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PHOTOGRAPHY ON THIS PAGE AND COVER BY JACOB SLATONF E AT U R E SIN THIS ISSUEVOLUME 31 | ISSUE 1 2026COVER STORY WAYNE’S WORLD 26Neil Corder steers the next generation to stay true to ethos that built Wayne Smith TruckingBy Dwain HebdaTRADE SECRETSCAPTAIN AMERICA ON DECK 18Road Team honor has Tyson’s Evans on path to promote industry nationwideBy Todd TraubCAPITOL WATCHTRUCKING INDUSTRY EYES OPPORTUNITY AMID TAX CUTS 20National advocates push for infrastructure funding and tort reform while state lawmakers plot a path toward zero income tax By Steve BrawnerRELIEF NOW, UNCERTAINTY AHEAD 34Trucking reacts to EPA’s historic rollback By Dana Caldwell TRUCKING’S WAR ON BAD ACTORS 40The TAEC Seven-Point Blueprint for Industry Integrity to eliminate fraud, restore fair competition, and protect drivers By Doug MarcelloUp Front: By Shannon Newton 7They Said It 9News in Brief 10Calendar of Events 12New Members 15Council Quarterly 24Advertiser Resource Index 25Stat View 49The Last Word: By Jared D. Wiley 50D EPA R T MEN T SARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 5
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THE ROAD BETWEEN USThere’s something about a stretch of rural Arkansas highway that invites reflection.Last week, I found myself behind the wheel for hours at a time. It was the official beginning of spring, sunroof open, sunlight filtering through early green leaves, and Olivia Dean providing the soundtrack. My route took me through some of the finest scenery our state has to offer, bluffs and winding streams, forest and deep valleys. For a moment, it felt like I was stepping into the rhythm many of our drivers know well, long miles, open road, and time to think.Over the course of two days, those miles triangulated the Ozarks. Three meetings. Three members. Three vastly different circumstances. But one consistent takeaway: relationships don’t just sustain this industry, they define it.The first stop was with an established industry leader, sitting down with a new executive stepping into a role with an interest in government affairs. It was a forward-looking conversation about engagement, advocacy, and the responsibility our industry carries in shaping policy. It was also a reminder that relationships are always evolving. New leaders step in, priorities shift, and it is up to all of us to make sure the connection is made early and often.The second visit carried a different tone. I had the privilege of attending a celebration honoring a retired executive whose impact on this association, our industry, and me personally has been lasting. That kind of influence is built over time. It reflects years of engagement, trust, and a willingness to invest beyond one’s own benefit. Those relationships do not end when a career chapter closes. They continue to shape who we are.The third stop was the hardest and maybe the most important. A member that had, over time, become disconnected. Leadership changes created distance, relationships did not transfer, and slowly, they slipped through the cracks. Good people, busy building a stronger business, but a connection that needed to be reestablished. Rebuilding that bridge requires honesty, listening, and a shared commitment to re-engage. Whether it is welcoming new leadership, honoring those who have shaped our path, or reconnecting with members who have drifted, our strength as an association is rooted in consistent, intentional communication. Not just when it is convenient. Not just when there is an immediate need. But over time, across transitions, and through every season our members face. That’s the throughline.As I made the drive home, I kept coming back to a simple idea: the road connects us, but only if we are willing to travel it.Our commitment, as your association, is to keep showing up. To make the call. To take the meeting. To bridge the gaps when they appear. Because at the end of the day, this industry does not move without relationships, and neither do we.An affiliate of the American Trucking AssociationsArkansas Trucking Association (ATA) is an Arkansas corporation of trucking companies, private carrier fleets and businesses which serve or supply the trucking industry. ATA serves these companies as a governmental affairs representative before legislative, regulatory and executive branches of government on issues that affect the trucking industry. The organization also provides public relations services, workers’ compensation insurance, operational services and serves as a forum for industry meetings and membership relations. For information, contact ATA at: 1401 West Capitol, Suite 185Post Office Box 3476 (72203)Little Rock, Arkansas 72201Phone 501.372.3462 Fax 501.376.1810www.arkansastrucking.comAward-Winning Magazine of the Arkansas Trucking AssociationArkansas Trucking Report is owned by the Arkansas Trucking Association, Inc. and is published bimonthly. For additional copies, to order reprints of individual articles or to become a subscriber to ATR, contact us at [email protected] or at 501.372.3462. executive editorSHANNON SAMPLES NEWTON contributing writersart directorJON D. KENNEDYThe Freelance Co. LLC, [email protected] editorsSARAH NEWMAN, JORDAN WELCH, JULIA TAYLOR-BROWNillustrator BRENT [email protected] KATIE CHILDS, JON D. KENNEDY, JACOB SLATONwww.arkansastrucking.compresidentSHANNON SAMPLES [email protected] president of operationsSARAH [email protected] of safety and loss preventionMIKE [email protected] coordinatorJORDAN [email protected] administratorJULIA [email protected] OF DIRECTORSUP FRONTSTEVE [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] BARRJM Bozeman EnterprisesCEOGREG CARMANCarman, Inc.PresidentNEIL CORDERWayne Smith TruckingPresidentMATTHEW GODFREYABF FreightPresidentGEORGE HENRYUSA TruckCEOAL HERINGER IVStar Transportation, LLCPresidentBRAD HICKSJ.B. Hunt TransportPresident of Dedicated Contract ServicesROSS HOOVERRush Truck CentersRegional General ManagerROBERT JANESW&B Service Co.Service DirectorJEFF LOGGINSLoggins Logistics, Inc.President & CEOCLINT MCCOYFedEx FreightCOORYAN MCDANIELWalmart Transportation LLCSenior Vice PresidentMIKE MCNUTTDistribution Solutions, Inc.CEO, OwnerMARK MORRIS Morris Transportation Services, LLC PresidentG.E. “BUTCH” RICE IIIStallion Transportation GroupPresidentALAN RIELSDedicated LogisticsPresident & CEOPATRICK SIMMONSTyson FoodsVice President Transportation GABE STEPHENSC.C. Jones, Inc.Vice PresidentLANCE STEWARTPAM TransportPresident & CEODOUG VOSS University of Central ArkansasProfessor of Logistics & Supply Chain ManagementDrivers Legal PlanDrivers Legal PlanCHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD John CulpMaverick TransportationPresidentShannon NewtonPresident, Arkansas Trucking AssociationARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 7
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THEY SAID IT“Everything you buy moves with diesel... the grocery store, the mall, whether you buy online, even airfares.” —Tom Kloza, oil analyst, on consumer goods“That is the most hockey thing I could even think of ever happening in the world.” — Jimmy Fallon, interviewing Jack Hughes of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team after winning gold, joking about his damaged front teeth“We’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground”— President Donald Trump, describing the military operation in Iran“If we cannot verify your safe driving history, you cannot hold a CDL in this country.”— Derek Barrs, FMCSA Administrator“Training someone to operate an 80,000-poundvehicle is not a weekend hobby.”— Chris Spear, President & CEO, American Trucking Associations on FMCSA’s crackdown on non-compliant driver training schools“I often tell people that autonomous technology is largely a “party trick” for passenger cars. But there is a very real, extremely solid business case for selfdriving vehicles in the commercial vehicle market.”— Jack Roberts, executive editor, Heavy Duty Trucking“We are not just trying to win an election. We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it’s working”.— James Talarico (D) Texas, after winning a hotly contested Democratic primary. Talarico will face either incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or Texas Atty General Ken Paxton in the November general electionARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 9
NEWS IN BRIEFMAVERICK’S JOHN CULP RECEIVES TCA CHAIRMAN’S CHOICE AWARDJohn Culp, president of Maverick Transportation and chairman of the Arkansas Trucking Association board of directors has been honored with the 2026 Chairman’s Choice Award from the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). The award was presented during TCA’s annual convention, Truckload 2026, held Feb. 28–March 3 in Orlando, Florida.The Chairman’s Choice Award is selected by the outgoing TCA chairman and recognizes an individual whose leadership and contributions have made a meaningful impact on the truckload sector and the association’s work. Karen Smerchek, president of Veriha Trucking and TCA’s 2025–26 chairman, selected Culp for the recognition, citing his longstanding commitment to advancing industry priorities and strengthening collaboration within the association.Culp previously served as chairman of TCA during the 2024–25 term and has remained actively involved in a number of association initiatives. During his tenure, he helped promote programs focused on carrier leadership, operational excellence and industry advocacy. He has also been a supporter of efforts to examine long-term highway funding solutions, including proposals to modernize how trucking contributes to the nation’s transportation infrastructure.At Maverick Transportation, headquartered in North Little Rock, Culp leads one of Arkansas’ most recognized trucking companies, known for its specialized flatbed, glass and temperaturecontrolled operations. His leadership has also extended to industry service at the state level, where he has served for 10 years on the Arkansas Trucking Association’s board of directors.The recognition reflects Culp’s continued engagement in shaping trucking policy and supporting programs aimed at strengthening the truckload sector nationwide.FEDEX SEEKS TARIFF REFUNDS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULINGFedEx has filed a lawsuit seeking refunds of tariffs it paid under a trade policy that the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled unlawful, potentially opening the door for billions of dollars in repayments to businesses across the supply chain.The logistics company filed its case in the U.S. Court of International Trade shortly after the court determined that tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) exceeded presidential authority. The ruling found that the law allows presidents to regulate imports during national emergencies but does not authorize them to impose tariffs. FedEx said it acted to protect its rights as an importer of record and to preserve the ability to recover duties it paid on behalf of customers. Tariffs collected under the program totaled well over $150 billion, according to various 10 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORTart: ai/chatgpt
