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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.05.23

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.05.23 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending May 23, 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 Brokers, BUILD America 250 Act, and Memorial Day:

Brokers

From the third article in this section, here’s a summary of this topic:

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

Transportation attorney Greg Feary breaks down the recent Supreme Court decision that brokers can be held liable for damages in truck accidents and what it means for the trucking industry going forward.

Let’s hope that this “correction” will lead to more just and good “corrections” for professional truck drivers and the trucking industry.

BUILD America 250 Act

From the second article in this section:

For now, the bill is a five-year plan that earmarks $580 billion for the nation’s infrastructure, with $474.4 billion coming from the Highway Trust Fund. [with much more]

And if you want to see the bill for yourself:

BUILD America 250 Act Legislation

Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend spans from Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25, 2026.

This holiday is known as the traditional start of the summer vacation season.

Historically, more people are on the roads at this time of year than at other non-holiday times.

Vacationers may be so intent on having a good time that they won’t be focused on driving.

Some people may be driving vehicles much larger than those they normally drive.

There’s also the possibility that some of these folks will be engaging in distracted driving!

What can you do?

While you should always drive defensively — and maintain a safe following distance behind other vehicles — please be alert to drivers and haulers of recreational vehicles and those transporting boats.

I’ve even seen “doubles” on non-CMV vehicles, such as:

  • a motorhome RV
  • pulling a vehicle
  • that is in turn pulling a boat!

So, please be on your guard.

Also, if you have an appointment to pick up or deliver a load on Memorial Day itself, you may want to double-check your appointment.

Finally, if your company pays holiday pay over the Memorial Day weekend — and if you intend to earn it — make sure you know all of the terms involved.

2. Regarding ATRI, Bridges, Business, Capacity, Chameleon Carriers, and Supply Chain:

ATRI

The second article in this section says:

ATRI’s new report found that between 2021 and 2024, liability insurance premium costs rose by 18.6% to 10.2 cents per mile – outpacing consumer inflation by 5.4 percentage points. Over this same period, truck-involved crash rates fell by 2.6%.

If you’re an owner-operator or independent trucker, I’d like to hear from you through the form below on how insurance rates have affected you.

Bridges

Business

Competition is a good thing.

Will lowering prices lead to an increase in business?

Capacity

Please also see the section entitled “Rates” below.

Chameleon Carriers

The article in this section says (link preserved):

Some of the nation’s largest trucking organizations have found common ground in a fight against the scourge of “chameleon carriers” skirting safety regulations and starting new motor carriers to avoid penalties for poor safety performance.

For background on chameleon carriers, please read:

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

Supply Chain

3. Regarding Crashes, Drowsy Driving, Drugs, Fatalities, Fraud, Injury, Smuggling, and Theft:

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.

Drowsy Driving

For your convenience, here’s a post on this site on this topic:

Drowsy Driving: Dangers, Statistics, and No Substitutes

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?

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!

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.

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.

4. Regarding Economy, Employment, Inflation, Insurance, and Legal:

Economy

Employment

Inflation

The excerpt at the top of the article in this section reads:

Memorial Day weekend is the single largest charcoal sales event of the American retail calendar — and the year-over-year comparison of import shipment volumes, per-unit costs, tariff exposure, and what consumers are actually spending at the grill this weekend tells a more specific story about where the freight market and the American household stand right now than almost any other seasonal data point available.

What are your thoughts?

Insurance

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

Legal

Please note that the first article in this section did not have a title at the time it was published, so I have provided a bracketed title of my own.

5. Regarding Pay, Pricing, Rates, Scams, Staged, Tariffs, and Taxes:

Pay

Pricing

The opening paragraph from the third article in this section reads:

The U.S. took action against multiple shipping container manufacturing companies and company executives, accusing the companies of a wide-ranging conspiracy that “roughly doubled” the price of containers for several years.

In your opinion, was this decision correct?

Please share your thoughts through the form below.

Rates

From the third article in this section, we read (links preserved):

Broker-posted spot rates in the Truckstop.com system for refrigerated equipment posted their largest week-over-week spike ever during the week ending May 15 as market pressure from International Roadcheck week added to the ongoing need for fuel cost recovery.

The question that I didn’t see answered in the article was: Why would rates jump during that week as opposed to any other week?

I suspect — but do not know for sure — that some truckers simply prefer not to drive professionally during International Roadcheck week.

And while it’s good not to “wave a red flag in front of a bull” with respect to making yourself or your rig a target, I maintain that one needs to keep one’s rig in great operational condition.

Scams

From the second article in this section, we read:

The Stop Scamming Truckers Act was introduced by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio). It would require any business that contacts trucking fleets regarding USDOT numbers to include a disclosure stating that it is a private company, not an official federal agency.

