TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.07.12 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending July 12, 2025, written by Vicki Simons.
I welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding Amazon, events, holidays, inspection, and weather:
Amazon
The two articles in this section indicate a very interesting snapshot of the economy in the USA.
As large as Amazon.com is, if this company is experiencing economic difficulties, then who else may be experiencing them?
If I counted correctly, I have received 20 emails from Amazon.com (as a customer) since July 1.
That doesn’t count the push notifications and associate emails.
Hmm…
- Longer Amazon Prime Day Sparks More Browsing, Fewer Buys
- Some Sellers Sit Out Amazon Prime Day Over Tariffs
Events
- 3-day Walcott Truckers Jamboree rocks Iowa 80 starting Thursday
- Get set for fun! The 2025 Walcott Truckers Jamboree kicks off Thursday
- Happy birthday! Walcott Jamboree celebrates century-old Kenworth
- Walcott Truckers Jamboree kicks off Thursday
Holidays
- Atlanta freight market outperformed during July 4th
- Georgia DPS says 13 died on state roads during holiday weekend
Inspections
If you keep yourself and your rig in perpetual readiness for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off-guard.
- Colorado police say four hour commercial vehicle operation netted 60 violations, two arrests
- CVSA, States Eye Crackdown on New ELD Tampering Trend
- CVSA: Operation Safe Driver Week set for July 13-19
- Heavy duty trucks included in Pennsylvania’s ‘enforcement wave’
- Nationwide CVSA commercial vehicle driver crackdown is just days away
- Over 80 Pennsylvania police departments targeting heavy truck violations and aggressive driving during multi-week ‘enforcement wave’
- PennDOT safety blitz to target aggressive driving
- Reminder: Annual Safe Driver enforcement blitz is held next week
- Trucks taken out-of-service as cops get a jump on CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week with early crackdown
- Wisconsin troopers announce statewide ‘Trooper in a Truck’ patrol
Weather
The flood that happened in Texas occurred so suddenly that I am convinced that this was a man-manipulated storm.
One post that I read suggested that it occurred specifically to wipe out a certain group of people.
Over the last 10-20 years, there have been other suspicious weather events ranging:
- from floods and hurricanes;
- to hard freezes and so-called “wildfires.”
As a professional truck driver, I strongly suggest that you always be prepared with things like:
- drinking water;
- a first aid kit;
- an emergency kit;
- an emergency fund; and
- updated medical emergency contact info.
Now for the articles…
- At least 13 dead in Texas floods and more than 20 children missing from a girls summer camp
- Averitt donates $20,000 to support Texas flood relief
- Chantal, now a tropical depression, raises concerns of flash flooding in North Carolina and Virginia
- FMCSA issues exemptions for drivers involved in Texas flood relief efforts
- FMCSA waives regs for drivers assisting in Texas flood relief
- Texas floods leave at least 51 dead, 27 girls missing as rescuers search devastated landscape
- Timelapse video shows how fast roads disappeared under floodwater in Texas
- Truckers get emergency relief amid Texas flood crisis
- Truckers responding to Texas flooding disaster get regs relief
2. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, emissions, fuel, oil, and Tesla:
Autonomous vehicles
I completely oppose the operation of self-driving, autonomous, or driverless commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but I share articles on this topic with our readers to help us stay current on the topic.
- Autonomous truck rules turned back at statehouses
- Colorado governor vetoes bill to ban driverless trucks
Electric vehicles
Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence by asking some questions and getting answers.
