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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.04.25

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.04.25 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending April 25, 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 Fuel, Iran, and Oil:

Based on my limited reading, it seems to me that people around the world are reeling from the illegal, immoral, and unconstitutional war of aggression against Iran that was started by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

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Supply chains have been disrupted and the price of fuel, oil, other products, and various services have risen sharply, as shown in the articles in this section.

If this situation bothers you, please contact your federal elected officials.

Fuel

So that you can track the price of fuel:

Now for some of the most recent articles on this topic:

Iran

Oil

2. Regarding Language, Point: Tipping, Point: Turning, and Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW):

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;

It appears that for too long, states have been letting this slide and now they cannot run from the consequences.

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

Point: Tipping

The summary from the first article in this section reads:

Speaking on Bloomberg TV today, DHL Group CEO Tobias Meyer warned that a prolonged disruption in Gulf crude flows could tighten freight markets, raise transport costs, and put broader pressure on the global economy.

Read on…

Point: Turning

The first paragraph from the article in this section reads:

Chameleon carriers, broker liability, unqualified truck drivers. These are all longstanding issues that trucking stakeholders have been sounding the alarm on for years. Those cries seemed to have fallen upon deaf ears … until now.

For the rest of the article…

Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW)

What is the difference between a Non-Domiciled CDL holder and a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW)?

According to one summary:

A Non-Domiciled Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) holder and a Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) in the trucking industry are often the same person, but the terms define different aspects of their status: “Non-Domiciled CDL” is a specific type of driver’s license, while “Temporary Foreign Worker” is an immigration and employment status.

Hmm…

3. Regarding 3pls, ATRI, Border, Business, Capacity, Chameleon Carriers, ELDs, Lease, Shortage, and Training:

3PLs

ATRI

Border

Business

Capacity

For the definition of capacity, please see the Glossary on this website.

Chameleon Carriers

For background on chameleon carriers, please read:

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

Now for some of the most up-to-date articles on this topic…

ELDs

Lease

There are numerous mentions regarding truck leasing on this site.

One article is entitled:

Commercial Truck Leasing: Beware of Designed-to-Fail Schemes

Shortage

According to the second article in this section:

ACT Research is once again raising a familiar red flag: the driver shortage narrative is back — and this time, it’s already starting to move rates.

After four years without a true shortage, the firm says a combination of regulatory changes and constrained fleet growth has tipped the market into a tighter capacity environment, with early signs pointing to stronger freight rates ahead.

Driver shortage articles…

Training

4. Regarding Bottlenecks, Chains, Containers, and Fertilizer:

Bottlenecks

As if the powers-that-be don’t know what the bottlenecks are?

Chains

When my now-late husband Mike and I drove for Swift in the 1990s, the company tractors were equipped with snow chains year-round, just in case something like this happened.

Containers

Fertilizer

One very well known website is run by a guy who says that produce this year won’t be very abundant because fertilizer shipments will not be received from the Middle East.

This article may make it sound like we don’t have “all of our eggs in one basket.”

5. Regarding Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Efficiency, and Hydrogen:

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.

Emissions

Fuel Cell

According to the article in this section:

Cellcentric has officially unveiled its next-generation heavy-duty fuel cell system, the BZA375, positioning it as a viable zero-emission alternative to diesel in longhaul trucking and other demanding applications.

I am very interested in learning “how long” a fuel cell used in trucking lasts, as in how long can it be used before it has to be replaced.

If you know the answer to this question, please let me know through the form below.

Thanks.

Fuel Efficiency

It appears that this information is available only after filling in the form on the page.

Hydrogen

From the second article in this section:

The three companies are teaming up through Cellcentric to push hydrogen-powered trucks forward. Not as a replacement for electric rigs, but as another option for the jobs that are hardest to electrify.

We’re talking long-haul routes, heavy loads and tight delivery windows where stopping for hours to charge just isn’t practical.

I am very interested in learning more about this!

6. Regarding Bypass Savings, Delivery, Economy, Employment, Inspections, Insurance, Operations, Rates, Repairs, Tariffs, and Tolls:

Bypass Savings

Quoting from the article in this section:

A truck averaging 7 bypasses per week saves 42 hours and $3,877 per year. A 100-truck fleet at the same rate recovers 4,200 hours and $387,700 annually. Fleets with strong ISS scores may see 10 or more bypasses per week, pushing per-truck savings above 61 hours and $5,538 per year.

Delivery

If I’m reading this article correctly, the “express delivery option” is applied to each order one places.

Please be wise regarding the use of your hard-earned money.

Economy

Employment

Inspections

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

Insurance

Please regularly review your truck insurance to see if it is just right to meet your needs without being too expensive.

Operations

The actions described in both of these articles were completely preventable!

Regarding the second article in this section, please also see the “Legal” section below.

Rates

Repairs

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…

Tolls

Failure to pay a toll is a type of theft. Pay what you owe!

7. Regarding Canada, Legal, Panama Canal, Politics, Tesla, UPS, and USMCA:

Canada

Legal

Panama Canal

Politics

Tesla

UPS

USMCA

8. Regarding Crashes, Death, Drugs, Explosion, Fatalities, Fires, Fraud, Injury, Scam, Theft, Violations, and Weight:

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.

Drugs

Never ever haul or take illegal drugs.

Explosion

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?

Fires

Please be careful when driving around wildfires.

Visibility may be greatly decreased and you may experience difficulty in breathing.

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 these people!

Scam

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

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:

Weight

Please pay attention to the combined weight of your tractor, trailer, and freight.

Unless you have an overweight permit and the right signage, please do not drive with more weight on your truck than you’re allowed.

For many tractor-trailer combinations, the maximum weight is 40 tons or 80,000 pounds total.

9. Regarding Carbon, DataQs, Exemption, Parking, Roads, Safety, and Warehouses:

Carbon

DataQs

Exemption

Parking

Roads

Safety

Warehouses

10. Regarding Events, Museum, News, Survival, and Testing:

Events

Museum

News

Survival

Testing

11. Regarding Maintenance, Technology, Tires, and Work Zones:

Maintenance

The excerpt of the third article in this section says:

[Combined] parts and labor costs for heavy-duty trucks have risen 27.4% since 2020, a 25% tariff on imported Class 8 trucks and parts is now embedded in the equipment market, and the Decisiv/TMC benchmark data from Q4 2025 shows that the slight quarterly dip in maintenance costs is a floor, not a ceiling — when freight volumes increase, shop costs follow.

Ouch!

Technology

Tires

Work Zones

The third article mentions something unique:

In the spirit of safety, some TxDOT employees have found a creative way to capture the public’s attention: According to a story posted on the TxDOT website, they’re turning retired traffic barrels into art. The eye-catching sculptures, crafted outside of employees’ working hours, are intended to spark curiosity and start conversations about safety.

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.

Congratulations, too, for those who will be nominated.

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: 2026.04.25 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.


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