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estimates, creating the possibility of significant returns if courts ultimately order the government to return the funds. The company has pledged that if it receives any reimbursements, they will be passed back to the shippers and consumers who originally bore the costs. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling did not establish a process for issuing refunds, meaning companies may need to pursue claims through litigation or administrative appeals before any payments are returned. FedEx is among more than 1,000 companies seeking to recoup tariff payments tied to the now-invalidated policy. The outcome of the case could have wide implications for global supply chains, logistics providers and importdependent businesses, while also raising questions about how the federal government would finance refunds that could total tens of billions of dollars. LABOR DEPARTMENT MOVES TO REPLACE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR RULEThe U.S. Department of Labor has proposed rescinding a 2024 rule governing how businesses classify workers as employees or independent contractors, signaling another shift in federal labor policy with potential implications for industries that rely heavily on contractor labor.The rule currently in place was issued during the Biden administration and uses a six-factor “totality of the circumstances” analysis to determine whether a worker is economically dependent on an employer. Factors considered include the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss, degree of control over their work, permanence of the relationship and whether the work is integral to the employer’s business. Under that approach, no single factor carries greater weight, and regulators evaluate the entire working relationship to determine whether someone is effectively an employee who should receive protections such as minimum wage and overtime pay. The Labor Department now plans to repeal that rule and replace it with a standard that places greater emphasis on the level of control an employer exercises over a worker and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss from their own initiative or investment. Business groups have generally supported the proposed change, arguing that clearer standards would provide certainty for companies and preserve flexible work arrangements. Industries such as trucking, construction, retail and app-based transportation frequently rely on contractor models to supplement their workforce. Labor advocates, however, warn that easing the classification standard could make it easier for companies to label workers as contractors and avoid providing benefits and wage protections required for employees. The proposed rule will undergo a 60-day public comment period before the department decides whether to finalize the new classification standard.USDOT FINALIZES RULE TIGHTENING ELIGIBILITY FOR NON-DOMICILED CDL HOLDERSThe U.S. Department of Transportation announced Feb. 11, 2026, that it has finalized a rule tightening eligibility requirements for certain non-domiciled commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants, citing safety concerns tied to limited access to foreign driving records.The rule is intended to prevent drivers whose histories cannot be verified through U.S. safety databases from CALENDAR OF EVENTSAPRILAPRIL 13-17NATMI CSS/CDS SAFETY CERTIFICATION COURSEVirtualAPRIL 17CARL TAPP TECHNICIAN SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINEArkansastrucking.com/scholarshipAPRIL 27PLAY FOR THE PAC SPRING GOLF CLASSICChenal Country ClubLittle Rock, Ark.APRIL 27-29ARKANSAS TRUCKING ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (ATAC26)Statehouse Convention CenterLittle Rock, Ark.MAYMAY 21ACCOUNTING & FINANCE COUNCIL MEETINGABF FreightFort Smith, Ark.JUNEJUNE 9JOINT MAINTENANCE & TECHNOLOGY AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL MEETINGJ.B. Hunt Transport Lowell, Ark.JUNE 25-27ARKANSAS TRUCKING CHAMPIONSHIPRogers Convention CenterRogers, Ark. For calendar information, visit arkansastrucking.comNEWS IN BRIEF,Continued from page 1012 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
obtaining CDLs through state licensing agencies. The rule takes effect in midMarch.Federal officials said the change addresses a longstanding gap in the licensing process. U.S. drivers are screened through multiple national databases that track violations such as DUI convictions, license suspensions and crash involvement. In many cases, however, states lack the ability to verify the driving records of applicants whose prior driving history occurred outside the United States.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the rule is designed to ensure that commercial drivers operating in the United States meet the same safety standards regardless of where they previously held a license.According to the department, the policy change follows several recent fatal crashes involving non-domiciled drivers whose past driving records could not be verified through existing federal systems.State licensing agencies will now be required to ensure that applicants’ safety histories can be verified through federal systems before issuing a nondomiciled CDL.SAFER TRANSPORT ACT INCLUDES INDUSTRY REFORM PRIORITIESLegislation recently introduced by Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) aims to strengthen oversight of the nation’s freight transportation system while addressing high profile vulnerabilities of concern to the trucking industry. The proposed SAFER Transport Act includes several reforms that closely align with the recommendations outlined in the trucking industry’s resurgence framework developed by state trucking association leaders, published last year.A central focus of the legislation is modernization and integrity within federal regulatory systems overseen by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The bill proposes upgrades to FMCSA’s carrier registration system, including phasing out outdated MC numbers in favor of the universal use of USDOT numbers and implementing automated tools to flag suspicious activity within one year. It also authorizes the U.S. Department of Transportation to suspend or revoke registrations associated with fraudulent activity and remove those entities from the public registration database.The legislation further strengthens safeguards around commercial driver credentialing. It requires states to verify work authorization and align commercial driver license expiration dates with work authorization timelines. In addition, states would provide monthly reporting to federal regulators on the issuance of CLPs, CDLs, non-domiciled CDLs, and endorsements to improve oversight and transparency.Another key provision addresses training integrity. The bill establishes audit procedures for the Training Provider Registry and creates expedited removal mechanisms for non-compliant providers, while requiring registered providers to maintain a principal place of business.Finally, the SAFER Transport Act increases criminal penalties for fraudulent certifications—such as those related to electronic logging devices and entrylevel driver training—and establishes new penalties for knowingly submitting fraudulent certifications to conduct interstate transportation. The bill also includes provisions addressing cabotage enforcement and regulatory gaps involving foreign dispatch services.Together, these reforms reflect priorities of industry leaders: strengthening enforcement, improving regulatory systems, and ensuring a level playing field for legitimate motor carriers operating in interstate commerce.NEW BOTTLENECK ON TOPA Chicago-area interchange has dethroned a longtime leader to claim the title of America’s worst freight bottleneck, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s 15th annual Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks report.For the first time, the intersection of I-294 and I-290/I-88 in Chicago ranks as the most congested freight location in the country, surpassing the I-95 and State Route 4 interchange near Fort Lee, New Jersey, which had held the top spot for years. The remainder of the top 10 includes interchanges in Houston, Atlanta, Nashville and Cincinnati — with Atlanta claiming three spots on its own, at I-285/I-85, I-75/I-285 and I-20/I-285.The report analyzes truck GPS data from more than 325 freight-critical locations. ATRI’s freight GPS data also supports the U.S. Department ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 13art: ai/chatgpt
of Transportation’s Freight Mobility Initiative, giving the findings added weight in federal policy discussions.Conditions across the board continued to deteriorate. Average rush hour truck speeds clocked in at 33.2 MPH — nearly 3 percent slower than the prior year. Among the top 10 bottlenecks, speeds dropped further still, averaging just 29.6 MPH. Part of the slowdown is attributable to active work zones created by increased infrastructure investment, a reminder that short-term disruption is often the price of long-term improvement.Congestion delays are the equivalent of 436,000 drivers sitting idle for an entire working year. That translates directly into higher operating costs, reduced equipment productivity and tighter margins on every load.The broader economic impact of traffic congestion adds $109 billion annually to the cost of goods paid by consumers. The findings arrive as Congress prepares to reauthorize the nation’s surface transportation programs, giving policymakers a data-driven case for targeting investment where freight movement is most compromised. The full report, including detailed profiles of all 100 locations, is available at ATRI’s website.FMCSA TARGETS NONCOMPLIANT TRAINING PROVIDERS UNDER ELDT PROGRAMFederal regulators are increasing scrutiny of commercial driver training providers as part of a broader effort to ensure compliance with the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in February it is reviewing data from the agency’s Training Provider Registry to identify schools that may have improperly certified drivers as having completed required instruction.The ELDT rule, which took effect Feb. 7, 2022, established a national baseline for training new commercial drivers. Under the regulation, individuals seeking a CDL for the first time—or upgrading to certain license classes or endorsements—must complete training from a provider listed in FMCSA’s registry before taking their skills test.Agency officials say some training providers may be falsely certifying students as having completed required coursework or behind-the-wheel instruction. In some cases, investigators believe training records were submitted despite little or no documented instruction.Schools found to be non-compliant can be removed from the Training Provider Registry, which would prevent them from certifying new drivers for CDL testing.Industry has generally supported stronger oversight of driver training programs, noting that the ELDT rule was designed to ensure consistent instruction standards for new drivers entering the industry.DIGITAL FREIGHT-MATCHING PLATFORMS CONTINUE RESHAPING TRUCKING LOGISTICSDigital freight-matching platforms are gaining traction across the trucking industry as companies look to use technology to connect available freight with carrier capacity more efficiently.These platforms operate as online marketplaces that allow shippers, brokers and carriers to book loads digitally, often using algorithms and artificial intelligence to match freight with available trucks in real time. Industry analysts say the technology can reduce empty miles, speed up load booking and provide greater visibility into freight movements.NEWS IN BRIEF,Continued from page 13TOP 10 BOTTLENECKS1. Chicago: I-294 at I-290/882. Fort Lee, NJ: I-95 at SR 43. Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)4. Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 595. Atlanta: I-75 at I-285 (North)6. Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)7. Nashville: I-24/I-40 at I-440 (East)8. Houston: I-10 at I-69/US 599. Cincinnati: I-71 at I-7510. McDonough, GA: I-75Source: ATRI 15th annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America14 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORTart: ai/chatgpt
The growth of the sector comes as logistics companies invest heavily in freight technology. FreightWaves’ annual FreightTech 100 list highlighted dozens of companies developing digital marketplaces, logistics software and freight-matching platforms aimed at modernizing transportation networks. Proponents say digital freight platforms help reduce friction in freight transactions by automating processes that were traditionally handled through phone calls, emails and manual paperwork. Market researchers say adoption of these platforms is expected to continue growing. A recent industry analysis estimated the global digital freight-matching market at more than $39 billion in 2026, with projections that it could exceed $137 billion by 2034 as more transportation companies adopt digital booking and load-matching tools. The technology is particularly attractive to smaller carriers that may lack dedicated brokerage networks. By accessing digital marketplaces, independent operators can connect with a wider pool of freight opportunities while shippers gain access to a broader carrier base.While traditional brokerage relationships remain central to the trucking industry, analysts say digital freight platforms are becoming an increasingly important layer in the freight marketplace as supply chains grow more datadriven and interconnected.FMCSA REVIEWS REQUEST TO EXTEND UNDER-21 INTERSTATE DRIVER PROGRAMFederal regulators are weighing whether to extend a pilot program allowing drivers under age 21 to operate commercial trucks in interstate commerce, a decision that could dramatically affect the industry’s workforce pipeline.The Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program (SDAP) was launched to test whether drivers ages 18 to 20 could safely operate commercial vehicles across state lines under strict training and supervision requirements. Congress directed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to evaluate the program and submit a report to lawmakers after its completion.The program officially expired Nov. 7, 2025, triggering a deadline for federal regulators to review its results and determine whether to allow an extension. Transportation officials have until roughly March 2026 to submit the report to Congress. The American Trucking Associations has urged regulators to extend the program for another five years, arguing that it could help address workforce challenges.However, the program has been controversial. Activists and crash victim groups have called on regulators to reject an extension, arguing that younger drivers statistically have higher crash rates and that the pilot program enrolled far fewer participants than originally anticipated. Federal officials say they are reviewing data collected during the pilot before making a final decision.WELCOME, NEW ATA MEMBERS!Together, We Are the Power of AssociationWe welcome the following new members. Each new member adds to the Arkansas trucking industry’s collective strength to promote, protect and serve with a unified voice. ALLIEDBLUE TRAIN APPARELSherwood, AR501-833-8639Bluetrainpromotions.comLogo apparelDATADIS, USANewark, DE800-463-4043Datadis.comFleet maintenance software solutionsEES CONSULTING, LLCCelina, TX844-337-6336eesconsults.comEmergency environmental servicesMESSAGEXPRESSClaremore, OK800-637-7248msgxp.comEDI & TMS softwareTRANSTAR INSURANCE BROKERS, INC.Phoenix, AZ480-579-2500transtarinsurance.comFreight BrokerageFOR HIRE CARRIERAURORAPittsburgh, PA 888-583-9506aurora.techIntermodelNumber of trucks: 51DOUBLE EAGLE XPRESSBatesville, AR870-307-8564Hopper, TankNumber of trucks: 2G&M LEGACY, INC.North Little Rock, AR501-413-1747Refueling ProductsNumber of trucks: 3 For membership information, visit arkansastrucking.comARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 15
