TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.10.31

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.10.31 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending October 31, 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 90 Days, Diesel, Fuel, Fuel Savings, Fuel Tax, Iran, Oil, and Veterans:

90 Days

From the “RealHealthRanger” channel on Telegram:

Full article – The Pentagon’s 90-Day Doomsday Plan Should Be Your Wake-Up Call

Toward the bottom of the article, we read:

Conclusion: They Know Something. Act Like It.

The Pentagon is preparing its bases for 90 days off-grid. The UK is handing out 72-hour checklists to the public. A central food-processing plant just exploded. Those three facts, taken together, tell a coherent story about what the people in charge expect. I believe the responsible conclusion is that elites are preparing for disruptions they are not fully explaining to the public — and that they have already decided the public should be managed through those disruptions rather than equipped for them.

Please prepare yourself and your home support team as best as you can.

Diesel

According to the October 28, 2026, article — Diesel prices may stay elevated into spring 2027, fuel executives warn — we read:

U.S. trucking companies could face elevated diesel prices through at least spring 2027, according to energy and truck stop executives speaking Tuesday at the WEX OTR Summit.

What are your thoughts?

Please comment through the form below.

Fuel

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 Savings

Fuel Tax

Iran

U.S. tells ships to avoid unnecessary transits through Hormuz

Oil

Veterans

November 11 is Veterans Day and Pilot is offering freebies to veterans.

If you qualify and desire to do so, take advantage of this offer.

2. Regarding ATA, Border, Business, Chameleon Carriers, Containers, Insurance, Ports, and Recalls:

ATA

Perspective: Ensuring a fair shot for responsible carriers

Border

Business

Things may get worse than this:

Small trucking companies file 221 bankruptcies in 2026.

Please prepare.

Chameleon Carriers

For background on chameleon carriers, please read:

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

Catching chameleons: SAFE, REVOKE acts take different approaches to detecting repeat offenders and strengthening FMCSA enforcement

Containers

Insurance

Ports

Recalls

If your tractor or trailer is under a recall, please have the work attended to as soon as possible.

3. Regarding Alcohol, Crashes, Death, Drugs, Fatalities, Fires, Fraud, Recovery, Smuggling, Theft, and Violations:

Alcohol

Never ever consume alcohol — or use an alcohol-containing product (such as mouthwash) — before beginning to drive a commercial motor vehicle!

According to this FMCSA resource, 6.3.2 Alcohol (392.5):

Drivers are forbidden to consume or be under the influence of alcohol (as defined in 49 CFR 382.107) within four hours of going on duty or operating a CMV (49 CFR 392.5). Drivers are forbidden to use alcohol, be under the influence of alcohol, or have any measured alcohol concentration, while on duty, or operating, or in physical control of a commercial motor vehicle. Alcohol can only be transported as part of a shipment.

Any driver found in violation of 49 CFR 392.5 (alcohol misuse) will be placed out-of-service for 24 hours effective immediately.

Another summary says: “Open Container Rule: Open or unopened containers of alcohol are forbidden anywhere inside a CMV (including the cab and sleeper berth), unless they are part of a manifested commercial shipment or in the passenger area of a motor coach bus.”

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 family of the loved one who died as reported in this article.

Man dies after hitting head while unloading pipe from flatbed semi truck

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?

Fires

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.

New York DMV supervisor sentenced in CDL exam cheating scheme involving ‘harebrained disguises’

Recovery

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

California cops recover $500K in Sig Sauer gun parts ‘picked up fictitiously’ from warehouse

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.

Car hauler caught smuggling 23 people inside vans he was transporting at Texas checkpoint

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:

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

Autonomous Vehicles

I totally 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 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.

Emissions

5. Regarding Chains, ELDs, Health, Holidays, Operations, Regulations, and Testing:

Chains

For reference purposes:

Abide by all snow chain laws and regulations.

Must-carry chain rules go into effect for trucks in Washington State November 1

ELDs

How many times will the FMCSA reject the use of certain ELDs after they once previously required only self-certification of the products?

Others within the trucking industry were speaking out against the Electronic Logging Devices “mandate” long before December 4, 2017, but you may read my commentary on the mandate.

In TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2017.12.09, I quoted Indiana’s Attorney General, Curtis Hill, regarding the self-certification provision regarding ELDs.

I also asked, “In what other industry besides trucking has the government ever mandated the purchase of a ‘self-certification’ product?“

So, I’m truly distressed for every trucker who invested in a “self-certified” ELD that used to be on the approved list, only to later have that certification revoked!

If you are such a trucker, I want to hear from you about how expensive this was for you.

Health

From the office to the finish line: How one trucking executive took control of his health

Holidays

For reference purposes about “the holidays” around Christmas time:

Now for the articles on this topic:

Operations

Regulations

Flurry of rules from FMCSA headed your way?

