TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.10.17

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.10.17 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending October 17, 2026, written by Vicki Simons.

I welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding Diesel, Fuel, Iran, Oil, and Shell:

Diesel

Last week, I quoted from this article:
Industry leaders warn that drivers, truck stops may be taxed later for using red dye diesel now.

This week, I note this article:
IRS announces no future tax-penalty for the current use of red dye diesel.

Before you take any information to heart, please bear in mind what I wrote last week, that if you choose to use this “solution” — buying the “red dye” diesel — please be extra careful to:

document every drop of that fuel you use;
how much the extra cost would have been; and
save into a separate account the difference in taxes.

You don’t want to be caught in a financial mess later.

Meanwhile, based on what I’ve read, the diesel shortage that the world is currently facing stems from a series of political missteps that need to be addressed.

So that you can track the price of fuel:

In an effort to save as much fuel as possible, here are a few of the articles on this site dealing with aerodynamics:

Now this week’s articles on this topic:

Fuel

Please notice this article — Cut Trucking Fuel Costs: GP Transco’s Proven Strategy — and a linked article within it.

Iran

Ouch!

Oil

When I was growing up, I specifically remember hearing — over and over again — that the “Alaska pipeline” was going to save the United States from ever having to depend on any other country for oil, and hence any petroleum products that come from oil.

The Wikipedia page — Trans-Alaska Pipeline System — did not reveal what I had hoped it would about this project.

So, where is the United States on this?

Shell

2. Regarding Border, Business, Chameleon Carriers, Congestion, and Tender Rejections:

Border

Business

Chameleon Carriers

For background on chameleon carriers, please read:

The Anatomy of a Chameleon Carrier Empire. How They Build It.

Congestion

Does this mean that NYC has moved from enforced “congestion pricing” to “incentives” regarding delivery hours?

How well will those “incentives” work?

Will shippers and receivers modify their schedules to make the “new system” work?

What are your thoughts?

Tender Rejections

According to Zach Strickland (as quoted in the first article in this section):
“The only explanation is that we still have continued market imbalance. … Supply is still not sufficient to cover demand in terms of truckload capacity.”

Hmm… That sounds backwards to me.

I would have thought that with fuel prices being up — and consumers not having as much disposable income to spend — that there would be ample “supply” without enough buyers to buy it.

Am I missing something?

3. Regarding Brakes, Breakdowns, Enforcement, Inspections, Language, Legal, Maintenance, Parts, and Speeding:

Brakes

Breakdowns

From the article in this section, we read:

If the wheels aren’t turning, you aren’t earning. For truck owners suing Paccar, repeated breakdowns allegedly cost them far more than repair bills.

A federal judge is allowing their warranty lawsuit over allegedly defective fuel injectors in Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks to proceed.

Do you think that this lawsuit will affect trucking in other ways?

Costly engine breakdowns fuel lawsuit against Paccar

Enforcement

It is so important to keep your truck well-maintained, to do inspections on your truck daily, and to keep your credentials and logs in order!

Inspections

If you keep yourself and your rig in perpetual readiness for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off-guard.

Language

This is part of “General qualifications of drivers [who drive a commercial motor vehicle]” 49 C.F.R. 391.11(b)(2):

Can read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records;

Regarding the first article in this section, I went looking for the answer to:
What language do Sikh people speak?

According to Wikipedia, “Punjabi Sikhs speak the Punjabi language as their mother tongue” … “In Indian Punjab, Punjabi is written in the Indic Gurmukhi script….”

I went up to Google Translate and typed in “exit” in English on the left, and translated it into “Punjabi (Gurmukhi)” on the right.

I know of absolutely no signs in the U.S. with this language, only English.

Again, I believe that English needs to be the standard across the U.S. trucking industry.

Legal

Maintenance

According to the second article in this section:

Savvy drivers prepare for the worst weather before they find themselves driving in it.

Amen!