MORE ARKANSAS BRIDGES RECEIVE WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS AFTER UPDATED SAFETY REVIEWSThe number of weight-restricted bridges on Arkansas’ state highway system increased slightly in 2025, reflecting updated inspection procedures and new federal guidance on bridge load ratings.According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the number of posted bridges rose from 309 to 315 in 2025, representing about 4% of the state’s total bridge inventory. Posted bridges are structures where weight limits are applied to restrict heavier vehicles for safety reasons.Of the currently posted bridges, 15 are located on interstates, 115 on arterial highways, 180 on collector roads, and five on local routes. Transportation officials note that the total number of posted bridges can fluctuate as inspections, engineering analyses and repairs are completed.ARDOT officials say the increase is tied in part to changes in federal bridgerating procedures following the 2021 closure of the Interstate 40 Mississippi River bridge between West Memphis and Memphis, which prompted a review by the Federal Highway Administration.During that review and a followup evaluation in 2023, federal officials determined that Arkansas’ bridge rating models did not account for all legal vehicle loads allowed under state law and that some bridges were not posted in accordance with federal standards.In response, ARDOT implemented a corrective action plan beginning Jan. 3, 2024, which included updating loadrating procedures and adopting 15 new rating vehicles that better reflect modern truck configurations. Previously, the state used only three standard vehicles in its bridge evaluation models. As of Jan. 13, 2026, the department had reassessed 447 bridges using the updated procedures, resulting in new or updated posting signs on 226 structures.Officials expect the number of posted bridges to increase over time as more structures are evaluated under the updated rating system and as the state’s bridge infrastructure continues to age. ARDOT anticipates completing evaluations of all affected bridges by early 2028.FMCSA FINAL RULE REMOVES PERMANENT TRAILER LABEL REQUIREMENTThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has finalized a rule eliminating a long-standing requirement that certification labels for rear impact guards remain permanently attached to trailers and semitrailers.The rule, published Feb. 19, removes language requiring that rear impact guard certification labels be maintained indefinitely on trailers once installed. Rear impact guards—commonly called underride guards—are structural components installed at the rear of trailers to reduce the severity of collisions when passenger vehicles strike the back of a truck.Under previous regulations, trailers were required to carry permanent labels indicating that the guard met federal safety standards at the time of manufacture. Industry groups had argued that the requirement created compliance challenges over time as labels wore out, became damaged or were lost during repairs.FMCSA said the change is intended to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining the underlying safety requirements governing rear impact guard performance.The rule does not change the engineering or performance standards for underride guards themselves, which remain governed by federal vehicle safety regulations. Instead, it focuses on eliminating what regulators described as an outdated labeling requirement.The updated rule is part of a broader effort by federal agencies to streamline certain trucking regulations while maintaining core vehicle safety standards.RISING DIESEL COSTS ADD PRESSURE FOR TRUCKING INDUSTRYEscalating tensions involving Iran are pushing global oil markets higher, driving a rapid increase in diesel prices and creating renewed cost pressure across the trucking industry.In recent weeks, diesel prices have moved sharply upward as markets react to concerns about supply disruptions in the Middle East and potential impacts to shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that handles a significant share of the world’s oil supply.The increase has been swift. In early March, the U.S. national average diesel price was about $3.90 per gallon according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Within NEWS IN BRIEF,Continued from page 15February 20, 2026State Bridge Posting Fact SheetRecently, there were inquiries about many state bridges being weight restricted. This report provides an explanation of the Department’s bridge posting status.In 2025, the number of posted state bridges rose by 6, from 309 to 315, making approximately 4-percent of all state bridges weight restricted. The table below lists posted state bridges by highway type.Interstate Arterial Collector Local15 115 180 5The total number of posted bridges fluctuates as load rating evaluations, inspections, and repairs occur. Moreover, it is anticipated that there will be a two- to three-fold increase in the number of posted bridges due to changes in load rating procedures, aging infrastructure, and rising costs. A detailed explanation is shown below:Change of Load Rating and Posting ProceduresAfter the closure of the I-40 bridge in West Memphis-Memphis in 2021, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)performed a review of Arkansas’ bridge operations and recommended that the Department address all legal vehicle loads in the state’s load rating models. A follow-up review in 2023 found two deficiencies related to load rating and load posting in the Department’s National Bridge Inspection Program.• “…some load ratings do not meet the requirements of 23 CFR 650.313(k) as there are State legal loads which exceed ARDOT’s suite of rating vehicles.”• “…some bridges are not posted in accordance with the requirements of 23 CFR 650.313(l).”These deficiencies indicated that the bridge load rating models and procedures needed to be updated as well as the associated load posting practices. In response to the findings, the Department entered into an agreement with FHWA to implement the corrective action plans on January 3, 2024. • In late 2024, the Department adopted 15 new load rating vehicles that comply with all current state and federal statutes and updated the load rating models. Previously, there were a total of 3 load rating vehicles. New load posting signs were implemented to reflect the new load rating vehicles. An example of the load posting signs are shown below.o The evaluation of all structures affected by the new load rating vehicles is anticipated to be completed in early 2028.POSTING SIGNSPREVIOUS UPDATEDBRIDGE POSTING SIGNSPREVIOUS UPDATED16 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
days of the latest escalation, prices surged to roughly $4.33 to $4.60 per gallon depending on the reporting source, representing increases of roughly 15 percent or as much as 85 cents per gallon in a single week. For motor carriers, fuel is typically the second-largest operating expense after driver compensation, often accounting for 20 percent or more of total operating costs. Even modest increases can quickly squeeze margins, especially for smaller carriers operating on thin profitability. Some operators can offset rising fuel costs through fuel surcharges built into shipper contracts. However, those mechanisms often lag behind sudden spikes and require fleets to absorb part of the increase before surcharge adjustments catch up.The timing is notable because diesel prices had been trending downward for much of the past year. Federal energy forecasts had projected an average diesel price near $3.50 per gallon for 2026, reflecting easing global supply conditions. If geopolitical instability continues to push fuel markets higher, transportation costs could begin to ripple through the broader supply chain. Higher diesel prices eventually translate into increased shipping costs and upward pressure on consumer goods prices.For trucking companies, the lesson is a familiar one. Fuel markets can turn quickly, and when they do, carriers are often the first link in the supply chain to feel the financial impact.TRUCKS POWER GIRL SCOUT COOKIE ‘MEGA DROP’ IN CALIFORNIAWhen Girl Scout cookie season begins in California’s Sacramento region, it starts the same way many large retail supply chains do: with a convoy of trucks.Nearly 780,000 packages of Girl Scout cookies arrived in West Sacramento during the annual “Mega Drop,” where tractor-trailers delivered palletized loads of the popular treats to Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats. The large-scale logistics operation serves as the regional launch point for cookie season for Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.Once the trucks arrived, roughly 300 volunteers helped unload and organize the shipment, breaking down pallets into troop orders. Cases of cookies, including favorites like Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs, were sorted and staged for pickup as troop leaders and parents formed long vehicle lines to collect their orders.The process resembles a distribution hub more than a traditional fundraiser. Troop representatives loaded vehicles ranging from compact cars and SUVs to rented box trucks, each carrying hundreds of cookie packages destined for neighborhoods across the region.Organizers say the Mega Drop is the largest delivery of the season and requires careful coordination to move such a large volume of product in a single day. Professional drivers transport the cookies from regional warehouses, where they are produced and staged before the final delivery to the distribution site.From there, the last mile falls to the Girl Scouts themselves and their families, who handle neighborhood deliveries, booth sales, and individual orders in the weeks that follow.The annual cookie program remains the organization’s largest fundraiser and a hands-on lesson in entrepreneurship for participating scouts. But before the first box is sold, the effort depends on something trucking knows well: moving a lot of freight, quickly and efficiently. ATRARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 17 art: ai/chatgpt art: ai/chatgpt
Captain America on DeckRoad Team honor has Tyson’s Evans on path to promote industry nationwideBy Todd TraubContrivuting WriterVeteran Tyson driver Nathan Evans knows a sweetheart deal when he sees one.Evans, 39, has been at Tyson for more than 12 years, with more than 11 of them spent driving for Tyson’s instate shuttle fleet, transporting goods between plants, distribution centers and cold storage facilities. It’s a job that doesn’t require him to go to the office, but still gets him home before 6 p.m. It allows him a life “outside the truck.”“I actually get to be at home on the regular,” Evans said. “It gives me a little bit of normalcy, plus I still get to do the job that I love.”In January the American Trucking Associations named its 20 Road Team Captains for 2026-2027. Road Team membership is the highest honor for a professional truck driver. Evans was named to the select group that will don the signature navy blue blazers and travel the country for the next two years as ambassadors, promoting safety and career opportunities within the industry.There are 13 states represented among this year’s Road Team Captains, with the individuals coming from small and large companies and independent contractors and combining for 51 million miles of safe driving. Final selections were made by a panel of executives and trade media representatives at the ATA’s Washington D.C. headquarters, with drivers judged on their skills, industry knowledge, ability to communicate safety and transportation issues and on their driving records.“We are excited for Nathan and his selection to serve as an America’s Road Team Captain,” said Nate Lewis, Tyson’s senior director for risk management, transportation, in a statement following Evans’ selection. “This is a tremendous honor and a testament to his ongoing commitment to safety and professionalism as a commercial vehicle driver. He represents the very best of Tyson foods and our industry and we’re proud to support him in his efforts to champion the trucking industry.” Evans is not unfamiliar with competing and showcasing his professionalism. He has participated in the ATA Truck Driving Championships the past two years, finishing second and taking rookie of the year honors in 2024 and winning his division and a trip to nationals last year.He was also named to the Arkansas Road Team in 2023 and has appeared at events around the state educating how to operate safely around commercial trucks and promoting careers in the transportation industry. As an America’s Road Team Captain, he anticipates something similar but on a broader scale. “I’m just anticipating getting out there and spreading the word about transportation,” said Evans, who was looking forward to a late February sea “I’M JUST ANTICIPATING GETTING OUT THERE AND SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT TRANSPORTATION.”—NATHAN EVANS, ROAD TEAM CAPTAIN, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS/DRIVER, TYSON FOODS18 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