- Electric truck charging station opens at Port Newark
- Electric Yard Tractors See Uptick in Fleet Adoption
- Lucid Sets Record 749-Mile Run Off Single Charge
- NWSA to deploy 19 electric drayage trucks, launch charging hub near SeaTac
- Port Newark Opens Electric Truck Charging Station
- Port Newark Opens Electric Truck Charging Station
- Port Newark opens new electric drayage charging station
- WattEV breaks ground on its sixth heavy-duty electric-truck charging depot in California
- WattEV breaks ground on sixth electric truck charging depot at Port of Oakland
- What ABF Learned Piloting a Tesla Electric Semi Truck
Emissions
Fuel
- Cenntro developing second-gen hydrogen fuel-cell-electric Class 8 truck
- Diesel Price Edges Up 1.2¢ to $3.739 a Gallon
- Diesel prices show another modest increase
- Diesel’s Supply Crunch Leaves Market Hungry for Barrels
- Small increase in benchmark diesel is fourth in five weeks
Oil
- EIA Trims Forecast for 2025 US Crude Oil Output
- Oil prices still expected to decrease
- OPEC+ to Boost Oil Production by 548,000 Barrels a Day
Tesla
- Briefly: ABF Freight gives Tesla’s electric Semi over-the-road test
- Tesla to Start Robotaxi Service in California and Arizona
3. Regarding border, broker, business, evaluation, and insurance:
Border
- Borderlands Mexico: DP World sees big logistics opportunities across Latin America
- Cross-border ecommerce shipments face new customs challenges
- Schneider National touts enhanced cross-border intermodal speeds
Broker
- Another broker liability case knocks at Supreme Court door, this one involving C.H. Robinson
- Broker Transparency — A Fight for Fairness or Just a Flashpoint
- DOT makes commitment to stop unlawful brokers
- FMCSA: Broker transparency rulemaking part of illegal brokering crackdown
- Navigating Freight Brokerage Authority & Business Setup
- US Again Closes Border With Mexico to Livestock Imports
- What Shippers Want from Small Fleets That Brokers Can’t Deliver
Business
- Breaking the Million Dollar Ceiling with Less Than 5 Trucks
- Building a Load Intake Process That Keeps You Organized
- Building a Load Review Checklist That Prevents Mistakes
- How to Build a Weekly Operations Rhythm That Scales
- How to Calculate Your Cost Per Hour Not Just Per Mile
- How to Exit the Day-to-Day Without Losing Control of Your Fleet
- J&T Express reports 24% jump in parcel shipments
- July Market Recap — What Small Carriers Did Right (and Wrong)
- The One-Page SOP Every Owner Operator Should Be Using
- The Profit Test Before You Grow — One Truck, One Lane, One Year
- Used Truck Market Grapples With Instability in May
- When to Shift from a Heavy-Duty Rig to a Medium-Duty Truck
Evaluation
Insurance
4. Regarding coaching, disaster, ELDs, parking, and testing:
Coaching
As a professional truck driver, do you see “coaching” as a “help” or an “insult”?
Please share your thoughts through the form below.
- Driver Coaching Scripts That Actually Improve CSA Scores
- The Right Way to Create a Driver Scorecard That Sticks
Disaster
This is a great checklist, but I think it could be formatted better.
ELDs
I find this odd since trucking companies are able to “adjust” settings on the inside on behalf of truckers.
Parking
- Bill to create new overnight truck parking spaces in industrial zones in New York City
- Oklahoma Turnpike service plaza in Stroud closed until fall as crews build more truck parking
- Truck Parking Club accepts strategic investment from CAT Scale Company
Testing
- Bill would allow positive hair drug tests to be entered into FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse
- Legislation seeks to add hair drug tests to FMCSA’s database
- MTO orders truck drivers to retest for A/Z licence after audit finds irregularities at test provider
5. Regarding crashes, death, distracted driving, drugs, fatalities, fire, fraud, lying, scam, smuggling, theft, and violence:
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.
- All expected to survive train crash that ejected person in semi truck, set the train on fire
- Dangling semi truck snarls Beltway traffic
- Rules guiding Texas truck crash lawsuits need reform, expert says
- Tarp flies off truck; leads to crash and death of tractor-trailer driver
- UPDATE: Truck found, search continues for driver in DE-NJ bridge crash
Death
I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the family of this loved one who died.
Distracted driving
For reference purposes:
Distracted Driving: Beware of Attention Diverters That Can Be Fatal
Drugs
Never ever haul or take illegal drugs.
Fatalities
I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died in these crashes.
Can you learn anything from the articles below that would help prevent being involved in a fatal large truck crash?
- Briefly: Trucker dies in I-70 collision with another tractor-trailer
- Crash involving big rig kills elderly woman in Alabama
- Driver who “admitted he closed his eyes and did nothing”during fatal black ice crash given 90 day sentence
- One dead in Wisconsin crash involving semi truck
- One trucker dead after accident in Utah
- Semi driver dies in single truck crash in Oregon
- Traffic fatalities continue downward trend to begin 2025
- Truck driver dead in Indiana crash
- Truck driver killed from another driver’s load cover in Virginia
- Truck driver killed in crash after load cover flew off passing big rig, Virginia State Police say
- Truck driver killed in wreck with driver illegally reentering I-70 after taking wrong exit
- Truck driver presumed dead after bobtail truck crashed off Delaware Memorial Bridge, per report
Fire
It seems to me that there are a lot more truck fires than there used to be.
