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TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.08.15

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2026.08.15 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending August 15, 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 Performance and Surveillance:

Performance

This is the first time — at least in recent years — that I’ve seen the word “performance” used in relation to delivery and transporation.

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In my post “Your Driver Manager or Fleet Manager is the Key to Your Paycheck,” I described how my now-late husband Mike got “cheated” out of a “performance bonus” — offered by his trucking company — because of an “unwritten rule” about which he had known nothing.

The article goes on to say that, later on, the company did away with that bonus.

What about now?

How are performance metrics measured?

Are truckers paid extra for meeting them?

If not, why not?

Please share your thoughts through the form below.

Surveillance

This situation regarding monitoring and surveillance is going to escalate until one or more legal decisions are made.

As a reminder, this is The Fourth Amendment to The Constitution of the United States:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Thoughts?

This section sort of dovetails into the “enforcement” section below.

2. Regarding 2290, Border, Brokers, Business, Capacity, Insurance, Landstar, and Recalls:

2290

The discounts regarding 2290 filing on the TDMST website may or may not be offered any more.

I encourage you to find a reliable way of making sure that you submit the required paperwork before the deadline.

Are there penalties associated with no filing on time? Yes!

According to one overview:

The IRS Form 2290 filing deadline penalty is 4.5% of the total tax due per month for failure to file, plus 0.5% per month for failure to pay. These penalties accrue monthly for up to five months, capping at a maximum of 25% combined. Interest also applies to unpaid amounts.

Don’t pay penalties when you don’t have to!

If you can’t do the paperwork yourself, find someone competent and reliable to do it for you.

Border

Brokers

In the first article in this section, we read:

Below is comment from Jeff, a leased owner who nonetheless works with a lot with brokers through his carrier. As annoying as many middlemen can be, he sees an entire industry twisted in knots and dragged over coals by plaintiffs and attorneys who see big trucks as big paychecks.

What are your thoughts?

Business

Capacity

In case you need it, the definition of capacity can be found in this site’s glossary.

Insurance

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

Landstar

According to the first article in this section:

Brokerages for many years operated under the assumption that active Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) authority was enough to clear a carrier for a load. Those days are over, according to Chad Krueger, vice president and managing director at Central Analysis Bureau (CAB) by Fusable.

Have you had trouble with this?

Please share.

Recalls

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

3. Regarding Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Fuel, Iran, 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.

Fuel

Iran

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.

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.

Oil

4. Regarding Imports, Intermodal, Teamsters, and Trade:

Imports

Intermodal

Teamsters

Trade

5. Regarding Alcohol, Crashes, Death, Drugs, Fatalities, Fraud, and Pedestrian Hit:

Alcohol

Never ever consume alcohol — or use an alcohol-containing product (such as mouthwash) — before beginning to drive a commercial motor vehicle!

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.

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.

Pedestrian Hit

Please be aware of pedestrians wherever you travel.

6. Regarding Recovery, Road Rage, Theft, Violations, Violence, and Weight:

Recovery

I am glad whenever I read of stolen goods having been recovered!

Road Rage

Seek to avoid road rage incidents.

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.

Weight

Please know your rig’s “empty” weight — perhaps with and without fuel — so that you know how much weight you’ll be allowed to haul legally.

7. Regarding Conditions, Economy, Employment, Excellence, Inflation, Pay, Rates, Rebate, Surcharge, and Tariffs:

Conditions

This is a sort of “snapshot” about the state of things within the trucking community.

Economy

Employment

Excellence

Inflation

One source (pages 17 and 18) says that inflation is:

  • both “an increase in the amount of currency, resulting in rising prices”;
  • and “theft.”

Take a look at the M1 money supply — and what happened in early 2020 — and you’ll realize immediately what has happened to prices in the USA over the last 5+ years.

Although the dates may be shifting over time, according to FiscalData.Treasury.gov, the U.S. debt:
– exceeded $36 Trillion on November 21, 2024;
– exceeded $37 Trillion on August 11, 2025;
– exceeded $38 Trillion on October 21, 2025; and
– exceeded $39 Trillion on May 18, 2026.

Obviously, this is unsustainable and some people have indicated that the collapse of the U.S. dollar is imminent.

If you have not already done so, please make preparations regarding your financial future.

Pay

Rates

Rebate

Surcharge

How is it that the U.S. Postal Service needs to add a parcel surcharge to help “boost overal revenue” when other parcel carriers seem to be doing just fine?

Hmm…

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…

8. Regarding Age, ELDs, Exemptions, Legal, Messy Middle, Operations, Oversize, and Training:

Age

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.

Exemptions

I find it simultaneously interesting and frustrating that “exemptions” are made regarding the Hours of Service regulations and other matters.

Legal

Messy Middle

Just so you know, according to one overview:

In trucking, the “Messy Middle” is the transition period between traditional diesel-powered freight and a fully zero-emission future. Coined by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), it describes a complex time when fleets must choose from many evolving technologies instead of a single standard fuel.

The overview also lists these key aspects: multiple power choices, complex decisions, changing maintenance, and uncertain infrastructure.

In my opinion, whenever there is dominance over energy availability, we will always be slaves to that dominance.

Would that free energy was available for everyone, everywhere, in every situation!

Operations

You may also want to see the post “Making Large Truck Operations as Frugal as Possible” on this site.

Oversize

Please be aware of — and procure — whatever is needed before you haul an oversized truck.

Training

9. Regarding Enforcement, Inspections, Language, Politics, Ports, and Regulations:

Enforcement

This section sort of dovetails into the “surveillance” section above.

Inspections

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

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;

Now for the articles on this topic…

Politics

Ports

Regulations

10. Regarding Bridges, Infrastructure, Parking, and Weather:

Bridges

Infrastructure

Parking

Weather

11. Regarding Maintenance, Safety, Supply Chain, Technology, and Tires:

Maintenance

Safety

Supply Chain

Technology

Tires

12. Regarding Awards, Championship, and Giveaway:

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 recognized for that skill and achievement, perhaps for safe driving;
  • been given a tangible reward; or
  • been nominated for or given an award.

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

Championship

Congratulations to all truckers who advanced to, competed in, or won truck driving championships!

Giveaway

According to the article in this section:

Pabst Light is working to fix up and give away an old school Kenworth as part of its campaign promoting the new brew.

Would this interest you?

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: 2026.08.15 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.
Factor with more freedom. Non-recourse + no annual contracts. 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.