cruise before assuming his Captain’s duties.Establishing a stellar record at Tyson put Evans on his path to being nominated and ultimately named a Road Team Captain. He described the selection process as exciting and nervewracking, but also one that was good for his self-confidence and growth.“I would say it was challenging but in a good way because it brings things out of you that you may never realize that you can do,” Evans said. “For example, as drivers we’re in our cabs, we may talk on a headset to a dispatcher … but to be able to get on camera and give videos or stand up and give speeches, it really pulls something out of you.”“So there was a lot of effort and time put into it so I was really happy, excited, relieved. My work paid off,” said Evans. “I couldn’t be happier and everybody that stood behind me and helped me get through it, I really appreciate them too.”If he’s had success as a driver, it’s probably because, from a young age, Evans was interested in doing little else. His father Ronnie and late stepfather Bob West were both drivers, feeding into Evans’ own interests. “Being in a big truck. What kid doesn’t like big trucks?” said Evans. “We play with Big Wheels and Tonka toys.”“I just always loved the truck itself,” he continued. “You know, I love how they move and they ride and maneuver and it’s just a really great piece of equipment. And it’s a necessity that everybody needs. So, I was drawn to it. The freedom that it brings being out there. You’re not standing on your feet in a factory for 12 hours. Your boss isn’t right over your shoulder.”Going on routes with his dad and stepdad eventually led Evans to enter the trucking industry himself.“I enjoy it every day. Getting to see the customers and the people,” Evans said. “I like to say my office is the whole state of Arkansas. I know different people in towns that I see more than I do in my own.”Evans said a driver has to learn patience when it comes to traffic jams, slowdowns and other inconveniences of the road, but making a living doing exactly what he always wanted to do brings him a certain joy.The old outlaw stereotypes are in the past, Evans said, describing drivers as hard-working men and women who care about their families and therefore have safety as a top priority. He may be single himself, but Evans noted that drivers want to get home to their loved ones just like everyone else. “Be patient with us and we don’t want to hold anybody up,” he said. “We’re here for you and we thank you because we couldn’t do it without the people that need our stuff, and I try to do it with pride and joy.” ATR“IT WAS CHALLENGING BUT IN A GOOD WAY BECAUSE IT BRINGS THINGS OUT OF YOU THAT YOU MAY NEVER REALIZE YOU CAN DO. … TO BE ABLE TO GET ON CAMERA AND GIVE VIDEOS OR STAND UP AND GIVE SPEECHES, IT REALLY PULLS SOMETHING OUT OF YOU.”—NATHAN EVANS, ROAD TEAM CAPTAIN, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS/DRIVER, TYSON FOODSARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 19
By Steve BrawnerContributing WriterThe Arkansas Trucking Association’s Accounting and Finance Council learned recently that the trucking advocates are seeking to build on their recent successes in Washington, D.C., right here in Arkansas amid lawmakers cutting state income taxes.Henry Hanscom, the American Trucking Associations’ senior vice president for legislative affairs, offered insights into the trucking industry’s national advocacy efforts during the second Trump administration. He was followed by Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), co-chair of the Arkansas Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee. Dismang previewed the upcoming state fiscal session and the tax cuts that likely will come in a later special session.“It’s been a strange and challenging year, probably as strange as I’ve seen it in my 20-plus years working on Capitol Hill on and off,” Hanscom said. “But a fascinating one, and one where there are certainly opportunities, if you know how to navigate and know how to work with the administration or with this Congress.”Hanscom noted that a year earlier President Donald Trump had come into office as part of a “Republican trifecta,” “I’M NOT SURE THAT WE’VE EVER BEEN IN A BETTER POSITION AS FAR AS GROWTH IN INDUSTRY AND WHATEVER IT MAY BE. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING IS HITTING ALMOST ON ALL CYLINDERS.”—SEN. JONATHAN DISMANG (R-SEARCY)Trucking Industry Eyes Opportunity Amid Tax CutsNational advocates push for infrastructure funding and tort reform while state lawmakers plot a path toward zero income tax20 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
where the GOP controlled the White House, House and Senate. The administration addressed many areas at once, but legislating was a challenge. He said Congress has been unable to operate through regular order during both this administration and the previous one under President Joe Biden. Most legislating has been done under a deadline through a must-pass bill. At the time of Hanscom’s address, the government was in its third shutdown this Congress, albeit a partial one involving only the Department of Homeland Security. Hanscom said two ATA initiatives have helped it navigate this challenging environment. Last year’s Call on Washington program enjoyed a record-breaking year with more than 500 meetings and more than 400 attendees from 38 states participating. Meanwhile, the ATA has testified 10 times this Congress. “As you all know, our industry has a great story to tell,” he said. “And I think, for the most part, when we talk about issues, when we talk about advocacy, and we talk about solutions, we’re talking about common sense solutions, and they resonate, not just with Republicans, but both Republicans and Democrats.”Hanscom said 2025 was a big year with the passage of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a “generational tax bill.” In addition to making Trump’s first-term tax cuts permanent, it also included ATA priorities such as allowing people to use state- or educational institution-sponsored 529 savings accounts and Pell grants for short-term educational programs such as truck driver schools.In contrast, he expects tax policy to take a back seat in 2026. Even Trump has said as much.Instead, the ATA will focus on other matters, starting with the surface transportation reauthorization that funds highways. The reauthorization is necessary because the current authorization expires September 30. Hanscom called the process “the transportation industry’s Super Bowl” and an opportunity to enact meaningful highway policy. The process will be interrupted by the elections, but hopefully it can be completed during the lame duck session that occurs after the election and before new members of Congress take office.With the Highway Trust Fund facing “dwindling solvency,” he said ATA will be seeking to bolster the user fee model that funds highways and bridges. There are many options, the most straightforward being increasing the fuel tax, which Hanscom said there’s little support in Congress for doing. Other options include increasing registration fees and ensuring electric cars and hybrids pay their fair share. He noted that trucking pays a disproportionate percentage of the taxes in terms of miles traveled.“We’re willing to pay our fair share. We’re willing to pay more. But we’re not willing to be extorted,” Hanscom said. The ATA also will work to repeal the federal excise tax on heavy duty trucks, a World War I holdover that is the highest excise tax levied on any industry. Repealing it would incentivize fleets to purchase newer, cleaner, safer trucks. Also, the ATA will seek to enact targeted provisions related to renewable fuel credits, tire retreads, tolling and congestion pricing. The ATA has enjoyed success by surgically including trucking priorities in big, must-pass appropriations bills. One recent example was a provision that included $200 million dedicated for truck parking, the largest funding amount ever included for that need. That bill included a number of trucking priorities on which the ATA has been working for years, including provisions related to distracted driving, predatory towing, marijuana hair testing, and other issues. The ATA also was able to include in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, another must-pass bill, more oversight of the military moving program as well as bathroom access for drivers at military facilities. With the November elections quickly approaching, Hanscom said there will be limited opportunities for Congress to work together to advance legislation. Anything that happens will have to occur in the first half of the year. ATA wants to build off the statelevel successes the industry has enjoyed in the area of tort reform. There hasn’t been much of an appetite to tackle that issue in Washington, D.C., but the KEY STATS• $200 million dedicated nationally for truck parking • 7% to 3.9% — Arkansas top income tax rate reduction since Gov. Hutchinson• $334.4 million projected state surplus this fiscal year“WE’RE WILLING TO PAY OUR FAIR SHARE. WE’RE WILLING TO PAY MORE. BUT WE’RE NOT WILLING TO BE EXTORTED.”-—HENRY HANSCOM, THE AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS’ SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRSARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 21
issue is reaching a crisis point for the industry. Hanscom said trucking needs to “flip the narrative” to show that it is the little guy going up against the trial lawyers. In contrast, cargo theft is a bipartisan issue with broad support. The ATA supports the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act, which would create a coordinated center within the Department of Homeland Security. The bill has the support of more than 200 co-sponsors in the House and more than 40 in the Senate. He believes something could pass in the first half of the year, although the partisan disagreement over funding the Department of Homeland Security could make it harder.In the upcoming midterms, Republicans are expected to maintain control over the Senate, where they have a 53-47 majority, while Democrats are expected to take control of the House, which Republicans currently hold by a 218-214 majority with three vacancies. He said a divided government would be marked by investigations, congressional oversight, and potential impeachments. Following Hanscom’s presentation about the national scene, Dismang spoke about state government. Lawmakers were awaiting Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ proposed balanced budget before they convene in the evennumbered year fiscal session starting April 8. Fiscal sessions were created by voters in 2008 and are designed to focus on budgetary matters. He does not expect a contentious session and said lawmakers will be in and out of town within 30 days.Lawmakers will be guided by the Revenue Stabilization Act, which creates a process that prioritizes funding to produce a balanced budget. In fact, a series of surpluses has allowed the state to set aside $2.8 billion for a $6.5 billion general revenue budget. Forecasters project a $334.4 million surplus this fiscal year. With those kinds of ongoing surpluses, Dismang anticipates lawmakers cutting taxes in a special session that would occur following the fiscal session. Waiting until afterwards allows lawmakers to work through issues and better know the forecast. Cutting taxes would be in line with Sanders’ goal of attempting to responsibly and gradually lower the state’s income tax down to zero. The state has reduced its top income tax rate from 7% to 3.9% starting with Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Dismang said lawmakers have tried to chip away at individual income and corporate tax rates without repeating the mistakes made by Kansas, which years ago slashed tax rates to the point that it faced a budget crisis. Dismang said reducing income taxes is necessary for Arkansas to remain competitive. He said high income earners who had left the state have returned as tax rates have fallen.