When Donald Trump moves back into the White House in January, he’ll have an ambitious agenda to implement. And the U.S. trucking industry hopes trucking issues will be among the new administration’s priorities.
Dave Heller, senior vice-president of government affairs and safety with the Truckload Carriers Association came to Canada Nov. 20 to provide Canadian members with his annual regulatory and safety update.
“We’ve been down this road before,” he said of a Trump administration. “It’s very favorable for the industry to have Donald Trump in office.”
For one, he generally likes to remove more regulations than his government creates. Heller is also hopeful a Republican government will preserve the independent contractor business model that was under threat under the Biden administration.
Trucking is also hopeful it will see tax cuts, specifically the 12% excise tax on new equipment that was instituted during WWI and is still in place today. The Trump administration will also be charged with overseeing an infrastructure bill; Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires on Sept. 30, 2026.
Heller also said industry is hopeful timelines to transition to zero-emission trucks will be revisited.
“It’s not a question of if we get to zero emissions, but when,” Heller said. “The equipment they’re talking about is not yet ready for prime time…Trump is listening to industry on this issue and listening well.”
The U.S. electrical grid is not ready to support a wholesale transition to electric trucks, Heller noted, and those vehicles are cost prohibitive. Then there are practical matters to consider. Drivers today log their fueling time as on-duty/not driving, fine for a 10-minute fill-up. How will they log time spent charging their electric truck when it takes two to 10 hours, Heller asked.
Here are some of the trucking specific issues that could or should be addressed by the new administration:
Speed limiters: Mandating the use of speed limiters is a contentious issue in the U.S., despite having the support of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Heller thinks the rule “won’t see the light of day under a Trump administration.”
Truck parking: Funding for truck parking will likely come under the next highway infrastructure bill in 2026, Heller said. Industry is pushing hard for more truck parking and has a compelling case; research shows time spent seeking parking spots costs a driver US$7,105 a year, up from $5,500 a year a couple years ago. Industry will have to continue to push for truck parking as it competes against highways and bridges for funding.
Drug and alcohol policies: The Biden administration was planning to reschedule marijuana as a Schedule 3 narcotic, down in severity from its Schedule 1 status today. It will still be illegal federally, but likely become more readily available, Heller noted. Drug testing methods will also be reviewed, with the possibility of oral – and even hair — testing being approved.
Minimum liability insurance: The federal minimum liability insurance required to operate in the U.S. is $750,000, a number set in 1980. Heller said there’s talk within Congress of increasing it to as much as $5 million. Since there’s been little movement on implementing that increase, some states, such as New Jersey, are taking it into their own hands. “We are starting to see states having this conversation because it’s not getting taken up at the federal level,” Heller said.
Safety fitness determinations: Another problem in the U.S. is that too few carriers are receiving safety fitness determinations. In 2019, only 2% of 556,000 carriers were given a determination. “In 2021, we had no ratings available for 646,777 motor carriers,” Heller said. “We can expect some changes.”
Freight fraud: The FMCSA is beginning to take this issue seriously, Heller, said. Maybe because an investigation found more than 900 entities that were registered with a ‘wtffmcsa’ email address. Heller said the agency is in the process of building a new registration system and plans to vet more than 800,0000 existing carriers. It could be released as early as next year.
Safe driver apprenticeship program: A program designed to verify the safety of 18- to 20-year-old drivers engaging in interstate driving hasn’t received much uptake. The pilot was designed to accommodate 1,000 carriers and 3,000 drivers. Only 34 carriers and 36 drivers took part. “Not what they call statistically significant, whatsoever,” Heller said. “It will remain in limbo.”
Entry-level driver training: As in Canada, there’s a proliferation of CDL licensing mills in the U.S., some of which “train” a driver to get their CDL in three days. Heller said heightened enforcement is needed to get rid of them. He’s hopeful the new administration will fund greater enforcement to put these schools out of business.
Automatic emergency braking and side underride guards: The TCA supports legislation that would mandate automatic emergency braking systems, as they are proven to save lives. A final rule is expected under the new administration. However, it opposes calls for side underride guards on trailers, which are expensive and less effective at preventing injuries or deaths.
Predatory towing: Another issue the new administration could address is predatory towing. Heller spoke of one member who incurred $77,000 in towing related charges for one incident. “It’s a problem of epic proportions,” he said, noting some states are addressing it themselves.
