Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Sept. 25, 2026:
- Dyed diesel allowed in this state?
- A load of chicken to pay off truck driver’s drug debt?
- “I would hope if we flipped over, somebody would do that for us.” --Highway Angel Debra Beal
Alabama suspends dyed diesel fuel checks during peak harvest season
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday directed the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to temporarily halt enforcement actions concerning dyed diesel fuel for the next 120 days to aid the state's agricultural and timber industries amid surging costs.
Under the directive, ALEA will refocus commercial motor vehicle inspections on public safety threats rather than checking for dyed diesel fuel in trucks, a letter from Ivey to ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor said.
The 120-day suspension is effective immediately, providing relief during the peak harvest season, which runs through Nov. 15.
"The increase in diesel fuel prices has been particularly sharp relative to other fuel prices, directly affecting Alabama’s agricultural and timber industries," Ivey wrote in the letter. "In response to these extraordinary circumstances, I am requesting that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and other enforcement agencies temporarily adjust its enforcement priorities concerning the use of dyed diesel fuel."
That dyed diesel is a tax-exempt fuel typically reserved for off-road machinery and equipment, Ivey instructed Alabama Department of Revenue Commissioner Mary Martin Mitchell to formally request dyed diesel fuel penalty relief from the Internal Revenue Service.
12 arrested in chicken heist, drug bust
The Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) division of the U.S. Marshals and the Memphis Police Department’s Fugitive Unit announced the arrest of 12 individuals who were caught unloading boxes of chicken from a tractor-trailer behind a Memphis hotel.
While executing an arrest warrant for Javunte Johnson, 33, who was wanted for aggravated robbery, Johnson and 11 others were found unloading the pallets of chicken, valued at $250,000. All of the suspects fled, but the MSTF was able to arrest everyone.
According to local reports, the truck’s driver, Robert Wilson, was allegedly trading his load to pay off a drug debt.
In addition to the stolen chicken, Memphis police also recovered three firearms, approximately $110,000 worth of stolen merchandise, and deadly drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine.
The 12 individuals arrested and their charges:
- Javunte Johnson, 33 -- Aggravated Robbery, Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000, and Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun
- Robert Wilson, 56 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000 and Evading Arrest to wit: Auto
- Quantrivious Shavers, 25 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000, Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun, and Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Manufacture/Deliver/Sell to wit: Fentanyl
- Samuel Jackson, 38 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000 and Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Manufacture/Deliver/Sell to wit: Cocaine
- John Shipp, 47 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Rico Jackson, 36 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Devean Hoyle, 45 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Trashawn Featherson, 35 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Robert Dishmon, 40 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000
- Marcellous McKinney, 38 -- Theft of Property $60,000-$250,000 and Evading Arrest to wit: Auto
- Jessie Moore, 37 -- Convicted Felon in Possession of a Handgun and Evading Arrest to wit: Foot Pursuit
- Alexis Pike, 21 -- Evading Arrest to wit: Foot Pursuit and Theft of Property Less Than $1000 (X2)
Trucking couple recognized as Highway Angels
The Truckload Carriers Association has named David and Debra Beal, truck drivers for Boyle Transportation, Highway Angels for their response to a rollover crash near Davenport, Iowa.
David and Debra Beal
“I saw him crossing the median and coming into our path, so I backed off, just not getting [in] his way,” Debra recalled. “And then when he came to a stop, he just rolled over on his side.”
Debra safely brought their vehicle to a stop and woke David, who was in the sleeper berth. He quickly got dressed and joined her at the crash scene while she called 911.
When the Beals reached the overturned truck, they found a man and woman inside. The truck was lying on its side, making it difficult for the occupants to get out. Complicating the situation, fuel was leaking from the vehicle.
“Normally you wouldn’t move somebody, but with the fuel leaking, we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” Debra said. “We’re like, ‘we’ve got to get you out of here.’”
David held open the truck’s door, but the vehicle’s position made the rescue difficult. He extended his leg into the cab so the female passenger could grab his foot and pull herself up and out of the overturned truck. Another truck driver who stopped to help assisted the male occupant in getting out.
“She looked like she was very much in shock,” Debra said. “They weren’t, like, bleeding or anything, but they could have had internal stuff going on.”
The male occupant was holding his shoulder after he exited the truck. A law enforcement officer arrived while the Beals and the other truck driver were helping the occupants out, and paramedics arrived shortly after the male occupant was safely removed.
The Beals remained at the scene until emergency responders took over. Debra said the decision to stop was instinctive.
“I would hope if we flipped over, somebody would do that for us,” she said.
David and Debra have been truck drivers for about five-and-a-half years and have been married for 37 years.
