THE DAILY

Thursday, April 2, 2026

The five minutes that makes you the most informed person in freight today

The Daily

Indiana revokes CDLs for non-domiciled holders as English proficiency law takes effect

Indiana moved ahead of every other state on commercial driver licensing compliance Wednesday, and the revocations started the same day.

House Bill 1200, signed by Gov. Mike Braun, requires CDL holders to demonstrate English proficiency sufficient to converse with the public, understand highway signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and make required entries on reports. It also strips existing CDLs from non-domiciled holders who fail to meet the new standard. Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles began mailing revocation notices to roughly 2,000 non-domiciled CDL holders in mid-March. Under the law, licenses expire 15 days after the notice is mailed, which puts the deadline at April 1. CDL tests must now be administered in English or American Sign Language. Exemptions apply for H2A, H2B and E2 visa holders under certain conditions, and revoked drivers may reapply under the new standards.

The penalty structure is where fleets need to pay close attention. A driver caught operating without a valid CDL faces a $5,000 fine. An employer who knowingly hires that driver faces a $50,000 fine. Gary Langston, president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, acknowledged that some letter recipients may have already obtained qualifying status through citizenship or permanent residency. But the burden of proof falls on them. "If they choose not to stop driving," Langston said, "they’re going to have to get caught."

Indiana got out front because its 2026 legislative session is already complete. Other states are moving fast behind it. Iowa advanced its own English proficiency measure Tuesday. Langston named additional states working toward similar laws. At the federal level, FMCSA and the DOT are also pushing to require all CDL tests be given in English, matching what Indiana enacted and confirming the regulatory direction is national, not regional.

So What? Fleet managers operating in Indiana should audit driver rosters today. The $50,000 employer penalty for knowingly hiring a revoked CDL holder is the enforcement mechanism that actually changes behavior. With Iowa advancing Tuesday and more states closing legislative sessions, this is the leading edge of a national CDL standard shift. Any carrier with foreign-born drivers or drivers holding CDLs from states where they do not reside needs employment counsel reviewing hiring practices before the next state’s law goes live.

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Top Stories

FAA proposes $428K in penalties against Verizon, two others for air cargo hazmat violations

The FAA issued proposed civil penalties against three shippers for violating hazardous materials regulations. Verizon faces a $70,500 penalty for tendering three lithium-ion battery shipments to FedEx without required classification, packaging, markings or emergency response information. World Event Promotions of Coral Gables, Fla., faces $260,000 after UPS employees at a California sorting facility discovered a battery shipment smoking with a burn hole in the package. Devinaire Industries of Hillsboro, Ore., faces $97,500 for two non-compliant radiopharmaceutical shipments. All three companies have 30 days to respond to enforcement letters.

So What? Three companies, three shipment types, one enforcement wave. Undeclared and improperly packaged lithium batteries remain the biggest airborne threat in air cargo. Any company tendering shipments with batteries of any kind needs a packaging and documentation audit now.

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Senators call for Section 232 probe into heavy equipment imports from Mexico

Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Bernie Moreno of Ohio asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to open a national security investigation under Section 232 into heavy equipment and parts imported from Mexico, targeting major manufacturers including Deere & Co., Caterpillar, and CNH Industrial. The senators cite U.S. job losses tied to production offshoring; Caterpillar alone operates roughly 29 facilities in Mexico employing about 14,000 workers. Any tariffs resulting from a probe would primarily affect cross-border freight moving through Texas gateways such as Laredo, a critical corridor for construction, mining and agricultural equipment supply chains. The request comes ahead of a scheduled USMCA review later this year.

So What? Section 232 has already been applied to steel, aluminum and autos. Extending it to heavy machinery puts Laredo-heavy freight books directly in scope. Map your cross-border construction and agricultural equipment flows now. A Commerce Department probe can move faster than a contract cycle.

