Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026:
- Driver faces DWI, open container, resisting arrest charges.
- State's chain law requirements take effect.
- Inspectors key in on tire issues along I-24.
Texas-based driver caught with 170 beer bottles in truck
Police in New Hampshire announced the arrest of a truck driver on multiple charges after responding to a report of a truck blocking school buses in the town of Bow.
Bow Police Department officers on Oct. 23 responded to the reported incident and contacted the driver, who was ultimately determined to be driving while intoxicated. The driver refused to exit the tractor-trailer despite officers’ commands.
Officers needed to remove the driver, ID's as 33-year-old Edgar Ramirez of Odessa, Texas, from the vehicle and took him into custody after a brief struggle.
During subsequent investigation, officers located approximately 170 beer bottles inside the cab of the truck.
Hours earlier, the Bow Police Department was searching for the same tractor-trailer after it was reportedly leaving a truck stop with an intoxicated driver. At that time, officers were not able to locate the truck.
Ramirez was arrested and charged with the following:
- Driving While Intoxicated -- Subsequent Offense
- Open Container of Alcohol
- Resisting Arrest
Chains now required on many Washington state routes
Truck drivers hauling along several routes in Washington state, beginning this week, must be carrying tire chains. From Nov. 1 through April 1, chains are required for all vehicles over 10,000 pounds on designated routes.
Washington State Patrol troopers are reinforcing the requirement Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 3-4, on the Snoqualmie Pass/I-90 with a two-day chain enforcement emphasis. During the effort, troopers will ensure commercial motor vehicles are carrying “the appropriate amount of snow traction devices on Snoqualmie Pass during the winter months.”
Said Trooper Jeremy Weber, “Our main goal is to educate and gain compliance with CMV drivers to carry chains from November 1 to April 1.”
Washington’s chain law requirements can be viewed in full here. Routes that require chains include:
- I-90 between North Bend (MP 32) and Ellensburg (MP 101)
- I-82 between Ellensburg Exit 3 (MP 3.00) and Selah Exit 26 (MP 26.00)
- SR-97 between (MP 145) and Junction
- SR-2 between Dryden (MP 108) and Index (MP 36)
- SR-12 between Packwood (MP 135) and Naches (MP 187)
- SR-97 between junction SR-14 (MP 4) Columbia River and Toppenish (MP 59)
- SR-410 from Enumclaw to Naches
- SR-20 between Tonasket (MP 262) and Kettle Falls (MP 342)
- SR-155 between Omak (MP 79) and Nespelem (MP 45)
- SR-970 between (MP 0) and (MP 10)
- SR-14 (MP 18) to Junction 97 (MP 102)
- SR-542 Mt Baker Highway between (MP 22.91) and (MP 57.26)
[Related: Are truckers protected from retailiation for refusing to drive in bad weather?]
Kentucky inspectors work to ID tire issues before problems arise
Kentucky State Police commercial vehicle inspectors at the I-24 scales last week identified a number of tire-related issues, including flat tires that drivers were unaware of, by utilizing thermal imaging cameras and tire pressure monitoring systems.
KSP inspectors have been able to detect potential problems before these vehicles continue traveling along the interstate, the agency said, and numbers in recent history have a shown a big propensity for the state's inspectors when it comes to issuing tire violations.
Kentucky sits at No. 3 in the most-recent CSA's Data Trail state-by-state rankings for the intensity of its tires focus, according to sister Fusable data company RigDig and Overdrive's analysis. In 2025, Kentucky was one of just five states (No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Delware, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 New Mexico) to log more than 10% of all violations for tire infractions. Find the national tires-enforcement picture below, with darker-shaded states most intensely focused on road rubber.
“These findings are a powerful reminder of why commercial vehicle inspections and monitoring are so important,” KSP Public Affairs Officer Micheal Smith said in a Facebook post. “A tire issue that goes undetected can quickly become a serious hazard, potentially placing the commercial vehicle operator and everyone sharing the roadway at risk.”
[Related: Brakes inspections: Where troopers focus annual blitz, national picture]