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.
- Georgia trucking company owner admits to orchestrating $1.5 million ‘ghost preparer’ tax scheme
- Truck driver pleads guilty for fraudulent ‘ghost’ tax-prep business
- When everything is freight fraud, nothing is
Lying
Scam
Be on your guard against scams of all kinds.
- Another MCS-150 scam making the rounds
- State warns residents to ‘stay vigilant’ against scam texts and calls
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.
- Brothers sentenced for smuggling tobacco in truck into Canada
- Truck driver caught smuggling immigrants in New Mexico
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.
- Cargo thieves increasing their activities; target 3 states in the East
- Chicago man accused of cargo theft of $400,000 worth of fitness equipment
- Organized Crime is Targeting Cargo: Are You Prepared? | AMAROK
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.
- Iowa man accused of throwing hitch ball at semi’s windshield in road rage incident caught on dash cam
- Texas trucker accused of firing at vehicle on Interstate 40 in Arkansas
6. Regarding ATA, DOT, politics, regulations, and resources:
ATA
DOT
Politics
- Big Beautiful Bill would’ve been more beautiful if truckers were to receive overtime pay: OOIDA
- Bill seeks to create 30% per tire tax credit for fleets that purchase tires retreaded in the U.S.
- California bills would result in more red-light, speed cameras
- Geopolitical Chaos Continues to Roil Trucking Industry
- Trucker group seeks ban on foreign motor carriers
- Truckers need overtime exemption removed to benefit from ‘Beautiful’ bill
- U.S. DOT boss highlights ‘Trump’s plan to put truckers first’ in Op-Ed
Regulations
Resources
7. Regarding immigration, legal, ports, and probe:
Immigration
Legal
- Hours-of-service coercion lawsuit settled after high court reversal
- Seven unauthorized household goods movers cited during joint operation in Oregon
- Truck driver apprehended 111 days after fleeing police on foot
- Woman awarded $7.1M for illegal towing, impounding of food truck for 699 days
Ports
- Port Newark gets new truck charging station
- Port of Vancouver to Add 70% Capacity in Asia Trade Push
Probe
8. Regarding maintenance, potholes, recalls, repairs, tips, and tires:
Maintenance
- Bosch Launches FleetME Maintenance Management Solution
- How to Create a Maintenance Budget You Can Stick To
Potholes
Recalls
If your tractor or trailer is under a recall, please have the work attended to as soon as possible.
- Ford Recalls 850,000 Cars Due to Potential Fuel Pump Failure
- Over 56,000 Peterbilts & Kenworths recalled because of lighting problems
- Paccar recalls 56,000-plus trucks over lighting defects
Repairs
- How a National Truck Repair Directory Is Helping Drivers Minimize Downtime and Maximize Trust
- ServiceUp raises $55M to simplify fleet vehicle repairs
Tips
Tires
- Michelin: New X Line Grip D ‘A Leap Forward’ in Drive Tires
- Tire Retreading Makes Sense for Trucking Fleets. H.R. 3401 Could Make It Even Smarter. – Guest Voices
- Trucking Fleets Navigate Tire Costs and Performance
9. Regarding economy, employment, lottery, pay, and rates:
Economy
- Biggest gets bigger: Walmart leads all retailers as sales grew 7% in 2024
- DAT Decrease in Load and Truck Posts Analysis
- Fed Sees 9% Chance Rates Fall Back to Zero
- June Truck Orders Drop 36% From Last Year
- North American freight markets marked by uncertainty, curtailing decision-making
- Parcels drive 2% global revenue gain for postal operators
- Seeing Ahead: Seasonally Adjusted Forecast Now in SONAR Charts
- Trucking Still Squeezed by High Costs and Low Rates
- US parcel market to grow 36% by 2030, Pitney Bowes says
Employment
- Cruise Cuts 101 Employees as GM Winds Down Robotaxi Program
- Driver Poll: What would make you more likely to stay long-term with a fleet?