“I will tell you, looking at the state, I’m not sure that we’ve ever been in a better position as far as growth in industry and whatever it may be,” he said. “It seems like everything is hitting almost on all cylinders.”Dismang said a major topic of discussion during the fiscal session will be funding the state’s educational freedom accounts. Created through the 2023 LEARNS Act, the EFAs provide public funding to families to use for private and homeschooling expenses. Another big issue facing lawmakers is the funding of a 3,000-bed prison that Sanders and others want to build in Franklin County. Funding stalled last year in the Senate in a bill Dismang carried as Joint Budget Committee cochair. Dismang said there probably aren’t enough votes in the Senate to bring up the prison funding this session. However, the needs remain. Lawmakers in 2023 passed the Protect Arkansas Act, which increased penalties for certain criminal offenses for violent offenders. More people will spend more time behind bars at the same time county jails are already overcrowded and while ICE looks to house illegal immigrants in Arkansas facilities. Prison opponents have pointed to the proposed site’s infrastructure deficiencies. However, Dismang said no site in Arkansas is prepared to house 3,000 individuals, which he compared to a small city. He said building one facility would be cheaper than other options, such as constructing multiple facilities or contracting with another state.Dismang also spoke about a proposed constitutional amendment that was referred to voters by the legislature in 2025. The proposal on the ballot in November would allow cities and counties to create economic development districts. He said that Arkansas lacks the tools available to other states in the realm of economic incentives. With an economic development district, a city or community could pass a bond issue to raise money for development, or it could abate a sales tax. For example, a community lacking a grocery store could eliminate the local sales tax and its portion of the property tax in that district to encourage a grocery to locate there. ATR22 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
40 UNDER 40 FEBRUARY 12, 2026Tyson Foods TR-TOT Conference Center | SpringdaleJustin Kissinger, Senior Director of Transportation at Tyson Foods, brought a senior executive’s perspective to the 40 Under 40 Council’s first meeting of 2026—a natural fit for a group of young professionals working their way up in the industry. Kissinger’s conversation on transportation leadership gave attendees a direct look at how decisions get made at the top of one of Arkansas’s largest operations.The meeting also welcomed two new members: Jeremy Moore of Bray Fast Freight and Taylor Ford of Catalyst Logistics. The council meets next on April 28 during the ATA Annual Conference in Little Rock.ACCOUNTING & FINANCE COUNCILFEBRUARY 18, 2026ATA Headquarters | Little RockSPONSORED BY BELL & COMPANYHenry Hanscom came with a lot on his plate. As Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the American Trucking Associations, Hanscom opened the AFC’s first quarter meeting with a detailed look at ATA’s 2026 federal advocacy priorities—taxes, infrastructure, labor and the environment—and what the association is pressing for under the Trump administration and the 119th Congress.After lunch, Senator Jonathan Dismang took a turn that was closer to home. The state’s fiscal session is approaching with real budget pressures attached, and Dismang walked members through what to expect and what it means for Arkansas. For trucking executives managing both federal and state tax exposure, the pairing made for a substantive afternoon.COUNCIL QUARTERLYNetworking . Professional Development . ServiceATA members have the opportunity to be represented in a variety of industry councils that address issues specific to safety, maintenance/technology, accounting/finance and industry leadership. Each council holds quarterly meetings, hosts speakers and panels on relevant industry topics, serves as a forum for interchanging ideas and best practices, and discusses new strategies and implementation practices.ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 23
Because ATA is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a CPE sponsor, attendees received continuing education credits for both sessions.SAFETY MANAGEMENT COUNCILMARCH 10, 2026Victory Building | Little RockSPONSORED BY THOMPSON DOT SAFETY & COMPLIANCEJeremy Goodall has spent his career on the other side of the claim—and at the SMC’s first quarter meeting, he gave safety professionals a look at what that view looks like. As Claims Manager at CBCS, Inc., Goodall walked through the realities of handling commercial auto liability cases: what adjusters face, how litigation trends are reshaping outcomes, and what real cases reveal about where fleets are most exposed.The afternoon session took up a slower-moving issue. Grady Phillips, Chief Revenue Officer for WorkforceQA and a 20-year veteran of drug and alcohol compliance, examined the federal effort to reschedule marijuana—tracing the history of drug scheduling, the mechanics of how it has worked in the past, and why rescheduling a plant is a fundamentally different challenge than rescheduling a pharmaceutical. For fleets managing driver compliance programs, the distinction matters.Thompson DOT Safety & Compliance, now in its third consecutive year sponsoring the council, was recognized for its continued support. The SMC meets next on June 9 at J.B. Hunt in Lowell.MAINTENANCE & TECHNOLOGY COUNCILMARCH 12, 2026Victory Building | Little RockSPONSORED BY DOGGETT FREIGHTLINER OF ARKANSASThree veteran trainers covered the topics maintenance professionals are dealing with right now—electrical, HVAC and tires—each framing their session as a Train-the-Trainer discussion built for practical use back at the shop.Larry Rambeaux of Purkeys led the electrical session. With 34 years at the company, 25 years as a TMC member and a Silver Spark Plug Award to his name, Rambeaux shared what he’s seeing in the field and where the technology is heading. Jim Hinton, a Rush Truck Centers service trainer who started his career with International Trucks in 1977, brought the same grounded authority to HVAC. Walter Lee, Southern Regional Manager for Ozarko Tire Centers, TIA Certified Instructor and 39-year industry veteran, closed out 24 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
the program with a session on tires.The meeting also included an update on the Carl Tapp Technician Scholarship Fund. The application deadline for graduating seniors is April 17. Since its founding, the fund has awarded $105,000 to 14 students—most of whom are now working in the industry—and carries a current balance of $34,279. Donations to the 501(c)(3) fund are tax-deductible.The MTC reconvenes June 9 at J.B. Hunt in Lowell, with the Arkansas Trucking Championship to follow June 25–27 in Rogers.IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HOSTING A FUTURE ATA COUNCIL MEETING OR SPONSORING A COUNCIL, CONTACT SARAH NEWMAN AT [email protected] ADVERTISER RESOURCE INDEXAon.............................. Inside Front CoverArkansas Trucking Association ........46-47Arkansas Trucking Report................. 37, 45Bruckner Truck Sales............................. 31Custard Insurance Adjusters ................. 41Driver’s Legal Plan ................................ 32Great West Casualty Company............. 48McGriff ................................................. 11Rush Truck Centers ................................. 4Southern Tire Mart ................................. 3Stallion Transportation ........... Back CoverTravelCenters of America........................ 6Utility Tri-State........................................ 8This edition of Arkansas Trucking Reportwas made possible with the support of these corporate advertisers. They support the trucking industry by enabling ATA to provide this publication to its members, prospective members, elected officials and the national trucking and business community at large. They deserve your consideration and patronage when making your corporate purchasing decisions. Thank you!ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 25
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACOB SLATONBy Dwain HebdaContributing WriterJust over the shoulders of a clutch of buildings that make up Wayne Smith Trucking, a visitor to the Morrilton-based company can see the interstate through an elevated gap in the landscape. From the lower vantage of the graveled yard and concrete parking area, the traffic appears to fly through the air, even the 18-wheelers that make up every fifth or six vehicle flashing through the sightline. The compound has only been home to Wayne Smith Trucking since 2016, but the hum of wheels and whine of engines has been the soundtrack for the homegrown hauler for 50 years.Unlike many of the people that make up the company, Neil Corder didn’t come up behind the wheel in the trucking business. In fact, he had nothing to do with the industry at all before he signed on, having married the eldest daughter of late founder Wayne Smith. Nearly everything he learned about running a trucking company he learned from his father-in-law, and it doesn’t take long for Corder to refer to his mentor when discussing the growth of the 120-truck operation. In those moments Corder and his wife Michele, who came aboard at Wayne Smith Trucking to work in the office a couple of years ago, readily call to mind how the attributes of the founder still hold sway over the company, even five decades in.WAYNE’S WORLDNeil Corder steers the next generation to stay true to ethos that built Wayne Smith Trucking26 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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“One of the things we’ve never changed that he taught us is the value of relationships,” Neil said. “That started with keeping your word, you know. If we said we were going to be there at eight o’clock in the morning, we were there at eight o’clock in the morning. “He treated his relationships with our drivers the same way. He listened to what they had to say, and the answer wasn’t always ‘Yes’ but it was never just a flat ‘No,’ or a ‘Get outta here.’ He always treated the driver or the employee or whoever it was like a friend, and we still do.”“Dad was a very soft-hearted and godly man. He was a person who wanted to be your friend, who wanted to be your confidant,” Michele said. “People respected him for being very dependable; if he said he was going to do it, he was going to do it.” A smile of memory, then she added with a laugh, “If he said us kids were gonna get a whooping, we were gonna get a whooping.”AMERICAN SUCCESS STORYLarry Wayne Smith was the kind of success story that came right out of the American lexicon. An Arkansas native, Smith’s family was among the millions who migrated to California during the Great Depression in search of work. They found it out west; Wayne’s father worked the pipeline across the southwest while Wayne and his brothers picked fruits and vegetables to help support the household.Young Wayne drove his first truck at 14 years of age in a migrant labor camp in Bakersfield, California. As he recalled to Arkansas Trucking Report magazine in 2016, he’d worked his way up to the orchards and canning operations when a supervisor asked him what he wanted to do that season.“I said, ‘I’d like to drive a truck,’” Smith recalled in the article. Next thing he knew he was behind the wheel of a 1947 International hauling produce through the camps. “No physical, no drug test,” he said. “When the peaches and the plums were all over, I hauled potatoes in from the field to the cellar.”After earning his spurs in the produce fields and orchards, Smith was back in Arkansas by the time he was 17, hauling rocks and pulpwood. Years of hard work followed, which included operating a service station, until in 1976 he decided to hang his shingle in Morrilton, consisting of two trucks and five trailers. In addition to hauling for a local cotton mill, his reputation from his days hauling raw pulpwood gained him a good customer in the local paper mill. The cotton mill ultimately didn’t last but timing proved excellent for the latter client. When Rock Island Railroad workers went on strike in 1978, it left the mill with no way to ship its products, accelerating the little trucking company’s growth. In the 1980s, more labor unrest presented itself, this time among the mill’s workers themselves. Smith agreed to continue hauling on the condition the situation didn’t start to endanger his drivers, a show of vendor loyalty that came at the price of some damaged trucks but also solidified a business relationship that endures to this day. An advocate of slow, controlled growth, Smith would live to see the company serve all of the lower 48 states without sacrificing its ideals, especially safety. He regularly deflected the credit for the company’s success to the people who worked for him, be it in the cab or in the office, another aspect of his genuine care and gratitude for employees.