Business: Page 2

Overdrive Radio

Small fleet 'gun-shy' about trucking biz investment amid extreme fuel volatility

The fuel-cost run-up is so bad some owner-ops parked the truck. Others like Jamie Hagen have drivers who depend on him. With a 10-Mack fleet heavily invested in the new Pioneer tractor (one at 9.8 mpg) he's got great fuel weapons. Yet it doesn't make recent spikes easy to stomach by any means.

March 16, 2026

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Lawmakers look to end split speed limits for cars, trucks

The Idaho Trucking Association raised concerns over potential safety impacts after state lawmakers voted to end split speeds. Also: Congress wants to ban carriers with ties to China's communist party from military freight hauling.

March 16, 2026

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FMCSA issues warning to fleets selling or leasing USDOT, MC numbers

The agency announced it will aggressively inactivate numbers and revoke registrations found to be part of unauthorized sales, rentals, or leases.

March 14, 2026

FMCSA advised carriers not to sell, purchase, or lease a USDOT Number or Operating Authority (MC Number) online or elsewhere from an unknown person or outside of a legitimate corporate transaction

Indiana wants to toll I-70, truckers' worst road in the nation

The state's application for a federal waiver to toll the existing interstate posits a possible 54-cents/mile toll for large trucks along the 156-mile entirety of I-70. In 2025, Overdrive readers named the Indiana route the worst haul road in the nation.

March 13, 2026

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FMCSA shuts down 4 more 'chameleon carriers' after deadly 'illegal alien' crash in Indiana

A total six fleets, including two with hundreds of trucks, have been shut down since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they evaded law enforcement and caused a "horrific" crash.

March 13, 2026

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New freight fraud prevention tool offers best practices, education, more

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s new Freight Fraud Prevention Hub serves as a hub for educational content, tools, and insights for fraud prevention. Also: Fleetworthy adds free emergency vehicle alerts for truckers; new TA Express in NE Oklahoma.

March 10, 2026

Diesel nears $5 per gallon national average as spot van, reefer rates retract

A week into the Iran war and diesel now averages just shy of $5/gallon. Unfortunately, spot rates didn't reflect that reality in the last week with van and reefer rates falling.

March 10, 2026

The Love's Travel Stop on Trinity Lane off I-65 in Nashville had an advertised credit price above $5/gallon Monday morning.

Liability insurance hike? FMCSA lacks data to justify new minimum

FMCSA acknowledges costs for property damage and personal injuries and/or fatalities can exceed carriers' $750,000 liability insurance minimum, but notes that it doesn't have enough data from court settlements or the insurance industry to make a true assessment.

March 9, 2026

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Overdrive Radio

Diesel deja vu, and documenting an independent Trucker of the Month's road ahead

Anybody else feeling that ol' diesel deja vu? In Overdrive Radio: an independent whose oil-field-related flatbed freight could stand to benefit from fuel's spike, at least in volume. Backstopping profits, though, only gets more complicated in this environment for Adam Mackey and similarly situated truckers.

March 9, 2026

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Trucker of the Year

Overdrive's 2026 Trucker of the Year honors: Enter your business

Nominations are open for 2026 Trucker of the Year honors! Get your biz or another you admire in the running -- the competition recognizes acumen/innovation of owner-operators, the bedrock of the entrepreneurial spirit in trucking. If you’ve excelled through the sluggish markets of the last years, you're no doubt a worthy contender.

March 9, 2026

Wyoming stiffens ELP-violation penalties with $1K fine, jail for repeat offenders

A new Wyoming law allows any law enforcement officer in the state to enforce English language proficiency for truck drivers and adds a fine for violations in a state already high on the list for toughest ELP enforcement. Also: Owner-operator fleet NHH Services acquired by Bennett subsidiary Ace Doran.

March 6, 2026

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Overdrive Extra

The diesel price run-up hasn't obliterated owner-ops' recent profit gains -- yet ...

