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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.03.21

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.03.21 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending March 21, 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 Energy, Fuel, Iran, Jones Act, Oil, and Politics:

According to one Telegram post:

DAT TruckersEdge - Most Loads. Best Rates. Serving Owner-Operators Since 1978. 10% off your first 12 months. New customers only.

The 21-mile-wide Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint, with one-third of global seaborne oil passing through its two narrow shipping lanes.

If one wanted to track the price of crude oil, one may do so in a variety of ways, including:

Another resource is the U.S. Energy Information Administration:

EIA: Spot Prices for Crude Oil and Petroleum Products

Please feel free to read on…

Energy

Fuel

Iran

Jones Act

According to the first article in this section:

Dating to 1920, the Jones Act was designed to protect U.S. shipbuilding, stipulating cargo carried between American ports transit on U.S.-flagged, -built and -owned ships. The waiver covers coal, crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and fertilizer, according to Bloomberg, citing White House officials who requested anonymity.

Sharing honestly, I have an icky feeling about “allowing foreign ships to carry crude oil and gas between U.S. ports.”

Oil

Politics

2. Regarding Dalilah’s Law, Language, and Legal:

Dalilah’s Law

In a nutshell, Dalilah’s Law would stop any state from granting CDLs to illegal aliens.

While this sounds like another one of those “states rights” situations, The Constitution of the United States says (in part) in Article IV, Section 4:

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion…”

There are immigration laws on the federal books to prevent an invasion from illegal aliens, laws which clearly have not been upheld.

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;

Here are at least some of this week’s articles on this topic:

Legal

3. Regarding Amazon, Aperia, Border, Business, Chameleon Carriers, Clarios, Costs, and Numbers:

Amazon

Aperia

Border

Business

Chameleon Carriers

For background on chameleon carriers, please read:

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

Clarios

Costs

According to the first article in this section:

The latest industry data on heavy-duty truck maintenance costs shows a quarterly dip that sounds like good news on the surface — combined parts and labor fell 1.3% in Q4 2025 — but when you pull back and look at where costs have actually gone over the past five years, the story is considerably less encouraging for the owner-operator or small carrier trying to protect their margins in a freight market that still has not recovered.

So, let me ask you: How are you as a trucker doing regarding increased costs?

Please share through the form below.

Thanks.

Numbers

According to this article:

On March 13, 2026… the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a formal bulletin with a blunt directive: do not sell, purchase, or lease a USDOT number or MC operating authority outside of a legitimate corporate transaction, because FMCSA will revoke everything attached to it when it finds out.

Please be aware of this if it applies to you.

4. Regarding Aggressive Driving, Crashes, Distracted Driving, Drugs, Fatalities, Fire, Fraud, Injury, Theft, Violations, and Violence:

Aggressive Driving

A CVSA document is entitled:
“Avoid Aggressive Driving:
Don’t Provoke, Don’t be Provoked”.

The document says:

Aggressive driving, sometimes referred to as reckless driving, usually involves one or more of the [5 listed] dangerous behaviors:

The FMCSA “program” called TACT (which stands for Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks) obviously means that a driver of any kind of vehicle can be aggressive.

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.

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.

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

Fire

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.

Injury

May the Lord heal this woman!

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.

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.

5. Regarding Automated, Autonomous Vehicles, and Electric Vehicles:

Automated

This article does not use the word “autonomous” but I was unable to determine how an “automated” truck is different.

Autonomous Vehicles

I absolutely 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.

Electric Vehicles

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

6. Regarding Congestion Pricing, Economy, Employment, Lottery, and Pay:

Congestion Pricing

In the event that there is federal interference on these situations, they are jurisdictional fights in violation of The Tenth Amendment.

Although I understand the angst associated with paying higher prices at certain times of the day or night, my response is that if these jurisdictions want to do themselves harm in this way, then let them!

According to one source:

A free market is an economic system based on voluntary exchange, where prices, wages, and production decisions are determined by supply and demand rather than government regulation or central planning. In this system, private individuals and firms freely trade goods and services without significant government intervention, such as subsidies or artificial restrictions.

Economy

Employment

Lottery

I hope that the trucker who won this prize has the financial discipline to spend/invest the money well.

Pay

7. Regarding Rates, Rejection Rates, Seizure, Strike, Tariffs, Taxes, Tolls, and Trade:

Rates

Rejection Rates

Seizure

Now this situation makes my blood boil!

According to the article in this section:

Civil asset forfeiture is a legal process that allows law enforcement to seize property — cash, vehicles, equipment — they suspect is connected to criminal activity, without charging the owner with a crime. The government does not sue you. It sues your property. The case is literally filed as something like “State of Texas v. $42,300 in United States Currency.”

… And in Texas and most other states, the burden of proof shifts to you — the property owner — to prove your innocence, not to the government to prove guilt.

… In nearly 60% of the civil forfeiture cases reviewed in one major Texas study, people did not even contest the seizure — and their property was automatically forfeited.

The article further states: “Texas generates over $50 million per year in state civil asset forfeiture proceeds.”

However, the article also provides tips under the heading: “What You Can Do to Protect Yourself”.

I was relieved to read the answer to this question:
“If I am stopped and an officer asks if I have cash, am I required to answer?”

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.

Taxes

Tolls

Trade

8. Regarding Bridges, Containers, ELDs, Inspections, Maintenance, Moving, and Ports:

Bridges

Containers

ELDs

The article in this section says:

In 2025[,] FMCSA has announced new certification processes to limit ELD fraud. Technology has changed in the last eight years. The new regulations address those updates. …

The new standards will improve truckers’ experience with the ELD. The job of the independent owner-operator is to research the options on the registered ELD list of approved equipment.

That second paragraph has a link to the ELD List.

Inspections

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

Maintenance

Moving

Ports

9. Regarding FMCSA, NACFE, TRUs, USPS, and VTNA:

FMCSA

NACFE

TRUs

USPS

VTNA

10. Regarding Operations, Parking, Rescue, and Speed Limit:

Operations

Regarding routing a commercial motor vehicle::

Please bear these things in mind regarding using a GPS.

Parking

Rescue

Please think ahead regarding unloading the freight in or on your truck!

Speed Limit

11. Regarding Technician Shortage, Technology, Tires, Weather, and Weigh Station:

Technician Shortage

Technology

Tires

Weather

Weigh Station

12. Regarding Awards:

Awards

There are different kinds of awards and recognition described in this section.

Congratulations to all truckers who have:

  • demonstrated skill and achievement in their work as professional truck drivers;
  • been given a tangible reward; or
  • been nominated for or given an award.

Here are articles about nominees for, finalists, and winners of awards.

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: 2026.03.21 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.



Factor smarter, faster, and save. Keep more of what you earn. DAT Outgo.
Rate Match Guarantee. We'll meet or beat your current rate. DAT Outgo.
Factor with more freedom. Non-recourse + no annual contracts. DAT Outgo.
Factoring that pays faster. Super fast funding speeds. DAT Outgo.