“To his drivers,” said longtime employee Vickie Berkemeyer in the 2016 piece, “well, he’s King Wayne. He’s good to ‘em.”Though he had only an 11th grade education, Smith not only shepherded his business but also served on the boards of Petit Jean State Bank, Central Baptist College, and the Arkansas Trucking Association as a way of giving back for all he had been blessed with. Upon his death in 2017 at age 70, the entire community mourned, as did the membership of the Arkansas Trucking Association.“Wayne has had a reputation for being honest, hard-working, and truly passionate about trucking for as long as I’ve known him,’ Arkansas Trucking Association President Shannon Newton said at the time. “The world has lost a great man, and many of us have lost a good friend.”“I just hope that we did some good,” Smith said to close the ATA article. “A lot of times truckers don’t have too good of a name. When I’m gone, I want to still have a good name and have an honest company. Hopefully it will keep going.”A NEW GENERATION TAKES OVERThe architect of the firm’s story since the passing of its founder, Neil Corder joined Wayne Smith Trucking in 1993 and quickly found himself in a master class in matters that spelled the difference between steady, long-term success in the tucking business and falling victim to sudden swings in the market.“When I married in and started working for him in ’93 we probably had “AS A COMPANY WE HAVE LEARNED MORE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS OF HARDSHIP. WE LOOKED INSIDE, WE FOUND THE HOLES, WE FOUND THE LEAKS.”—NEIL CORDER28 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
20, 30 trucks. Then in the early 2000s, we were probably up into the 60s,” he said. “It wasn’t a big climb, just slow growth as our customers grew.”Paper products still make up the bulk, about 70 percent, of the company’s freight.hauling mailer-grade cardboard sheets and boxes for local Green Bay Packaging. The remainder of its loads are in food grade boxes used to package frozen dinners and bulk foodstuffs. The hauler serves national companies as well as Arkansas clients, such as a River Valley-based rice processor located just up the highway.Corder, who graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway “with a computer science degree I’ve never used,” was exposed to every aspect of running the company during his early days, starting out in Green Bay Packaging’s drop yard, working nights while finishing college. In the years that followed, he learned his mentor’s secrets to success in business, strategies that weren’t flashy so much as effective. “He worked so hard. He pretty much worked 24-7,” Corder said of Smith’s signature talent as an entrepreneur. “In the early days, he would bring a truck home on a Sunday, clean it out, wash the truck, take it back. He was also the mechanic in the early five- and 10-truck days. He would book loads, he would bill loads, and then he would go to the bank with the checks. He hired some great employees, but he literally was a one-man show for a long time.”Corder also saw a natural intellect at work in his father-in-law that was stunning. Smith was legendary for his innate mathematical skills and his ability to sum up numbers on a page with pinpoint accuracy.“It used to make me so mad,” Corder said. “I would spend two or three days on spreadsheets on the computer and I would come down and say, ‘OK, on this group of trucks in this lane, this freight, we need to do this.’ He’d look at it, he’d hit that adding machine for about 30 seconds, and he’d say, ‘You’re about three cents low.’ I mean, if he did that to me once, he did it a hundred times.”Smith’s skill notwithstanding, Corder’s first big win was to successfully advance the cause of technology in operations, computerizing the office in the early 2000s. “It wasn’t just the accounting software, but the trucking software,” he said. “Up to then, we did everything on big sheets of paper: 80 drivers, each driver had a name and two columns showing what they were delivering, what they were picking up. The next day, we wrote it all down again. I mean, that pad of paper was two foot, three foot square. “In 2007, we got a server, the software, all that. That wasn’t that long ago, but I’m not going to say we were behind the times. We were probably average compared to companies our size, because it was a very large expense to do all that.”The technology may have helped keep pace with the competition, but other, equally important elements have remained the same as when Smith ran the place, namely when it comes to employee relations. Corder said for whatever disadvantages the company may have had being located in a small town, employee loyalty isn’t one of them. However, that’s not something Wayne Smith Trucking takes for granted, nor can it ever take it for granted, he said.“In Arkansas, trucking is one of the biggest industries in the state, and we have an advantage, probably, by providing opportunity in a smaller community,” he said. “However, we’ve never been a call in and tell us your truck number type of company. We know that it’s Joe Hill. We know that it’s Rick Duval. We recognize who they are by their voices on the radio after they’ve been here a little bit. “That’s one thing that we’ve all agreed to, with all of our guys, is that we’re never going with a truck number. That’s when we know we’re too big.”Corder takes this tenet so seriously that after Wayne Smith Trucking moved to the city’s industrial park in 2016, he gave up his space in the administration building because he didn’t feel it promoted the employee-first mentality Smith always preached. That might seem like a small thing, but the value of it is apparent – drivers here average 10-plus years of tenure and 20- and 30-year drivers are not unusual. There’s even a handful of drivers that go nearly all the way back to the company’s first load. “I actually moved out of that office because I was getting disconnected. I moved back over there, right off of the main dispatch office,” he said. “We have an open dispatch office. The drivers coming through the yard, come in to get dispatched, say hi, grab a cup of coffee, sit around dispatch for five minutes, talk about this and that and then leave. “IT’S A GOOD GIVE AND TAKE; I’VE NEVER FELT LIKE THE BIG COMPANIES CALLED ALL THE SHOTS AND THE LITTLE COMPANIES JUST SAT THERE AND DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING OR THAT NOBODY WOULD LISTEN TO ME.”—NEIL CORDERARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 29
“It’s aggravating sometimes when you’re busy, but one of the biggest things we get from drivers coming to us after they’ve been here a little bit is, ‘Wow. I can’t believe I can just walk in and go see Neil. He’s got a true open door policy.’ That’s where we differentiate ourselves from other companies.”FOCUSED ON THE FUTUREThe prospects ahead for Wayne Smith Trucking look bright as Corder said a leveling out of rates has just about returned equilibrium to the local market overall. Hiring good drivers is as tricky as it has ever been, but the company has been aided by its decades of operations in the market which has created driver pipelines into local families that go back generations. “We now have several sons, nephews, and cousins of people that worked here years ago,” he said. “I think I could come up with five or six that are here because their dad or their uncle was here. So that does help.”Another thing that positions the company well is the attitude Corder takes toward the younger generations, seeking to meet them where they are as best he can without sacrificing company goals. It is a delicate line to walk but one made easier with an understanding servant mentality. NEIL CORDERAt-A-GlanceBucket list vacation spot: Africa One word that best describes me: Professional procrastinatorMy professional superpower: Fix now—stress laterSomething I know to be true about all people: They want to be heardMy ideal Saturday must include: Coffee, Jeep, & antiquing The best thing about being in this line of work is: The people we meetThe things I am proudest of in my career are: The people who have earned the reputation our company has earned in this business Advice I would give to my 16-year-old self: Learn patienceQuote I live my life by: To paraphrase Lee Iacocca, “Hire people smarter than you, let them know what needs done and get out of their way.” In the scarce leisure time that I have, I most enjoy doing:Woodworking/huntingThe secret to my happiness is: My faith and familyWeakness or guilty pleasure: Chocolate chip cookie dough30 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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“Actually, in a lot of ways, things are so much simpler with the youngsters, because we are very technology oriented now,” he said. “We could probably operate 90% of our stuff without even talking to the driver, sending them the loads, they accept it on their screen, and they put in information that comes back to us. It’s really a hands-free scenario; they don’t have to even talk to the dispatcher anymore, although like I said before, a lot of them do. “Job performance? Not a huge difference; you’ve got hard-working old guys and old lazy guys. You’ve got hardworking young guys and young lazy guys. A bigger challenge to this point is that we require drivers to take a picture of their bill of lading and send us a copy. Well, we’ve got three guys with flip phones. Now that’s a challenge.”One change that is coming, Corder said, is the company is likely to branch into new lines of freight in the near future, diversifying its load mix to level out swings in the market. “We do dry van and flatbed now —70% dry van, 30% flatbed,” he said. “I can see the potential for us to try getting into a 20%, 30% scenario for a reefer division. Reefer (business) drops faster during hard times but then recovers faster. “I’ve got some friends that run a lot of reefers, and they’re seeing the same revenue ebbs and flows, just not as deep. They can haul a lot of van freight, but we can’t haul a lot of reefer freight, you know? In the hard times reefers could haul cardboard paper if they had to, but right now we can’t haul cookie dough.”Corder said unlike some companies that innovated most during COVID-19, Wayne Smith Trucking has gained the most over the past couple of years when revenue was at a premium, forcing the company to look for greater efficiency. “As a company we have learned more in the last two years of hardship. We looked inside, we found the holes, we found the leaks,” he said. “We did some good things during COVID; we built a warehouse, we bought some commercial property, started a paint and body shop. We’ve got all those on their feet and fully self-supporting, but I think the real learning point has been to pay attention to the pennies.”Another weapon in the company’s profitability arsenal has been its longtime membership in the Arkansas Trucking Association where Corder sits on the board of directors and is also on the board of the self-insurance program. He said from programs such as the North American Transportation Management Institution audits to the insurance dividends rewarding safe companies to simply having the chance to network, ATA membership has been a big part of Wayne Smith Trucking’s success.“Just being at conventions and being in the room with some of the big guys in our industry has been great,” he said. “I was at an ATA board meeting, and JB Hunt, Maverick, all of those guys were in there, and I’m sitting there listening. Plus it’s a good give and take; I’ve never felt like the big companies called all the shots and the little companies just sat there and didn’t say anything or that nobody would listen to me.”The benefits of membership extend to the statehouse, and Corder pointed to some pressing issues facing the industry that are headlining the ATA board’s agenda.“Tort reform is one of the big ones, given the lawsuits that we’ve got as an industry,” he said. “There’s also a lot of industry cleanup that has to happen regarding non-domiciled drivers, nonEnglish-speaking drivers. The board has been very concerned about that issue as well.”Meanwhile, outside his window, the sun is starting to set in the late afternoon sky. A short jaunt down an access road leads straight to the interstate where trucks glide by carrying paper, ice cream, pet food, and who-knows-whatelse, headed both east and west. It is an industry in a constant state of change, yet reassuringly straightforward as carriers strive to deliver goods safely and on time, just as Wayne Smith Trucking has done for half a century and will continue for half a century to come if ownership has anything to say about it. “You know one thing that’s bad about being in a small town is that everybody talks and rumors get started,” Corder said. “We’ve supposedly been sold seven times since Wayne passed, just because at the local coffee shop they seem to know more about our business than we do. We recently traded 30 old trailers for 30 new trailers, and we had the old ones stacked out by the highway. We must have got 10 calls from people, ‘Are y’all going out of business?’ It was just the rumor mill.“The fact is, we’re still a family deal, and we’re not going anywhere. We have a great reputation around here from being active in the community, sponsoring baseball teams, softball teams, the high school. That’s another thing Wayne believed in and did the whole time he was in business. And now our son works here; he’s 29 and he started out in the shop busting tires at 14 or 15. Just like Wayne took me under his wing and taught me every aspect of the company so I knew everything about every job, that’s what I’m doing with him. He’s my retirement plan.” ATR“THE FACT IS, WE’RE STILL A FAMILY DEAL, AND WE’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE.”—NEIL CORDERARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 33
