What changed — and why it matters On September 27, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced an emergency regulation that tightens eligibility for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued to non-U.S. citizens. The action follows a high-profile fatal crash in Florida and a federal audit that found improper issuance practices…
National Overview — Saturday, September 27, 2025 Most of the Lower 48 is relatively quiet today. Two areas deserve extra attention: 1) monsoon-enhanced thunderstorms over the Desert Southwest and Southern Rockies, and 2) increasing surf and rip-current hazards along the Southeast Atlantic coast tied to nearby tropical activity. No widespread…
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an emergency regulation Friday that sharply narrows who among non‑U.S. citizens can obtain a commercial driver’s license, an abrupt policy pivot that state licensing agencies and carriers will have to absorb immediately. The rule arrives amid a federal audit of state licensing practices…
Canada’s parcel pipeline just snapped at the start of peak. On September 25, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers launched a nationwide strike hours after Ottawa unveiled sweeping reforms to Canada Post. The crown corporation has halted processing and delivery, suspended service guarantees and cancelled scheduled pickups—an immediate shock to…
At a federal listening session this week, truck drivers delivered a consistent message: pay is the problem, not a shortage of hours. Drivers warned that layering new flexibility onto the hours-of-service framework without tackling unpaid detention and unpredictable compensation risks turning “rest” options into longer uncompensated workdays. The exchange underscored…
OTR Solutions is rolling out a new way for truckers to buy diesel on terms: fuel credit that’s underwritten by the freight they’ve already hauled. The company’s “self-backed” model is embedded in the existing OTR Fuel Card and uses a carrier’s factored receivables—not personal credit scores—to set a line, with…
Ottawa has cleared the way for Canada Post to phase out home delivery to roughly 4 million addresses, replacing it with community mailboxes over the next decade — a decision with immediate labor fallout and long-tail consequences for parcel networks on both sides of the border. The move is part…
Volvo Trucks North America is raising the bar on passive safety in Class 8, moving integrated side-curtain airbags from the options sheet to standard equipment on its newest VNL longhaul and VNR regional models — a first among North American heavy‑duty truck makers. The change, announced Sept. 25, underscores Volvo’s…
Two more defendants in Massachusetts’ long-running commercial driver’s license (CDL) test-fixing schemes have received jail sentences, extending a series of penalties aimed at restoring confidence in how road skills are evaluated. The latest outcomes keep pressure on schools, examiners and public employees who may be tempted to game a system…
Canada’s federal government has set Canada Post on a radical new course: phasing out door-to-door mail delivery for roughly 4 million addresses and relaxing delivery standards so more mail travels by truck instead of by air. The policy shift, unveiled September 25, is aimed at pulling the Crown corporation out…
