The recent FreightWaves article on USPS is a perfect snapshot of how deep the immigrant driver issue really runs in our industry. USPS, one of the largest shippers in the country... attempted to enforce a nationwide ban on non-U.S. citizen drivers, only to reverse course almost immediately when the operational impact hit. It’s a reminder that this problem isn’t just about policy.. it’s about capacity, labor dynamics. This won’t be solved overnight. As more of these drivers exit the labor pool, the next few years will get even more interesting. Thoughts from the room: how do you see this shift impacting brokers, shippers, and carrier networks? Article: USPS tried to ban immigrant truck drivers — it went horribly

Anyone else get a little uneasy seeing the shape some of these trucks are in lately? Bald tires, broken lights, duct-taped fairings flapping in the wind.… makes you wonder how they even made it past inspection. I get margins are tight, but damn... It’s not just the carrier that looks bad, shippers, brokers, and everyone sharing the road pays the price. Am I the only one noticing more of this lately, or is it just me?

The U.S. Department of Transportation has enacted an emergency interim final rule to crack down on how states issue non-domiciled Commercial Learner’s Permits (CLPs) and CDLs. The rule is effective immediately. What Changed - States must now enforce tighter eligibility checks, including verifying employment-based visas and conducting federal immigration status checks via the SAVE system. - Any improperly issued non-domiciled CDLs must be revoked. - States like California have 30 days to comply or risk losing federal highway funding. How & When This Could Impact Freight Short term (weeks to months): - Some carriers may see immediate capacity loss if drivers with now-invalid CDLs are removed from service. - States must scramble to audit and revoke non-compliant licenses — causing operational disruptions. - Brokers might face constraints in sourcing drivers for certain lanes until compliance stabilizes. Medium term (3–6 months): - Freight rates may pressure upward in hot zones as capacity tightens. - Some shippers might find loads unservable in states where non-domiciled CDLs were widely used. - Carriers will need to adapt driver recruiting to stricter compliance and vetting. Bottom line: This is a fast-acting regulatory shift with ripple effects on capacity, rates, and driver availability, especially in regions with high reliance on non-domiciled drivers. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-issues-emergency-rule-restricting-non-domiciled-cdls

The U.S. FMCSA is launching pilots for more flexible hours-of-service rules: allowing drivers to pause their 14-hour duty window for 30 minutes to 3 hours, and testing new sleeper berth splits (like 6/4 or 5/5 rest/duty). FMCSA Angle: How flexibility could help with driver satisfaction, safety, and capacity. https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/newsroom/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-launches-new-initiatives-improve-truckers?utm_source=chatgpt.com

I have been thinking about this for some time. 65 years ago our business started with a commitment to service. Market's change, cultures and expectations change, technology changes; and in the current climate that is more and more automated, are we now so accustomed to automated services, that we are failing to expect service? Meaning if something isn't working, do we just dismiss the issue as an occasional outage? We have seen costs of everything go up while simultaneously we seem to be expecting less and less. I have often been complimented on what we do and think, this is just our normal service. There is nothing extraordinary about this. Room please give me a picture of what you're seeing and where you think we're at.