Parts

Speeding

4. Regarding Autonomous Vehicles, Charger, Electric Vehicles, and Regulations:

Autonomous Vehicles

I most definitely oppose the operation of autonomous, driverless, or self-driving commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but I share articles on this topic with my readers to help us stay current on the topic.

Charger

The topic of how to charge electric vehicles may take the same pattern as the old Park ‘N View (PNV) that preceded personal cell phone proliferation.

Even though I do not agree with electric vehicles from a top-down control point of view, I envision one day some invention where an electric truck can be powered from some kind of powerful-but-lightweight generator mounted on the truck

Be that as it may, here are a few articles on this topic.

Electric Vehicles

It could be that with the price of fuel being so high right now, that truckers and trucking companies are looking at alternatives.

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence by asking some questions and getting answers.

Regulations

This regulation impacts trucking and hence consumers.

5. Regarding Costs, Economy, Holidays, and Inflation:

Costs

As the article in this section says:

Higher freight, packaging and diesel costs are putting added pressure on farmers’ thin margins, while limited room to raise prices means producers are often left absorbing some of the increase.

If you are forced to increase costs on your customers, I believe that they need to be advised as to how you arrived at your new figures.

Pumpkins may be tariff-free, but rising transport costs squeeze farmers

Economy

Holidays

In the post “Surviving the Pre-Christmas Freight Season,” I wrote:

When my husband and I drove as a professional truck driving team, we were asked twice to give up going home toward the end of October and toward the end of November in order to move freight needed for Christmas.

So, from the beginning of October, we planned on being out on the road for nine weeks straight.

This was tough for folks like us who wanted to “go home” at least once a month to catch up on mail and do other things that could only be done in our home town.

It’s getting to be near that time again this year, so be prepared.

Inflation

One source (pages 17 and 18) says that inflation is:

both “an increase in the amount of currency, resulting in rising prices”;
and “theft.”

Take a look at the M1 money supply — and what happened in early 2020 — and you’ll realize immediately what has happened to prices in the USA over the last 6+ years.

Although the dates may be shifting over time, according to FiscalData.Treasury.gov, the U.S. debt:
– exceeded $36 Trillion on November 21, 2024;
– exceeded $37 Trillion on August 11, 2025;
– exceeded $38 Trillion on October 21, 2025;
– exceeded $39 Trillion on May 18, 2026; and
– exceeded $40 Trillion on August 18, 2026.

Obviously, this is unsustainable and some people have indicated that the collapse of the U.S. dollar is imminent.

If you have not already done so, please make preparations regarding your financial future.

6. Regarding National Debt, Rates, Tariffs, Taxes, and Winner:

National Debt

Headings in the article in this section include:

“Interest on the national debt now tops $1 trillion a year”;
“How federal debt raises the cost of capital”; and
“Where higher interest rates show up in freight and trucking”
(with 4 smaller bullet points within).

Here’s the article:

How National Debt Affects Freight Costs and Financing

Rates

Tariffs

For a much better and more thorough explanation about the problems with Trump-issued tariffs, please search for the word “tariffs” in Peggy Hall’s Substack archive.

There’s also a short video on Telegram with this description:

Peter Schiff on Trump’s punitive tariffs against U.S. allies and why all tariffs are paid by the American people, not foreign manufacturers

Now for the articles in this section…

Taxes

“Relief at the Pump” bill to suspend gas tax through Thanksgiving weekend is not meant to influence elections, Republicans say

Winner

I hope that the lottery winner will exercise the financial discipline not to end up in a worse situation than he was in before they won!

Trucker wins $100k after becoming regular at Iowa casino

7. Regarding Crashes, Death, Drugs, Fatalities, Fatigued, and Fraud:

Crashes

Please look through these articles to see if there is anything you can learn to help you prevent being involved in a similar crash.

Death

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died as reported in these articles.

Customer finds body of gas station employee struck by semi truck after fueling up

Drugs

Never ever haul or take illegal drugs.

