and is the first of its kind installed in Texas, Texas DOT said. Texas DOT
The addition provides a safety option for trucks experiencing brake failure along westbound Loop 375, near the I-10 interchange.
“Unlike other runaway truck ramps on Transmountain, this truck arresting system was constructed in the median due to the narrow footprint available at that location,” said TxDOT El Paso District Engineer Tomas Trevino. “It detains vehicles in tight roadway geometry, such as the area closer to I-10.”
Michael Beecen, designer at Beecen, Brackin and Associates, called it “probably the most unique trap that we’ve designed,” said . “First, it being the first mechanical system installed in Texas, but it is in a median and we have never done a median application. This is the first of its kind in the nation.”
The system is designed to safely stop a 90,000-pound truck traveling 90 miles an hour using a series of eight energy-absorbing net stations bolted into reinforced concrete walls.
After each use, the system requires a reset, which can be done in as little as four hours.
This area has seen several runaway truck incidents in recent years, TxDOT said, and while the ramp was constructed with tractor-trailers in mind, it is open for all vehicle types. Drivers who need to use the system are encouraged to stay centered on the ramp for optimum results.
Project designers said ramps like these exist in Wyoming, Utah and Nevada, and are typically constructed on mountainsides, making the new El Paso system unique. It's not the only runaway ramp on Loop 375. This stretch of road has three existing gravel truck runaway ramps, one WB and two EB.
Other safety measures for trucks include enhanced permanent signage that provides additional warning of existing truck runaway ramps on both directions.
[Related: Tales of three runaway trucks: Crises endured and averted]
HOS waiver extended for Nebraska wildfire relief
Wildfires in Nebraska prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to issue a fifth extension for an emergency declaration waiving hours-of-service rules for drivers and motor carriers providing direct assistance to relief efforts.
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen in March declared an emergency due to wildfires in the state, prompting waivers for hours-of-service regs. FMCSA then issued a two-week extension at the end of March. Since then, three 30-day extensions followed on April 14, May 14 and June 14.
On July 9, Nebraska officials requested an additional 30-day extension of the emergency regulatory relief.
Because emergency conditions have not abated, FMCSA has granted another 30-day extension, valid through Aug. 12.
Under terms of the emergency, motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in the State of Nebraska are granted emergency relief from 49 CFR § 395.3, maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles. The HOS 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.