Testing

DOT Consortium expands compliance platform with new return-to-duty and follow-up testing drug and alcohol testing packages

6. Regarding Consumers, Economy, Employment, Gap Connector, and Inflation:

Consumers

From this article — Consumers feeling the downstream effects of rising diesel costs — we read:

“We expect fuel to drive elevated transportation costs for the foreseeable future,” Andy Dyer, CEO of AFS Logistics, said. “Inventories are low and refineries are at capacity, so even if crude oil prices drop in the coming months, diesel and jet fuel supplies must still catch up before prices recede.”

What are you seeing and experiencing?

Economy

Employment

Why Hiring Truck Drivers Is Getting Harder

Gap Connector

Please see this article on this site:

Gap Connector Idea for CMVs Based on Articulated Bus Design.

Closing tractor-trailer gap offers fleets fresh opportunity to cut fuel costs: NACFE

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.

Regarding the article linked just below, I find it interesting that as big as Amazon is, for that company to now be concerned about inflation is a big deal!

Amazon battles freight inflation as shipping costs jump 11% in Q3

7. Regarding Pay, Rates, Recruitment, Retention, Strike, Tariffs, and Trade:

Pay

The opening paragraph of the article in this section says:

Carriers and drivers are keeping a close eye on driver wages as shrinking trucking capacity pushes freight rates higher and sends carriers scrambling to add drivers. Some carriers have already increased pay to make their driving positions more attractive, while others have raises in the works. With high operating costs already taking a chunk out of increased revenues, however, carriers may be reluctant to boost what is already one of their largest expenses.

What are your thoughts?

Please comment through the form below.

Keep ’em rolling: Driver pay is climbing — and the biggest increases may be yet to come

Rates

Pay attention to rates and please make sure that the increased price of fuel is built into your calculations.

Recruitment

Driver recruiting data reveals rising hiring costs, turnover risks

Retention

Strike

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 article in this section…

U.S. to tariff Chinese trailers to aid domestic producers

Trade

8. Regarding Enforcement, Inspections, Language, Legal, Safety, and Securement:

Enforcement

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;

This needs to be the standard across the U.S. trucking industry.

Feds cite 57 CMV drivers for English proficiency, hours-of-service, and equipment violations at California checkpoint

Legal

Remember how I’ve been warning about this for a long time?

Distracted Driving: Beware of Attention Diverters That Can Be Fatal

Well, this is where distracted driving can lead:

Driver switches to guilty plea for watching Netflix prior to construction zone crash that killed two.

Please remember that truck drivers are paid to drive, not to be distracted!

Safety

Securement

It is the professional truck driver’s responsibility to make sure that his/her load is secure before driving.

The Code of Federal Regulations 49 CFR Part 393 covers “Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation”.

Subpart I details “Protection Against Shifting and Falling Cargo”.

It covers everything from § 393.104 Standards for cargo securement devices and systems to very specific kinds of loads including boulders, containers, metal coils, etc..

If you have not been trained on how to secure your load, demand that your trucking company provide you with that training before you drive a single inch!

Why? Because you as the trucker will be held responsible for it if something goes wrong.

CHP issues warning about wrapped loads after truck hauling 100-pound bags of barite taken out-of-service

9. Regarding Exemption, FMCSA, HOS, Industry, LTL, and Motus:

Exemption

I find it simultaneously interesting and frustrating that “exemptions” are made regarding the Hours of Service regulations and other matters.

FMCSA

My thoughts:

No, the FMCSA doesn’t need more staff.

As it is an unconstitutional “administration” of the federal government, the Tenth Amendment requires that the things covered by it be turned over to the states and the people.

There! I wrote it!

Bringing a knife to a gunfight? FMCSA needs more staff, better tech to deliver on its reforms

HOS

Want more flexible HOS rules? Here’s your chance to speak up

Industry

LTL

LTL shippers increasingly want timely responses, proactiveness

Motus

As we sit here twiddling our thumbs…

FMCSA’s Elison addresses Motus again, still no date on full repair

10. Regarding Speed, Speed Limits, Technology, Training, Weather, and Weight:

Speed

Speed Limits

Technology

Training

Weather

Please pay attention to weather before and during your trips.

If the weather turns severe, please consider finding a safe place to park until conditions improve.

Weight

New Jersey could go against the grain on truck weight limits

11. Regarding FedEx, Knight-Swift, and Wyoming:

FedEx

Knight-Swift

Wyoming

12. Regarding Anniversary and Elections:

Anniversary

Elections

Next Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day in the United States.

Some states may allow for early or absentee voting.

If you have registered to vote, I urge you to vote for the candidates who will uphold their oaths of office to abide by and uphold The Constitution of the United States.

What the midterms could mean for trucking

I wish you — and all professional truck drivers — safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.

Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2026.10.31 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.