Relief Now, Uncertainty AheadTrucking reacts to EPA’s historic rollbackBy Dana CaldwellContributing WriterOn February 12, the EPA’s 2009 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Endangerment Finding was formally rescinded. That finding under the Clean Air Act determined the gases “endanger public health and welfare,” triggering the EPA’s need to regulate GHG emissions from motor vehicles.In essence, it was an electric vehicle mandate that could have eventually all but stopped the trucking industry in its tracks.EPA officials said in a news release that the new ruling eliminates not only the GHG Endangerment Finding but also subsequent GHG standards for model years 2012–2027 and beyond will save taxpayers more than $1.3 trillion.It also may have saved trucking.“The mandates went too far, too fast, and left us unable to do our jobs,” said Patrick Kelly, the American Trucking Associations’ vice president of energy & environmental affairs. “We’re appreciative of this administration, this EPA’s actions, to inject reality back into the standards that are set for the trucking industry.”The sticking point?Congress did not vote for the climate mandates inside Section 202 of the Clean Air Act, which was signed into law in 1963 to control air pollution.Current EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who initially proposed rescinding the finding back in July after Trump asked him to begin compiling ammo against it in December, stated in a release:“Referred to by some as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the ‘climate change religion,’ the Endangerment Finding is now eliminated. I am proud to deliver the single largest deregulatory action in US history on behalf of the American People.”This move from basically mandating electric light, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles seemed to happen lightning fast. There was a need to hurry, Kelly said, to get these changes made during Trump’s administration.34 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
“I mean it’s amazing how fast they got this rule done, and I know it took a lot of effort from EPA’s staff to get it across the goal-line,” Kelly said.The controversial move dates to March 2024, when the EPA announced the final of three GHG phases that set stronger standards to reduce GHG emissions from heavy-duty vehicles beginning in the model year 2027.Phases 1 and 2 “were done in collaboration with the industry,” Kelly said. “They had the support of the industry. The industry was engaged. And I don’t just mean fleets – I mean manufacturers and broad stakeholder group discussions that happened jointly with the Department of Transportation for its authority to regulate fuel economy together with EPA’s authority to regulate tailpipe GHGs – because obviously that’s two sides of the same coin.“The Phase 3 rule was an ideological diversion from the process that had been established in Phase 1 and Phase 2. The EPA did not develop that rule in conjunction with the Department of Transportation. They went at it alone.“We support improved fuel economy, but the Phase 3 rules that were put in place by the Biden Administration did not encourage more efficient internal-combustion engines. They used that authority as a backdoor means to mandate electric trucks.”Kelly, whose role is handling all policy around emissions regulations and EPA interactions on behalf of the ATA for just over a year, has lived in Washington, D.C., since 2005 and has since been heavily engaged in the policy realm, prioritizing this issue.Kelly encouraged EPA officials prior to the proposal to reverse the 2009 Endangerment Finding. He responded in comments to the proposal. He reached out to representatives of the Trump Administration between the proposal and final decision and has expressed his appreciation of the about-face.THE BACKSTORYIn 2009, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced existing and projected future concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere were a danger to humans via the Endangerment Finding Study. Research showed concentrations of six key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)—were harmful.In response, the Obama Administration’s EPA rolled out tighter emission regulations for new vehicles and powertrains.Those standards were adopted to accelerate the use of low- and zeroemission technologies like electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.THE CURRENT CHALLENGES OF ELECTRIC HEAVY-DUTY TRUCKINGIt’s not that Kelly or the ATA have anything against electric vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks.Quite the contrary.“It’s a very interesting technology, it’s very neat,” Kelly said. “I don’t want to sound like I am denigrating electric trucks in any way, shape, or form because it’s a very exciting technology for a driver. All that torque is great for going up hills.“But it doesn’t meet the operational needs of the industry. The rules that were put in place by the Biden Administration required the use of zeroemission vehicles, and we just don’t have the ability to produce either hydrogen or electric trucks at the scale that was required by the mandates.”Although it’s way too soon to go all-electric, Kelly said there are limited examples of when electric trucks might make sense at the moment.Some operations with central recharging or fueling locations that have trucks sitting overnight or for a shift to charge makes some sense.Perhaps some coast-to-coast runs that include lots of downtime would be a fit, assuming there are enough charging stations along the way.“That’s great, and we don’t want to stand in the way of that whatsoever,” Kelly said. “But a mandate that forces that transition is unrealistic.“It was premature and disruptive to the trucking industry.”There are predictions that this will change by 2040, but currently electric trucks are generally much more expensive. A fully-decked diesel sleeper is around $200,000; the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 electric truck is $450,000, for example.“The real-world result of the electric vehicle mandate would be to keep older trucks on the road longer, because when the market cannot adopt the new technology and the internal combustion technology is no longer available in the marketplace, people are just going to keep running the older trucks in order to continue their operations,” Kelly said.“At the end of the day, that will have a negative consequence on emissions. We want to see newer, safer trucks on the road and lower emitting trucks on the road, and the Phase 3 program as it was finalized would have this unintended consequence of keeping “THE MANDATES WENT TOO FAR, TOO FAST, AND LEFT US UNABLE TO DO OUR JOBS.” —PATRICK KELLY, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONSARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 35
older trucks on the road longer because [electric trucking] was such an unaffordable technology. We don’t think the EPA ever properly accounted for that unintended consequence when doing its Cost Benefit Analysis.“It’s something they really should have considered.”And, let’s not forget infrastructure.First, there is not nearly enough of it for charging the nation’s trucking fleets. Second, even if enough charging stations were in place, the electric grid is not equipped to supply all that power.So, practically speaking, Biden’s EPA likely was churning toward a dead-end on all of that.“Totally impractical and really needed to go,” Kelly said.QUESTION OF AUTHORITYDetractors of the Biden-era EPA said it didn’t have the actual authority to regulate GHG emissions without the backing of Congress.“I agree with that,” Kelly said. “The [current EPA] is correct in stating that Congress never provided that explicit authority to regulate vehicle GHG emissions. Congress did give authority to the Department of Transportation to regulate fuel economy for light-duty and heavy-duty. But the Clean Air Act as it was written back in 1970 and amended in 1990, doesn’t provide that clear authority to the agency to regulate greenhouse gases.“It absolutely provides the authority to regulate criteria pollutant emissions, which is particular matter … NOx, zone, lead, all of the pollutants that have direct health and welfare outcomes.”The ATA is totally on board with that.While this new rollback is focused on vehicles, its impact likely will be felt among multiple sectors as it changes the foundation of GHG regulations. It likely limits the EPA’s ability to impose future GHG performance standards unless authorized by Congress.Of course, another administration’s EPA also could reverse all of this.The non-GHG portions of the Clean Air Act remain firmly in place.NO HOAXTrump has questioned the need for concern over greenhouse gas.Kelly disagreed.He said the ATA is a “big supporter” of the EPA’s voluntary Smartway Program that was introduced in 2004 to reduce emissions and boost fuel economy. The program works with shippers, logistics companies, and carriers to track and improve sustainability.According to the EPA, Smartway partners have saved 397 million barrels of oil and $55.4 billion in fuel costs.The program also has helped to avoid some 170 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.“We’re of the position that we support ways to reduce our carbon impact,” Kelly said. “We support increased use of renewable diesel, renewable natural gas.“There are a lot of new technologies that are coming online to reduce our carbon impact, and those are good things.”CHALLENGES TO THIS CHANGEEnvironmental groups, of course, are not exactly thrilled with the EPA’s reversal of the GHG Endangerment Finding.They insist the climate science has not changed, so the finding should not have been.In fact, by February 18, just four business days after the announcement of the reversal, 18 youth represented by the legal non-profit Our Children’s Trust informed the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that the revocation of the finding violates their constitutional rights to life. That same day, a coalition of conservative and public health groups like the Sierra Club led by the American Public Health Association also petitioned the court.WHAT THE CHALLENGERS ARE ARGUINGThe legal challenges to the EPA’s reversal of the Endangerment Finding aren’t simply about climate politics – they rest on specific legal and constitutional arguments that the trucking industry will want to monitor.The core argument from environmental petitioners is that the original 2009 finding was grounded in scientific consensus that hasn’t changed, and that reversing a scientific determination for political reasons exceeds the EPA’s authority just as much as the agency overreaching in the other direction. In other words, both sides are essentially arguing the EPA acted beyond its mandate—just from opposite ends.The youth plaintiffs represented by Our Children’s Trust are pursuing a constitutional angle, arguing the rollback violates their fundamental rights “THE PHASE 3 RULE WAS AN IDEOLOGICAL DIVERSION FROM THE PROCESS THAT HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED IN PHASE 1 AND PHASE 2.”—PATRICK KELLY, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS36 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
For advertising information, contact Kelly Fortune at (501) 372-3462 or [email protected] BurchKevin BurchPresident, Jet Express, Inc.Past Chairman, ATAPast Chairman, TCA“Spot On!”“I want to let everyone know that the articles in the Arkansas Trucking Reportare spot on! The photos and in-depth coverage are excellent. You get it and it shows! Keep up the good work that you do for our industry!”