- FedEx to terminate nearly 500 jobs, close two facilities
- Interviewing for a new driving job? Be sure to ask the recruiter the right questions
- Kenworth, Peterbilt Maker Cuts 175 Jobs in Quebec, Union Says
- The Real Cost of Hiring the Wrong Dispatcher — And How to Avoid It
- Truck driver jobs fall for second straight month
- Trucking employment dips in June amid soft freight market
- US applications for jobless benefits fall to 227,000 last week, remain at historically healthy level
- Why Aren’t Local Delivery Jobs in Sync With Consumers’ Nonstore Spending?
Lottery
I hope this trucker has financial discipline.
Pay
Rates
10. Regarding shut down, technology, and truck stop:
Shut down
Technology
- A Leader’s Guide to Trucking Cybersecurity
- Best Truck Route App Options for Drivers
- Dash cam catches multi-vehicle crash caused by drivers ignoring ‘Mowing Ahead’ signs, NYS DOT says
- Motive Debuts AI-Powered Positive Driving System
- Motive releases new AI-powered positive driving model to reward good driving
- Motive unveils global debut of ‘Positive Driving’ system
- Musk Says Grok AI Is Coming to Tesla Vehicles by Next Week
- Telematics, transparency can help control your insurance costs
- The rapid evolution of AI involves the use of agents
Truck stop
11. Regarding tariffs and trade:
Tariffs
- Brazil Vows Retaliatory Tariffs If US Sets 50% Rate
- EU, US Spar Over Car and Farm Tariffs
- FTR analysts say freight market faces slow recovery amid tariffs, oversupply, and soft demand
- JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Flags Complacency on Tariff Threat
- Tariff Foes Urge Appeals Court to Curb ‘Blank Check’
- Tariff pauses ‘unlikely’ to halt tumbling trans-Pacific rates: Freightos
- Tariffs Split Fed Officials on Rate-Cut Outlook
- Tariffs, market volatility increase cargo theft vulnerability
- Trump announces 25% tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea
- Trump announces flurry of new import tariffs on global trade partners
- Trump floats 50% tariff on copper, 200% on pharmaceuticals
- Trump Plans to Hike Tariffs on Canadian Goods to 35%
- Trump pledges 50% tariff on goods from Brazil
- Trump Reveals New Batch of Tariffs From Iraq to Philippines
- Trump Says 50% Levy on Copper Imports to Take Effect Aug. 1
- Trump Says Aug. 1 Tariff Deadline Won’t Be Extended
- Trump Shifts Tariff Start to Aug. 1 as Deal Deadline Looms
- Trump Targets Brazil With Steep 50% Tariff Hike
- Trump threatens 35% tariffs on Canada on Aug. 1
- Trump to Impose 50% Copper Tariff, Delay Drug Duties
- Trump will charge 35% tariff on Canadian imports starting Aug. 1.
- Trump’s 50% Copper Tariff Could Rattle US Supply Chains
- US Tariff-Driven Customs Receipts Top $100 Billion
- US, India Nearing Interim Tariff Deal Below 20%
Trade
- A Look at the 14 Countries That Received Trade Letters
- Canada not affected by Trump’s looming deadline for trade deals
- Trump’s Trade Blitz Yields Few Deals but Lots of Uncertainty
- US imports of Mexican-made cars, pickup trucks rises 14% in June
12. Regarding awards and documentary:
Awards
Congratulations to all professional truck drivers who have achieved a milestone of safety, participated in a driving competition, or won a title or award!
- Arkansas driving competition champion wins title for second time
- FedEx Freight’s David Comings wins NDMCA grand champion title
- Grand Champions announced for Arkansas Trucking Championship
- Landstar Celebrates 129 New Million Mile Safe Drivers
- Landstar driver hits million mile safe driving mark, wins Freightliner Cascadia
- Landstar owner-op wins 2026 Freightliner Cascadia
- Old Dominion Freight Lines driver wins West Virginia competition
- TCA Professional Driver of the Year Walter Jackson: ‘It all started with a smear of grease and a wooden spoon’
- Three Ryder drivers enter “Driver Hall of Fame”
Documentary
If you’ve watched DRIVEN, I’d appreciate knowing what you think of it.
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: 2025.07.12 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.