I fell compelled to weigh in on this from the different perspective of someone who has started getting a lot of mail about an age-related healthcare situation.

Some of the mail I have received is very slick, looks very professional, and looks “official.”

Before you sign anything, please have your legal representative review it.

For your convenience:

Now for the articles in this section…

Staged

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…

Taxes

I provided a lengthy commentary about “Taxes on Fuel” in my May 16, 2026, TDMST Weekly Round-Up.

6. Regarding Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Emissions, Fuel, and Oil:

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.

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

The third article in this section says:

What works in sustainable trucking today? Heavy Duty Trucking’s Top Green Fleets are finding practical ways to cut fuel use, reduce emissions, and keep freight moving.

Be aware that the term “sustainable” sounds reasonable until one discovers who came up with the term, how they are using it, and How to Fight Back Against Sustainable Development

Fuel

This article does a good job of summarizing the topic:

How to Reduce Fuel Costs for Trucking Fleets: 52 Proven Strategies.

Oil

7. Regarding DataQs, ELDs, Language, MOTUS, Technology, Waivers, and Weigh Station:

DataQs

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.

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;

Those who are in the USA illegally and/or cannot read and speak English as stated should not be allowed to drive commercial motor vehicles here.

MOTUS

From the second article in this section:

Why is a new registration system needed?

Once the kinks are worked out, FMCSA believes that Motus will be more user-friendly and help motor carriers combat fraud.

For starters, Motus’ verification system will help determine that registered entities are “who they say they are” and that they are “legitimate, legal” businesses.

Will Motus help to combat fraud in trucking?

What are your thoughts?

Please share through the form below.

Technology

From the article Eagle Vision Launches AI Damage Reporting Tool, to me, this sounds like a good use of artificial intelligence.

My only concern is about privacy.

Waivers

According to the article in this section:

Fuel, wildfires and the agricultural supply chain have created emergency conditions in North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.

To me, allowing any kind of “waiver” is a slippery slope that can lead to problems.

Weigh Station

8. Regarding Ban, Following Distance, and Safety:

Ban

Please pay attention to all bans for full tractor trailer rigs or specific trailers, especially when weather turns foul.

Following Distance

Helps on this topic on this website include:

As the article below says: “Following distance matters.”

Safety

The excerpt from the article in this section reads:

Safe isn’t always exposure-free or risk-free. Compliant isn’t always safe. What “safety” means doesn’t matter. Risk is the keyword.

What are your thoughts?

9. Regarding Idling, Inspections, Training, Trucks, and Veterans:

Idling

Please feel free to look at the 9-post section on this site associated with idling.

Truck Idling: Need, Problems, Cost and Alternatives Overview

According to the article in this section:

New York City has turned residents into bounty hunters to enforce its idling laws against private fleets while turning a blind eye to its own vehicles. Now, the bus industry is saying enough is enough by challenging the legality of the Big Apple’s anti-idling program.

While I understand the necessity of truckers “obeying the law” when it comes to idling, earning money by reporting truckers supposedly in violation of the law seems to be downright predatory in nature!

And as such, it seems to be a violation of the commandment to “love your neighbor” as you love yourself.

Inspections

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

Training

Trucks

Veterans

10. Regarding Parts, Recalls, and Right to Repair:

Parts

This is important for every owner-operator and independent trucker.

Recalls

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

Right To Repair

From the article in this section:

Organizations representing truck stops and small-business truckers are throwing their weight behind a bill that would grant truckers access to vehicle maintenance and repair data. …

Known as the REPAIR Act, HR1566 would prohibit manufacturers from using technological or legal barriers to prevent motor vehicle owners from accessing vehicle-generated data, choosing a towing or service provider or diagnosing, repairing or maintaining a vehicle in the same manner as a manufacturer or dealer.

I have come across a similar situation regarding my HP printer.

In years gone by, the only ink jet cartridges that would “fit” in my printer were made exclusively by HP, at what I considered to be inflated prices.

I could not help but wonder: How much can plastic and ink actually cost?

Mike found a solution which I still use: “generic” ink jet cartridges that work just as well as the name brand ones, but at a fraction of the cost.

For laughs, this situation reminds me of the spoof:

Isaac Air Freight – Generic Phone Company

In all seriousness, I strongly believe that truckers should have the “Right to Repair.”

11. Regarding Politics, Ports, and Trade:

Politics

Ports

Trade

12. Regarding Awards and Recognition:

Awards

Congratulations to this trucker for his achievement!

Recognition

Thank you to everyone who helped out their fellow human beings in a time of need, whether it was the trucker doing the helping or the trucker being helped.

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: 2026.05.23 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.


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