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Rethinking Hours of Service: FMCSA Looks at More Flexible Driver Schedules

For years, hours-of-service regulations have been one of the most closely watched areas of trucking compliance.   The rules are designed to prevent driver fatigue, but they can also create challenges when traffic, weather, loading delays, detention, and unpredictable customer schedules interfere with a driver's planned day. Now, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is taking a closer look at whether drivers can be given more control over when they drive and when they rest—without compromising highway safety. The agency is advancing two pilot programs focused on alternative approaches to hours-of-service requirements.   The goal is not simply to loosen regulations.   Instead, FMCSA wants to collect real-world data to determine whether greater scheduling flexibility could improve driver working conditions and potentially reduce fatigue. For trucking companies, drivers and shippers, this could become an important development. Why Hours-of-Service F...
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The Rising Cost of Trucking: What the Latest ATRI Data Means for Shippers

The cost of moving freight by truck is climbing again—and the latest data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) shows why. According to ATRI’s 2026 Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking , the average cost of operating a truck reached $2.336 per mile in 2025, a 3.4% increase from the previous year and the highest per-mile cost recorded in ATRI’s history.   Even more telling, operating costs excluding fuel increased 4.2% to $1.854 per mile. The findings come at an important time for manufacturers, distributors and other freight shippers.   Transportation costs are not simply determined by the price of diesel.   Driver compensation, equipment, insurance, maintenance, tolls and other operating expenses all influence what it costs a carrier to put a truck on the road. For shippers, understanding these cost pressures is increasingly important when developing transportation budgets, negotiating freight rates and choosing a carrier. Trucking C...
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What Happens When a Shipper Misclassifies Hazardous Materials?

When hazardous materials move through the supply chain, accuracy is not optional.   A mistake in how a product is classified can trigger a chain reaction involving fines, rejected shipments, delivery delays, exposure risks, damaged equipment, regulatory investigations—and, in the worst cases, serious injuries or environmental damage. For shippers, manufacturers, distributors and transportation providers, proper hazmat classification is the first line of defense.   The responsibility begins well before a truck arrives at the loading dock.   Under the federal Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), the shipper is responsible for determining whether a product is hazardous and communicating its hazards appropriately through classification, packaging, marking, labeling and shipping documentation.   That means a transportation company cannot simply assume that the information provided by the shipper is correct. What Does "Misclassifying" a Hazmat Shipment Mean? Hazard...
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The Jalapeño Salmonella Outbreak: When a Food Recall Becomes a Transportation Crisis

A foodborne illness outbreak does not stop at the farm, processor, restaurant or grocery store.   Once contaminated food enters the supply chain, transportation becomes a critical part of the response. The current multistate Salmonella Javiana outbreak linked to jalapeño peppers from Sinaloa, Mexico is a good example.   The FDA and CDC report that the affected peppers were imported by Coast Citrus Distributors and distributed to U.S. distributors, restaurants and food-service companies.   As of the latest CDC update, 345 people in 27 states have been reported sick, 36 have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported. For trucking companies and food shippers, the story illustrates an important reality: a recall is also a logistics event. Once a potentially contaminated ingredient has moved through multiple warehouses, distribution centers, restaurants and food manufacturers, transportation records can become the difference between a narrowly targeted recall a...
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High-Value Freight Is Under Attack: What Trucking Companies and Shippers Need to Know

Cargo theft has always been a threat to the transportation industry.   But the latest data suggests the problem is changing in a way that should concern every shipper, carrier, broker and supply chain manager. The number of reported theft incidents can sometimes obscure the bigger story: criminals are increasingly targeting fewer shipments with much higher-value cargo. Recent reporting from Fortune and Overdrive highlights just how significant that shift has become.   The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) estimates that cargo theft costs the U.S. trucking industry as much as $6.6 billion annually — more than $18 million every day. Even more concerning, recent CargoNet/Verisk data indicates that estimated cargo theft losses in the U.S. and Canada reached approximately $725 million in 2025, a 60% increase from 2024.   Confirmed theft incidents also increased 18%, while the average value of a theft climbed 36% to nearly $274,000 per incident. That m...
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