Fatalities

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, as it concerns a “highway”:

Fatality means any injury which results in the death of a person at the time of the motor vehicle accident or within 30 days of the accident.

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died.

Can you learn anything from the articles below that would help prevent being involved in a fatal large truck crash?

Fatigued

One source says: “Drowsy driving and fatigued driving are essentially the same thing, often used interchangeably to describe operating a vehicle while impaired by sleepiness or exhaustion, which slows reaction time, impairs judgment, and reduces awareness, making it as dangerous as drunk driving.”

For your convenience, here’s a post on this site on this topic:

Drowsy Driving: Dangers, Statistics, and No Substitutes

Troopers target fatigued truck drivers on I-5

Fraud

Never attempt to deceive, misrepresent something, intentionally pervert the truth, or pretend to be someone else for the purpose of trying to get something valuable.

8. Regarding Recovery, Scam, Smuggling, Theft, Violations, and Violence:

Recovery

I am glad whenever I read of stolen goods having been recovered!

Scam

Please be aware of and speak out against these and other types of scams that can impact truckers and trucking companies.

Smuggling

Never ever transport people made in the image of God as if they were cattle or cargo — no matter how large of an incentive you’ve been offered.

And don’t attempt to smuggle illegal products.

Texas trucker sentenced to federal prison for smuggling ten in sleeper berth in ‘dangerous conditions’

Theft

Never take something that doesn’t belong to you unless you have permission from the owner.

With as much surveillance equipment as is in place in the 21st century, it’s only a matter of time before the thieves are apprehended.

Please bear in mind that, should the economy worsen, the temptation will increase for people to hijack trucks and steal the contents.

Desperate people do desperate things.

Violations

A lot of violations are found during truck inspections while others are spotted on the road.

Make it your aim as a trucker to do everything in compliance with the law and regulations — even if your trucking company is trying to get you to compromise.

For your convenience, please review these posts:

Now for the news articles on this topic:

Violence

It is never right to perpetrate violence upon someone in an unprovoked manner.

All perpetrators of violence must be dealt with in a just legal manner.

Driver murdered by homeless veteran after paying for his hotel room was a victim of a “homophobic hate crime,” his family says

9. Regarding ATRI, Detention, ELDs, Health, Motus, Parking, Testing, and Training:

ATRI

Detention

Read the article in this section to find regarding detention:

the direct expenses;
lost productivity;
the percentage of fleets that charge detention fees; and
the cited percentage of facilities that pay carriers’ submitted invoices.

Suggested helps include:

government involvement; and
private solutions.

What do you think?

What helps do you suggest that will end the gridlock known as detention?

Please comment through the form below.

Detention costs trucking billions — why is it so hard to fix?

ELDs

What to do if your ELD stops working

Health

Motus

Still?

Is it worth it?

FMCSA’s Motus mess improving, little by little? Weigh in

Parking

Testing

FDA finalizes oral fluid drug testing following ATA advocacy

Training

$287,000 granted to NC community college for expanded CDL school

10. Regarding Intermodal, Mexico, Politics, Ports, Supply Chain, Trade, and Weight:

Intermodal

Mexico

Politics

Ports

Supply Chain

Trade

Weight

How heavy is too heavy? States rethink truck weight limits

11. Regarding Digitization, Technology, and Weather:

Digitization

One definition of “digitization” is: “The overall process of converting analog information (like paper text or physical images) into a digital format.”

One condensed definition of “digital format” — taken from LawInsider.com — is “information that is scanned, electronically drawn, layered through the GIS, or digitized by other electronic methods.”

There are numerous examples of this in the transportation industry and the process continues.

Technology

Weather

Areas far from where Hurricane Isaias traveled were impacted by its reach.

Although Wikipedia has yet to list an overall cost associated with this weather event, we read on InsuranceNewsNet.com:

Moody’s: Hurricane Isaias to cost insurers an estimated $3.5 billion

What impact did you see due to this storm?