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This week’s top stories in trucking

DOT Slashes $73.5M from New York Over CDL Violations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is withholding roughly $73.5 million from New York State after the state failed to revoke illegally issued non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). A December audit found 107 of 200 sampled non-domiciled records violated federal law — most lacking verified lawful presence documentation.

FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said, “New York’s continued refusal to fix these failures undermines that mission, and we will not allow federal dollars to support a system that falls short of the law.”

The Trucking Association of New York called the decision “deeply concerning” and warned of ripple effects on infrastructure funding while urging strong oversight and consistent enforcement.

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Knight-Swift Signals Freight Market Inflection as Shippers Rush to Lock Capacity

Shippers are scrambling to secure peak-season capacity as routing guides fail and carriers abandon recently negotiated rates. Knight-Swift Transportation CEO Adam Miller said regulatory enforcement and fuel shocks are forcing non-compliant operators out faster than typical economic cycles would.

“I don’t think we’ve ever really seen the pressure on capacity … coming from regulatory forces versus just normal economics,” Miller said. “I think we could see more capacity coming out of the network than we typically would see in a cycle.”

After capturing mid-single-digit rate increases early in 2026, Knight-Swift now targets high-single- to low-double-digit hikes on 70% of its book.

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Werner Doubles Down on Mexico Intermodal as Nearshoring Heats Up

Werner Enterprises is doubling its intermodal container fleet in Mexico to 800 units by year-end, betting big on nearshoring momentum and surging truckload rates. The carrier is prioritizing 53-foot container deployments in Monterrey and Silao first, with Mexico City additions planned for the second half.

“We want Mexican businesses to know there is a local, asset-based solution ready for them,” said Bernardo Alexander, Werner’s commercial vice president of Mexico.

The expansion leverages Werner’s 26-year Mexican presence, GPS-tracked containers and exclusive use of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certified carriers. Intermodal revenue jumped 16% last year to $129 million.

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Heartland Express Losses Narrow as Capacity Exits Boost Outlook

Heartland Express reported a $4.8 million net loss in Q1, but its adjusted operating ratio improved to 101.3% — a 580-basis-point gain year over year and the fourth consecutive quarter of OR improvement.

Revenue fell 20% to $176 million, while equipment sale gains of $7.3 million provided a tailwind. The North Liberty, Iowa-based carrier reduced net debt by $36 million to $105 million outstanding.

“We have begun to see some encouraging signs related to market capacity reductions and freight demand improvements,” CEO Mike Gerdin said, though he cautioned full pricing recovery “may not fully materialize until later in 2026.”

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Truck Parking Club Hits 5,000 Locations, Eyes 10,000 by Year’s End

The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Truck Parking Club announced Thursday it surpassed 5,000 locations nationwide, offering more than 80,000 reservable spaces across 49 states. The company jumped from 4,000 to 5,000 locations in just 81 days and aims to double its network by the end of 2026.

Rather than building new infrastructure, Truck Parking Club activates unused private property at warehouses, repair shops and trucking terminals. Traditional construction runs $100,000 to $200,000 per space.

“We’ve created a new way to add truck parking capacity at scale and at speed, without waiting on construction, leasing, or new infrastructure dollars,” said Evan Shelley, founder and CEO.

Drivers from 93 of the top 100 fleets have used the platform.

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SONAR spotlight: Mid-April delivers middling movement to dry van rates

(Source: SONAR)

Summary: The middle weeks of April brought about ongoing stability to both dry van spot and tender rejection rate movements. Dry van spot rates appear to have plateaued while dry van tender rejection rates settled slightly lower compared to March.

The SONAR Truckload Rejection Index-Van (STRIV) moved only six basis points higher in the past week from 11.59% on April 13 to 11.65%. STRIV is 78 basis points lower than 12.43% last month. Year-over-year comparisons continue to highlight the extent to which carrier pricing power has swung. Compared to last year, STRIV is 766 basis points higher than 3.99%.

For dry van all-in spot rates, the past week saw little movement. The SONAR National Truckload Index 7-day average (NTI) was flat at $3.09 per mile. Compared to last month, the NTI is 20 cents per mile or 7% higher than $2.89. Compared to last year, the gulf is much wider at 88 cents or 40% versus $2.21 per mile in 2025.

The start of the produce season is one area to watch for both dry van and reefer. There are already early signs of tender rejection tightening in Florida’s Jacksonville and Tallahassee markets. The southern Georgia Tifton and Savannah markets are also noting gains. Further north, Alabama’s Decatur and Birmingham markets are showing elevated weekly tender rejection gains as well.

Looking ahead, continued regulatory crackdowns on trucking capacity paired with increased scrutiny toward freight brokers are developments to watch. National media attention related to large truck crashes is creating increased political capital impacting legislation geared toward the upcoming surface transportation bill, renewed once every five years. The fate of an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on freight brokers is another potential disruptor.