But it's getting very close. Backstopping profits will be a matter of smart negotiating if you're dealing with brokers. 2025 Small Fleet Champ Wes Oberman keeps a close eye on fuel with a tool that gives him and leased owners reliable daily forecasts for the next day's prices.

March 5, 2026

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'Brokers could do more': SCOTUS hears oral arguments in cornerstone liability case

The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II to decide if the FAAAA preempts state negligence claims against freight brokers.

March 4, 2026

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Overdrive Extra

Beware scammers posing as TQL, asking for money to obtain a dedicated lane: PSA

What happened to Ryan and Wendy Dickson when they got a call from a number they thought was TQL's could happen to anyone, with any supposed scammer pretending to be this or that broker. Keep red flags high in mind if offered a load/lane you're not expecting.

March 4, 2026

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'Fill up your tank as soon as possible': Diesel could hit $4.50/gal. average after Iran strikes

Diesel prices could hit $4.50 on average in short order after the U.S. and Israel initiated a massive air campaign over Iran. Experts warn truckers to fill up right now as geopolitical risks threaten global diesel production.

March 3, 2026

Tuesday at the Love's at I-65 on Trinity Lane in Nashville, the cash diesel price had already moved to $4.18/gal., credit another 6 cents higher. Down the street at a small service station you'd play hell getting a tractor-trailer into or out of, pricing remained in the $3.70/gal. range.

Spot market's recent strength solidifies after tariff ruling | Used-trucks: Deals and steals, price indices offer mixed bags

Rates and volumes didn't see a huge boost from the Supreme Court's tariff ruling, good news in spot markets continued last week. Also: Used-truck prices for January remained in line with recent performance despite an uptick; free cervical cancer screenings for OTR women.

March 3, 2026

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Overdrive Radio

'We have to clean this mess up': FMCSA chief emphatic on CDLs, ELD and school vetting, 'chameleons', more

In Overdrive Radio, hear FMCSA head Derek Barrs' talk at SC&RA's heavy-oversize symposium last week. Barrs defended a tough approach to driver qualification and ending "self-certification" processes for schools and ELDs, enforcement action on chameleon entities, and much more.

March 2, 2026

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SAFER Transport Act would require prosecution of fraudsters, ban felons from freight

The SAFER Transport Act would require FMCSA to phase out MC numbers, establish a new freight fraud and cargo theft advisory committee, establish communication between DOT and DOJ on freight fraud, and more.

March 2, 2026

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Owner-operator Greg Labosky now pilots this 2025 International LT that bought new at the beginning of this year. The truck replaced a 2017 Freightliner Cascadia that, approaching 1 million miles, was costing the GDL Enterprise owner more in maintenance than he could countenance.

Minding Ps and Qs of costs, rates: Trucker of the Month Greg Labosky

Owner-operator Labosky continues to roll up profits as a power-only carrier in the Amazon Relay system, riding high on a new horse with a lot of road ahead -- a lot behind him, too. He recently crossed the 1-million-safe-mile threshold for his career.

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FMCSA fully engaged with owner-ops: OOIDA | DACA-recipient CDL holders have hope?

Randy Menkel and Never Satisfied Builds/J&L Contracting took home top honors in the 2026 Big Rig Build-Off at the Mid-America Trucking Show with their full-custom 1985 Peterbilt 359.

PKY results: Never Satisfied Builds' 1985 Peterbilt 359 captures big Build-Off win

Enter your own or another deserving owner's business (up to 3 trucks) in Overdrive's 2026 Trucker of the Year competition via this link.

Trucker of the Year John Penn honored at MATS among owner-op peers

DOT Secretary Sean Duffy talks to Overdrive ahead of his speech at the Mid-America Trucking Show. Both FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs and Duffy walked among the show attendees, answering questions off the cuff and vowing major change.

DOT's Duffy: 'Spot rates are going to go up' as FMCSA cracks down on fraudsters

FMCSA fully engaged with owner-ops: OOIDA | DACA-recipient CDL holders have hope?

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