Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Nov. 2, 2026:
- Arkansas police, feds crack down on trucking operations in 2-day blitz.
- Medium-duty Cummins engine recall extends to Paccar trucks.
- Own a new Great Dane or Wabash trailer? Check for these recalls.
Operation Highway Shield parks nearly 400 in Arkansas
A recent joint enforcement effort with the Arkansas Highway Patrol and several federal agencies put nearly 400 truck drivers and commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) out-of-service over a 48-hour period.
From 6 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, through 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, AHP partnered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for Operation Highway Shield.
Throughout the 48-hour operation, AHP held enhanced operations at designated weigh stations along approved interstate and highway corridors.
Over the course of the 48-hour effort, 1,724 FMSCA inspections were conducted, resulting in:
- 393 drivers and CMVs placed out of service
- More than 330 unqualified or unauthorized drivers identified
- 74 immigration violations resulting in federal immigration enforcement
- 183 English language proficiency disqualifications
- More than 1,000 motor carrier safety violations
- 369 traffic citations and/or warnings
- 44 criminal arrests
- 1 stolen trailer recovered
“Operation Highway Shield sends a clear message: If you put safety at risk, we will hold you accountable,” said FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs. “By joining forces with the Arkansas Highway Patrol and federal partners, we are putting more boots on the ground, identifying unsafe drivers and vehicles, and taking decisive action to keep dangerous operators off our roadways.”
Barrs added that Operation Highway Shield goes beyond enforcement -- “It is about protecting American families, supporting the professional drivers and carriers who follow the rules, and making sure everyone gets home safely.”
He noted that FMCSA “will continue working shoulder to shoulder with our partners to make America’s roads safer for all.”
Barrs also spoke to the Arkansas effort at the conference of the National Association of Small Trucking Companies in the immediate aftermath, the evening of Oct. 29. Hear his full address in this week's Nov. 2 edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast.
Operation Highway Shield is a truck and bus enforcement and highway criminal interdiction operation aimed at addressing safety and criminal activity.
“The impressive results of Operation Highway Shield speak for themselves, but what makes me proudest is that this operation simply shines a spotlight on what our officers do every single day,” AHP Chief Jeff Holmes said. “Beyond the statistics and the numbers, every unsafe truck or driver taken out of service represents a potential collision prevented and lives saved. Day in and day out, our officers work tirelessly on our highways to ensure every traveler gets home safely.”
Everyday truck enforcement in Arkansas reveals inspection priorities most intensely focused on driver behavior and logbooks. In Overdrive and sister Fusable data company RigDig's annual CSA's Data Trail rankings, Arkansas' enforcement sits just outside the top 10 most intense states for moving violations and hours-of-service enforcement.
Find a full 48-contiguous state breakdown for each of those categories, respectively, here and here.
[Related: FMCSA's Barrs, ICE grill 'illegal' drivers: Operation Highway Shield]
Medium-duty Kenworth, Peterbilt trucks recalled for possible fuel leak
An issue that could result in a fuel leak has prompted the recall of more than 26,000 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents, Paccar is recalling approximately 26,729 units in which the remote fuel filter hoses may separate from the fitting, causing a fuel leak and an engine stall.
The recall stems from a broader recall from Cummins affecting more than 39,000 Cummins L9 engines.
Affected models include:
- 2022-‘23 Kenworth T370
- 2022-‘23 Kenworth T270
- 2022-‘27 Kenworth T280
- 2022-‘27 Peterbilt 548
- 2023-‘27 Kenworth T480
- 2023-‘27 Kenworth T380
- 2023-‘27 Peterbilt 536
- 2023-‘27 Peterbilt 537
- 2025 Peterbilt 567
Dealers will replace the fuel hoses, free of charge. Owner notification letters will be mailed beginning Dec. 20. Owners can contact Peterbilt's customer service at 940-591-4220 or Kenworth's customer service at 425-828-5888 with recall number 26PACJ. NHTSA’s recall number is 26V-700.
[Related: Recalls hit KWs, Petes, Volvos]
Landing gear issue prompts Great Dane recall
Great Dane Trailers is recalling approximately 6,810 model year 2027 Champion van and Everest reefer trailers in which the landing gear k-brace welds may fail, resulting in the landing gear collapsing.
NHTSA recall documents note that misaligned welds on the K-brace of the affected trailers as a result of component misalignment during a supplier’s robotic welding operations.
Failure of the K-brace is limited to situations where the trailer is parked without a tractor attached and without safety stands in place. The risk may be increased during loading and unloading operations, or if the trailer is bumped by another trailer being backed into an adjoining parking space.
Great Dane will inspect and replace the landing gear k-brace as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Dec. 22. Owners can contact Great Dane's customer service at 1-877-369-3493. NHTSA’s recall number is 26V-708.
Wabash recalls trailers for incorrect wheel-end lube
As issue with the lubricant used as wheel-end grease in certain 2027 Wabash van trailers could result in the wheel end seizing, which could cause a wheel lock-up.
The recall affects approximately 475 units. The recall states that out-of-specification wheel-end grease may not, over time, provide adequate lubrication for the wheel bearing, potentially causing the lock-up.
Wabash is not currently aware of any accidents or injuries related to this condition, recall documents note.
Dealers will inspect and replace the wheel bearing lubrication as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Nov. 25. Owners can contact Wabash customer service at 1-765-771-5404. NHTSA’s recall number is 26V-683.
