Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026:
- North Dakota blitz sidelines dozens.
- No more hauling mail for fleet owner guilty of fraud.
- Fire risk prompts recall.
- More truck parking in the Cowboy State.
FMCSA, other enforcement officials issue 122 OOS violations in North Dakota
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration inspectors recently partnered with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies for a commercial vehicle safety operation in Williston, North Dakota.
The collaboration resulted in:
- 109 inspections, including 20 hazardous materials checks
- 494 total violations
- 122 out-of-service violations
- 47 enforcement actions, including 27 citations and 20 warnings
FMCSA conducted the operation in partnership with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Watford City Police Department, and the McKenzie County Sheriff’s Office.
The agencies did not provide details on the types of violations issued during the inspection effort, but North Dakota ranks high for focus on the truck itself in Overdrive's CSA's Data Trail rankings, based on Fusable sister company RigDig's accounting of annual and month-to-month violation trends. Inspections conducted in-state put it No. 2 for maintenance-related vehicle violation intensity nationwide, behind only Texas, and No. 1 in the brakes subcategory above Utah at No. 2.
[Related: Nearly 700 trucks OOS for hazmat blitz: Toughest states for enforcement]
USPS contractor guilty of fraud
Khayyam Arif Oglu Farajov, 40, an Azerbaijani national, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain payments from the United States Postal Service (USPS), according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Farajov faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, Farajov owned and operated Talishco LLC, a trucking and freight brokerage company in Orlando, Florida. In May 2022, Farajov enrolled Talishco in the USPS “Freight Auction” program to transport bulk mail. Between June 2022 and January 2023, Farajov bid on and was awarded hundreds of contracts to transport mail across the country.
After being awarded the contracts, Farajov routinely and intentionally did not send trucks to do the work. When USPS staff asked where the trucks were, he made false excuses, such as claiming he had lost contact with his drivers or that they were running behind schedule, which forced the USPS to reassign the work to other carriers.
Farajov then went back into the platform and exploited the system by falsely marking the loads as delivered and triggering payment from USPS even though he had not performed the contracted routes.
Farajov fraudulently obtained an astonishing $1 million-plus from this scheme. After he received the funds, he funneled them through a series of bank accounts belonging to shell companies he owned, then reconsolidating the fraud proceeds into two personal investment brokerage accounts. Farajov invested the fraud proceeds in the stock market for his personal enrichment.
The United States traced the proceeds and seized the contents of Farajov’s brokerage accounts. Farajov has agreed to forfeit the seized brokerage accounts and pay an additional $993,979 in restitution to the USPS.
[Related: USPS steps up vetting of non-domiciled CDL drivers for contractors]
Medium-duty Freightliners recalled over fire risk
Approximately 24 Freightliner Business Class M2 vehicles are being recalled due to an issue in which the underbody insulation may contact hot exhaust components, potentially increasing the risk of fire.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents, the recall affects model year 2025-2027 units equipped with a specific configuration of gasoline engine and underbody insulation.
The remedy is currently under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Nov. 30. Owners can contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 with recall number F1041. NHTSA’s recall number is 26V-635.
Love’s expands network with new Wyoming location
Truck drivers hauling through eastern Wyoming have a new place to stop, rest and grab a bite to eat with the opening of a new Love’s in Casper.
The new store, located at 3387 North Poplar Street (Exit 191 off I-25), offers 52 truck parking spaces, a Hardee’s restaurant, Love’s fresh food items, six diesel bays, four showers and more. So far in 2026, Love’s has added 1,314 truck parking spaces across the country.
Wyoming is already highly regarded by truck drivers for its truck parking availability, with the state ranking No. 6 overall in Overdrive’s 2025 Truckers’ Highway Report Card for best parking.
In addition to the new Wyoming location, Love’s also recently completed a remodel of its location in Sanda Nella, California, where customers can now experience an updated environment designed to improve traffic flow and elevate the overall shopping experience, the company said.
