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This week’s top stories in trucking

FMCSA’s Motus Portal Is Still a Mess

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has temporarily suspended its biennial registration update requirement for carriers unable to complete the process since June 1 — the latest sign that its troubled Motus portal rollout is far from resolved. Consultants working with affected carriers say some are moving through the system slowly, while others remain completely locked out due to conflicting data across government systems. FMCSA has not set a recovery end date.

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ULH Biometrics Case Goes Class Action

A 2021 fingerprint-scanning lawsuit against Universal Intermodal Services, a subsidiary of Universal Logistics Holdings, has been certified as a class action in federal court. The case, driven by Illinois’ Biometric Privacy Act, now covers any worker who clocked in or out at the company’s Harvey, Ill., facility dating back to March 2016, a class that is majority non-Universal employees, including staffing agency workers. A similar BIPA case against in-cab video company Lytx resulted in payouts of $650 to $850 per driver.

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New Bill Takes Aim at Overseas ELD Tampering

Two House Republicans have introduced the GHOSTRUCK Act to close what they call a loophole that lets foreign-based dispatchers alter ELD records from outside U.S. jurisdiction. The legislation follows a 60 Minutes report showing a Serbian dispatcher telling a driver, "we can fix your clock." The American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association both back the bill, which would require driver approval for any edits to hours-of-service records.

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U.S. Revokes 20,000 Mexican Trucker Visas

Mexico’s largest trucking association says the U.S. revoked work visas for approximately 20,000 Mexican commercial drivers between April 2025 and April 2026 as the Trump administration cracks down on cabotage violations and English-language proficiency requirements. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says around 3,200 of those revocations stem from cabotage enforcement alone. Canacar says the loss of drivers is already squeezing capacity and pushing cross-border freight rates higher.

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FMCSA Glitch Sends Audit Notices to Veteran Carriers

A SafeSpect system update appears to have mistakenly flagged hundreds of established trucking companies as new entrants, triggering audit notifications that carriers operating for years or decades should not be receiving. The North Carolina Trucking Association says at least 400 in-state carriers were added to the audit queue overnight and is urging them not to ignore the notices, as operating authority could be at stake. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been contacted for comment. The issue is not limited to North Carolina.

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SONAR spotlight: End of June brings higher rates ahead of Fourth of July

(Source: SONAR)

Summary: As June draws to a close, spot rates have resumed their climb, approaching levels not seen since Memorial Day. The SONAR National Truckload Index seven-day average (NTI) remains at record levels, at its highest in five years. All-in spot rates suggest that trucking capacity continues to benefit from reduced competition, partly due to a government regulatory crackdown and partly from carrier exits amid the impacts of previous years’ cost inflation.

The NTI gained 8 cents per mile week over week, rising from $3.63 on June 18 to $3.71. That’s 12 cents per mile, or 3.3%, higher than $3.59 last month and $1.43 per mile, or 63%, higher than $2.29 per mile last year.

For spot market rates, expect continued increases leading up to the Fourth of July weekend, when trucking capacity typically wanes as drivers take time off to spend with their families during the extended holiday weekend. Fleets’ working tractor percentages will similarly face struggles in both the contract and spot markets due to reduced driver availability.

For drivers or owner-operators who stay out, there is an opportunity to take advantage of higher rates, but there are risks, as some facilities may have limited hours or be closed before or after the holiday weekend.

Another positive sign for cash-strapped carriers has been falling fuel costs related to the Strait of Hormuz conflict and the tentative ceasefire. A key development to watch is whether the ceasefire holds and fuel costs continue to fall — and, if so, whether spot market rates will decline. All-in spot rates include fuel. However, carriers are more beholden to all-in rates when quoting spot market transactions than in the contract market, which typically includes dedicated fuel surcharges.

While carriers are securing higher rates, they face some possible headwinds. Competition for qualified and skilled drivers will continue. Fleets traditionally offer incentives such as sign-on bonuses or opportunities to drive newer equipment to attract drivers. Whether a similar arms race of sign-on bonuses will emerge remains to be seen. The last time this behavior was meaningfully observed was during the COVID freight boom. This upcycle will be different. It is much harder to recruit new drivers due to greater regulatory oversight. What this means for hiring and retention goals remains to be seen.