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Cargojet’s role in 21 Air CEO exit raises foreign control questions for Amazon’s air network

CEO Tim Strauss departed 21 Air in February after his two-year contract expired. Industry sources told FreightWaves that Cargojet, which holds a 25% stake in 21 Air’s parent company, influenced the decision; Cargojet’s new CEO Pauline Dhillon reportedly did not see eye to eye with Strauss. Former Cargojet associate Luis Fernando Alvarado now serves as 21 Air’s COO, raising questions about effective foreign control of a U.S. airline. Federal law prohibits non-U.S. citizens from holding more than 25% of voting shares and requires that U.S. airlines remain under Americans’ actual control. Cargojet denied controlling the airline; 21 Air did not respond to inquiries. The Miami-based carrier now operates 16 active aircraft and flies domestic routes for both Amazon and DHL.

So What? 21 Air is embedded in Amazon’s domestic fulfillment air network. If the DOT or FAA determines that Cargojet’s influence crosses into effective control of a U.S. carrier, 21 Air’s operating certificate is at risk — and with it a meaningful piece of Amazon’s and DHL’s domestic delivery infrastructure. Watch for any federal inquiry into the ownership structure.

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Sponsored By Reliance Partners

How to Prepare for CVSA’s International Roadcheck 2026 CVSA’s International Roadcheck runs May 12–14 with ELD tampering and cargo securement as the enforcement focus. FMCSA revoked 27 ELDs in 2026 alone, and inspectors will cross-reference driver logs against toll receipts, fuel records, and plate reader data across an eight-day review window. Mark Barlar of Reliance Partners walks carriers through exactly what to expect and how to use the DataQs system to challenge inaccurate violations after the event closes. Read the full story →

FreightWaves opens 2026 Fraud Fighters Award nominations ahead of Cleveland symposium

FreightWaves is accepting nominations for its 2026 Fraud Fighters Awards, recognizing companies combating double-brokering, identity theft, cargo theft, and AI-driven fraud across the supply chain. Winners will be announced at the Freight Fraud Symposium in Cleveland on May 20. Last year’s honorees included Highway, which blocked more than 914,000 fraud attempts and cut double-brokering by 97%, and Motive, which declined $1.1 million in suspicious transactions. Nominations are open to any company actively fighting supply chain fraud. Early bird pricing runs through April 15; nominations close May 15.

So What? The Freight Fraud Symposium in Cleveland on May 20 is the industry’s most focused event on supply chain security. If your company has deployed effective fraud prevention this year, the May 15 deadline is your window. Early bird pricing ends April 15.

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Sponsored By J.J. Keller & Associates

What Are You Doing with Your ELD Data? With 27 ELDs revoked by FMCSA so far this year and CVSA enforcement ramping toward May, your choice of ELD vendor now carries direct financial risk. J.J. Keller’s Daren Hansen argues that smart carriers don’t treat ELD platforms as passive compliance recorders. They treat them as management intelligence tools revealing driver behavior, dispatch efficiency and risk exposure before an audit or litigation forces the question. Read the full story →

From the Research Desk

What We’re Watching

▸ State-level CDL language requirements spreading. Iowa advanced its English proficiency bill Tuesday, and Gary Langston of the Indiana Motor Truck Association named several more states working toward similar laws. With FMCSA also moving on federal CDL test requirements, carriers have a narrow window to get compliance programs ahead of a multi-state patchwork.

▸ Section 232 probe on heavy equipment from Mexico. If the Commerce Department opens a formal investigation following the senators’ request, logistics providers with Laredo-heavy cross-border freight books face material tariff exposure before the USMCA review later this year. Start mapping construction and agricultural equipment flows now.

▸ CVSA Roadcheck countdown: six weeks out. International Roadcheck starts May 12 with ELD tampering and cargo securement as the driver and vehicle focus areas. FMCSA has already pulled 27 devices off its registered list this year. Audit your drivers’ last eight days of logs, verify your ELD is still on FMCSA’s active list, and get cargo securement training done before inspectors start counting tiedowns.

That’s your Daily for today. See you tomorrow.

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