THE DAILY

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

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The Daily

House committee passes transportation bill with bathroom rights, parking grants, and lease reforms for trucking

The surface transportation bill touching every corner of trucking just cleared its first major hurdle.

The BUILD America 250 Act passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 62-2 on Friday, a near-unanimous vote that drew simultaneous praise from OOIDA and the American Trucking Associations, two organizations that rarely land on the same side of anything. The five-year authorization replaces existing surface transportation legislation that expires Sept. 30.

Two provisions captured the most immediate attention at the ground level. Section 5102 mandates that commercial motor vehicle operators must be granted access to restrooms at any covered establishment where they’re delivering goods or waiting for cargo to be loaded. The rule applies to shippers, receivers, manufacturers, warehouses, and distribution centers. Drayage gets its own line: terminal operators must provide sufficient restrooms in areas drayage drivers typically access. The ATA was direct: "Drivers servicing shippers and receivers should not be denied access to bathroom facilities, and this language makes sure they won’t be."

The parking section expands Jason’s Law, the federal funding framework named after Jason Rivenburg, who was murdered in 2009 while parked at an abandoned gas station. The bill gives the Department of Transportation authority to make grants for commercial vehicle parking to state and local governments, and to private entities partnering with the government. New parking can go on federal highways, inside freight facilities, or onto existing infrastructure like weigh stations.

The regulatory implications stretch well beyond those two provisions. The Secretary of Transportation must finalize broker and freight forwarder qualification rules within two years, a reform the Transportation Intermediaries Association has pushed for more than a decade. Lease agreements between carriers and independent owner-operators will require new disclosure forms covering weekly compensation, average mileage, driver schedules, deduction breakdowns, and data on how many drivers fulfill versus exit their leases. The bill specifically targets "predatory leases," a term the legislation applies broadly to situations where the carrier controls the driver’s work, compensation, and debts while the driver accrues no equity. Additional provisions commission a DOT study on cabotage violations, revisit ELD regulations, create a committee to review cargo theft, and extend the safe driver apprenticeship program. The Senate Environment and Public Works committee has not yet released its version of the bill; according to law firm Holland & Hart, that text is expected in the coming months.

So What? This bill touches nearly every segment of trucking operations. For shippers, DCs, and terminals: assess your facility’s restroom access for inbound drivers before this becomes law. The bathroom mandate applies whether you’re a manufacturer or a distribution center, and existing facilities don’t have to be modified — access just can’t be denied. The broker qualification mandate and lease disclosure requirements carry real financial implications for 3PLs and owner-operators. Get ahead of both before the rulemaking clock starts ticking.

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Top Stories

Walmart cuts supplier purchase orders from 42 to one with new LTL consolidation program

Walmart’s new prepaid LTL consolidation program lets vendors send a single purchase order and a single pallet to one automated consolidation point, which then distributes inventory across all 42 of the retailer’s regional distribution centers. Previously, a supplier might generate 42 separate POs, 42 pallets, and 42 separate trucks to replenish each DC individually. Walmart is using new automation technology to optimize inventory allocation across the network. Approved third-party logistics partners, including C.H. Robinson, Hub Group, and RJW Logistics, can manage the service for suppliers who prefer a third-party intermediary. "We’re focused on making our supply chain simpler, faster and more efficient for suppliers," said Mike Gray, senior vice president of supply chain at Walmart U.S. The program will expand in phases, with participation prioritized by volume alignment and capacity.

So What? Walmart’s consolidation move improves supplier in-stock rates and reduces inbound complexity — at the cost of access. The approved-3PL model creates a clear winner’s circle: C.H. Robinson, Hub Group, and RJW Logistics get the volume. Everyone else doesn’t. For LTL carriers, watch how multi-stop inbound volumes from Walmart’s supplier base shift as the program scales.

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Ontario audit finds CDL schools falsifying training records as provincial crackdown begins

Ontario’s auditor general found widespread failures in the province’s commercial truck driver training system, with some schools issuing CDL certificates after providing a fraction of the required training hours. Secret shoppers found two schools delivered only 59.5 and 81 hours of training against a 103.5-hour minimum. Fifty-four of 216 registered career colleges offering entry-level training had never been inspected. Six previously penalized and unregistered schools were still booking road tests as recently as June 2025. Commercial trucks account for 3% of vehicles on Ontario roads but are involved in 12% of fatal crashes. Mike Millian, president of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada, said industry groups warned provincial officials as early as 2017. "For a period of six years, none of these recommendations were acted upon," he wrote. Ontario accepted all 13 audit recommendations and committed to inspecting every CDL school within six weeks.

So What? Ontario drivers with CDLs from non-compliant schools cross into the U.S. every day. Carriers managing cross-border fleets should expect heightened scrutiny at enforcement corridors as this story gains attention on both sides of the border. The U.S. DOT has shown increasing interest in CDL integrity, and Ontario’s crackdown may accelerate federal-level conversations about cross-border driver qualification verification.

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Supreme Court declines Florida suit targeting California, Washington over CDLs for undocumented drivers

The Supreme Court declined to hear Florida’s lawsuit targeting California and Washington over their practice of issuing commercial driver licenses to immigrants without legal authorization. The case grew from a fatal August 2025 crash on Florida’s Turnpike involving a driver who held a valid California CDL. Florida AG James Uthmeier argued the two states violated federal safety and immigration law; Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the refusal. California and Washington CDL policies remain intact for now. The broader fight continues on multiple fronts: California faced roughly $40 million in withheld federal funds over English proficiency enforcement, and a federal appeals court recently blocked a Trump administration proposal to restrict CDLs based on immigration status.

So What? Florida’s lawsuit is over, but the underlying policy fight is not. The English proficiency battles, federal funding disputes, and the still-pending appeals-court ruling on administration CDL restrictions all remain live threads. Watch for whether the surface transportation bill now in committee addresses any of them explicitly.

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Six state AGs urge STB to reject Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger application

Attorneys general from Montana, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board urging it to reject the revised UP-NS merger application, calling it incomplete. Montana AG Austin Knudsen cited "underdeveloped proposals" and noted the carriers filed seven subsequent amendments that have complicated the review. The officials said the application omits market share data, skips analysis of future industry consolidation, and provides no detail on plans for jointly owned assets including the Kansas City Terminal Railway, the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, and the TTX railcar pool. "We cannot evaluate these proposed divestitures without key terms like the buyers, price, and closing conditions," the letter stated. The STB, which recently seated new member Richard Kloster, is expected to rule on the application this week.

So What? The STB ruling this week is the most consequential freight rail decision of 2026. A UP-NS merger creates the first transcontinental Class I in the modern era. The AGs’ objections won’t stop the process, but the conditions attached to any approval will determine whether competitive access protections for shippers survive. Watch the board’s decision closely — and then watch how your existing rail contracts are priced against it.

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Sponsored Insight

From the Research Desk

What We’re Watching

▸ The STB merger ruling. The board is expected to decide on the Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern application this week. The conditions attached to any approval will determine whether competitive access protections for shippers remain meaningful. Watch how rail contract pricing moves in the weeks that follow.

▸ BUILD America 250 in the Senate. The T&I-passed bill heads toward a House floor vote while the Senate Environment and Public Works committee works on its own version. The Senate’s treatment of broker qualification rules and the predatory leasing provisions will signal how much of this trucking reform survives to a conference agreement.

▸ Ontario CDL school inspections. The province committed to inspecting all 216 registered commercial driving schools within six weeks. Results will shape whether cross-border enforcement of driver qualification standards tightens. Track what FMCSA says about this development — the agency has been sharpening its focus on CDL integrity at U.S. borders.

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

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