TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.10.11

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.10.11 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending October 11, 2025, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding CDLs, language, and shutdown:

CDLs

I am glad that this situation regarding truckers who cannot read, write, or speak English is getting the attention it deserves.

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Let’s hope that the action matches the attention!

Language

This piggybacks on the previous section.

Shutdown

So, with the U.S. federal government at least partially shut down, what have been your observations as a trucker on the road?

Please share through the form below.


2. Regarding border, business, employment, insurance, recalls, and technology:

Border

Business

Employment

Is employment in the USA tied at least in part due to the tariffs?

Insurance

Recalls

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

Technology


3. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and fuel:

Autonomous vehicles

I completely oppose the operation of autonomous, self-driving, 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.

Electric vehicles

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

Fuel


4. Regarding crashes, drugs, fatalities, 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.

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?

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.

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.


5. Regarding DOT medical card, legal, mail, staged, and towing:

DOT medical card

So, that technology wasn’t as ready as they thought it was, was it?

Legal

Mail

Staged

So much for a speedy trial!

Towing


6. Regarding CTA and TCA:

CTA

CTA here means: Canadian Trucking Alliance.

TCA

TCA here means: Truckload Carriers Association.


7. Regarding inspections, lockers, maintenance, move over, operations, and platooning:

Inspections

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

Lockers

Maintenance

There are articles that I could put in this section regarding the situation with mechanics and technicians.

Move over

The importance of “moving over” when someone is on a shoulder is shown in this quote:

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 3,500 people were killed in crashes nationwide while standing outside of disabled vehicles over a recent 10-year period.

Operations

At least it wasn’t a “hit and run”!

Since this happened on the shoulder, was this the correct action to take or not?

Was it reasonable for the trucker to take 8 minutes to back up that far?

What are your thoughts?

Platooning

I oppose commercial motor vehicle platooning on the same roads as the motoring public for safety reasons.


8. Regarding economy, fees, rates, tariffs, and tax credit:

Economy

Fees

I think these fees go hand-in-glove with the tariffs.

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.

Tax credit


9. Regarding parking, securement, and training:

Parking

Securement

There are many things for which truckers are responsible when preparing to drive a commercial motor vehicle, load securement being one of them.

This article describes the legal fallout from one trucker who didn’t secure his load correctly:

Driver and trucking company charged for violations after steel coil slams into truck cab, cops say.

Another load securement problem…

Training


10. Regarding exemption, politics, and supply chain:

Exemption

Politics

Supply chain


11. Regarding roads and weather:

Roads

Weather


12. Regarding recognition:

Recognition

I recognize those who help their fellow human beings in a time of need, whether they are truckers who help others, or others who help truckers.

Thanks!


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











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