to life and a stable climate. This is a longer-shot argument legally, but it’s the kind of case the Supreme Court tends to eventually weigh in on.Perhaps most practically relevant to trucking: if courts rule the rescission was procedurally flawed, meaning the EPA didn’t follow proper rulemaking process regardless of the underlying merits, Phase 3 standards could theoretically be reinstated. Kelly himself acknowledged this is unlikely to happen quickly, but it’s a scenario worth watching.The litigation is expected to play out over two to four years, giving the industry a reasonable runway regardless of the outcome.The EPA has declined to comment on pending litigation.Kelly figured the District of Columbia cases will take about a year to resolve.Like others, he expects this to end up in the Supreme Court, where it “could take a couple of years to fully play out.”“I think the EPA has a strong case,” Kelly said. “At the end of the day, the Phase 3 rules are gone, and if the EPA were to lose this case, it would be impossible for them to snap it back into place.“There’s an interesting quote…Congress doesn’t hide elephants in mouse holes. And that’s essentially what the EPA was doing…interpreting this broad authority to ban internal combustion-powered vehicles based on what it was inferring through its Clean Air Act authority.”“So, we’re not too concerned about the near-term litigation.”He has a different perspective, however, when it comes to the long term.The Obama administration initiated the regulatory framework. The Biden administration expanded it significantly. The Trump administration reversed course entirely.“We are concerned about the longer term because you can see how widely we’ve swung from one administration to the next,” Kelly said. “Honestly, that’s an issue for just about any industry in America. The pendulum swings farther and farther from each administration.” ATRAllAccess Pass!Workers’ Comp Coverage Now Available to All ATA MembersMembers of the ATA SIF have received over $34 million in dividends since 1993. Our members receive competitive pricing, personalized safety training and claims cost control, reducing a company’s overall costs and improving safety performance. Contact ATA at 501-372-3462 to learn more. For the first time, every member of the ATA, both carrier and allied, has a backstage pass to the exceptional benefits offered by the Arkansas Trucking Association’s Self Insurers’ Fund.“WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE LONGER TERM BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE HOW WIDELY WE’VE SWUNG FROM ONE ADMINISTRATION TO THE NEXT.” —PATRICK KELLY, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS, AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS38 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
Arkansas Trucking Association is awarding scholarships for graduating high school seniors who will be attending a truck technician medium and heavy duty program at an Arkansas institution. Technicians are responsible for ensuring the equipment that moves our economy are safe, efficient and dependable. Truck technicians inspect, diagnose and perform routine maintenance and repair of any equipment with a hybrid, electric, LNG, CNG or diesel engine. The industry is facing a shortage of technicians, and unlike some careers, this is not a job that can be exported overseas. If you’re considering a technical career in maintaining the trucks and trailers of the future, visit https://www.arkansastrucking.com/scholarship for more information. Build your future like a well-oiled machine APPLICATION DEADLINE ISAPRIL 17
By Doug MarcelloGuest WriterIntegrity is the bedrock of any industry. Without it, public trust erodes, competitive fairness collapses, and the people who follow the rules get punished while those who don’t reap rewards. For America’s trucking industry, the backbone of our national supply chain, that erosion is happening right now, and the men and women who have devoted their careers to professional, safe, compliant operations are paying the price.The Trucking Association Executives Council (TAEC) has responded with a comprehensive, seven-point action plan targeting the specific vulnerabilities that bad actors exploit to operate illegally, undercut legitimate carriers, and expose the public to unnecessary risk. What makes this initiative remarkable is not just its scope, it’s the immediacy. These are not aspirational policy proposals waiting for congressional action; they are reforms that can be implemented using existing resources, existing data, and existing regulatory frameworks. The industry does not need to wait. It needs to act.The TAEC coalition brings extraordinary credibility to this effort. These Trucking’s War on Bad ActorsThe TAEC Seven-Point Blueprint for Industry Integrity to eliminate fraud, restore fair competition, and protect drivers40 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
are the people closest to the grassroots of the industry, the companies and their drivers. Its members represent a combined 521 years of individual experience in trucking association leadership, with their organizations collectively accumulating 4,825 years of industry service breaks down to an average institutional age of 87 years per association. When these leaders speak in unison, the industry should listen. When they call for action, government agencies and supply chain partners have every reason to respond.Here is what they are calling for, and why it matters.1. CDL INTEGRITY: CLOSING THE CRACKS IN THE FOUNDATIONThe commercial driver’s license (CDL) is the fundamental credential that certifies 5.3 million drivers are qualified to safely operate commercial motor vehicles on American roads. But that system has dangerous gaps. Fraud cases have documented licenses being issued without proper qualifications. Federal and state databases operate in silos, allowing disqualified drivers to obtain CDLs in other states undetected. Entry Level Driver Training (ELDT) programs, truck driving schools, and CDL testers lack any standardized quality analysis of the drivers they certify.TAEC calls for three concrete reforms: First, it would connect currently standalone state CDL systems so that cross-state fraud is impossible, mirroring the national databases already in place for drug and alcohol testing and roadside violations. Second, the TAEC would attach ELDT provider, driving school, and examiner data to individual CDL records so that training quality can be objectively measured, modeled after the existing national medical examiner database. It would be a data-driven identification of failed training.Third, it would track the timeline from ELDT through permit, testing, and CDL issuance to flag suspicious fasttracking that signals fraud. This would eliminate “fast-tracking” at the expense of competence and qualification.These are not complex bureaucratic overhauls. They are data integration projects. The information largely exists, it simply needs to be connected.2. MCMIS OVERHAUL: FROM 90% BLIND SPOT TO FULL VISIBILITYPerhaps the most alarming statistic in the TAEC report is this: 90 percent of trucking carriers in the United States have never been rated for safety. The Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), the federal database that is supposed to track carrier safety, relies on onsite reviews by chronically understaffed agencies. Making matters worse, sophisticated bad actors have learned to game even this inadequate system. So-called “chameleon carriers” shut down operations and reopen under new names and DOT identification numbers to escape poor safety records. TAEC’s solution is AI-powered data integration. Implementing a proposed Safety Management System to rate 100 percent of carriers through data analytics, rather than limited onsite reviews, would transform the landscape. Pairing that with a VIN-based tracking system that connects every truck to its actual carrier, cross-referenced against reporting data to close the shell game that the chameleon carriers currently exploit. AI analysis of VIN patterns in new entrant applications would flag suspicious vehicle transfers before dangerous operators can reset their records.Same truck inspected? Different carriers? Red flag!Moving from a 90 percent blind spot to 100 percent carrier visibility is not just smart policy but is a life-saving necessity that the technology now makes achievable.3. CROSS-BORDER INTEGRITY: ALIGNING VISAS WITH DRIVING STANDARDSCross-border trucking under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) moves critical freight, but visa loopholes and inconsistent enforcement create gaps, safety risks, and unfair compliance burdens for U.S. carriers. The specific problem centers on B1 visa holders – Mexican and Canadian drivers who currently operate outside the framework that governs other visa categories, with no standardized English Language Proficiency testing at U.S. consulates before they are authorized to drive.The current system creates a cascade of problems. Drivers authorized only for Border Trade Zone (BTZ) operations can move beyond the zone without proper authorization or language proficiency verification. Meanwhile, U.S. carriers face four-point CSA penalties for ELP violations committed by drivers legally operating under drayage agreements with Mexican carriers, penalizing American companies for a regulatory gap they did not create.TAEC builds on this progress with targeted reforms: creating a truckingspecific B1 visa stamp indicating I-94 THESE ARE NOT COMPLEX BUREAUCRATIC OVERHAULS. THEY ARE DATA INTEGRATION PROJECTS. THE INFORMATION LARGELY EXISTS, IT SIMPLY NEEDS TO BE CONNECTED.42 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
eligibility, moving ELP testing to U.S. Customs so that zone-limited drivers cannot obtain authorization for outside-zone operations, and assigning zero-point CSA violations for ELP failures within the BTZ where drop-andhook operations do not require English proficiency.The goal is simple: align immigration authorization with commercial driving standards, protect highway safety, and ensure that U.S. carriers are not penalized for legal USMCA operations.4. NON-DOMICILED CDL REFORM: OVERSIGHT WITHOUT LOOPHOLESRecent federal investigations have revealed widespread abuse in the issuance of CDLs to foreign nationals. This has resulted in widespread abuse, training failures, data gaps, and public safety risks.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is taking action to address these deficiencies, including audits of state programs, new requirements, and revocation powers.Building on the momentum of recent enforcement actions, TAEC calls for systematic reform that makes consistent oversight the rule rather than the exception. This reformation would include state reporting of non-domiciled CDL numbers, expanding FMCSA audits to penalize non-conforming states, upgrading entry-level training for those with such licenses, and establishing a federally monitored database to track issuance and renewal across states. In other words, the industry needs to establish Integrity in the nondomiciled CDL program and protect the motoring public. Today.5. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: A SAFETY IMPERATIVE, NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENTFMCSA data documents approximately 150,000 commercial drivers currently operating without adequate English language proficiency. The safety consequences are not theoretical. Road signs are misunderstood. Variable message board warnings during traffic incidents go uncomprehended. Roadside inspectors report communication breakdowns during safety checks. At traffic queues, where clear communication is most critical and where the worst accidents occur, language barriers can be fatal.Current CDL requirements have failed to ensure adequate language proficiency, and the consequences fall on every driver who shares the road with a commercial vehicle whose operator cannot understand basic safety communications. Roadside inspectors are burdened with determining the language proficiency of those permitted to test in a multitude of languages.We need to “language-fence” the industry at the point of entry for the safety and security of enforcement and the motoring public.TAEC calls for mandatory English proficiency standards at CDL entry, covering written exams, practical exam comprehension, road sign recognition, and verbal communication assessment, along with return-to-duty verification requirements and escalating penalties for violations that apply to both driver and employing company. English proficiency is not about discrimination. It is about safety. Clear communication saves lives, and CDL standards must reflect that reality.6. COMBATING TRUCKING FRAUD: TECHNOLOGY AGAINST THE SCAMMERSThe digitization of freight brokerage has created new vectors for fraud that current regulatory structures are not equipped to address. Bad actors are exploiting weak oversight through increasingly sophisticated schemes: double brokering, where fraudsters pose as carriers to book loads and then secretly re-broker the freight while pocketing the margin and leaving real drivers unpaid; identity theft of legitimate carrier credentials to steal cargo or demand ransom; nonpayment schemes where brokers collect shipper fees and disappear; and fake load postings designed to extract upfront “fuel” or “clearance” payments.FMCSA itself has acknowledged an association between unauthorized brokerage and carriers with poorer safety performance, particularly those lacking verifiable business addresses and proper safety management programs. The current $75,000 broker bond minimum is inadequate given the value of loads being handled in the modern market.The TAEC solution combines tougher entry requirements for brokers that match the vetting standards applied to motor carriers, higher financial bonds that reflect the actual value at risk, and AI-powered detection systems that scan broker databases for suspicious patterns THE CURRENT $75,000 BROKER BOND MINIMUM IS INADEQUATE GIVEN THE VALUE OF LOADS BEING HANDLED IN THE MODERN MARKETARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 43
like duplicate addresses, shell company structures, and behavioral anomalies that indicate fraud.Protecting legitimate carriers from fraud is not only a matter of financial fairness—it is a safety issue. When fraudulent operators infiltrate the system, the carriers they displace are often those with the strongest safety cultures.7. ELECTRONIC LOG INTEGRITY: ENDING HOURS-OF-SERVICE MANIPULATIONElectronic logging devices were mandated precisely to create an objective, tamper-resistant record of driver hours and to prevent the fatigued driving that has caused catastrophic accidents. To provide Integrity for an hours-of-service regulation that were fraught with abuse and public suspicion.But manipulation of ELD records has emerged as a significant problem undermining integrity, allowing unscrupulous operators to falsify hours, gain competitive advantages by running drivers beyond legal limits, and expose the public to preventable fatigue-related crashes.TAEC’s call to end ELD manipulation closes the loop on the broader integrity agenda like third party approval, not self-certification; tamper resistant documentation; decertification upon substantiated complaints; and routine and continuing audits.ELD integrity is vital to eliminate the stereotype of the unrestrained trucker endlessly driving for financial gain. It is the level playing field for competitive fairness.Every reform in this seven-point plan is ultimately about ensuring that the data driving safety decisions is accurate, complete, and impossible to falsify. When safety systems depend on data integrity, data integrity becomes a safety issue.WHY THIS MATTERS: THE CASE FOR ACTION NOWAmerica’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned businesses, independent owner-operators, and professional drivers who play by the rules. The 3.5 million professional truck drivers who deliver the needs and wants of America every day deserve a regulatory environment that protects their integrity and rewards their commitment to safety. The American public, which shares roads with commercial vehicles, deserves the assurance that every driver behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound vehicle has been properly qualified, properly trained, can communicate in English, and is operating within legal hours on properly maintained equipment.From a defense perspective, the TAEC agenda also carries significant litigation implications. The nuclear verdict crisis that has devastated trucking companies and their insurers feeds on the perception that the industry tolerates bad actors. Every CDL fraud case, every Chameleon Carrier, every ELD manipulation, and every unqualified driver becomes ammunition for plaintiff attorneys seeking to argue that negligent hiring, training, and supervision practices are systemic rather than isolated. Cleaning up the industry is not just good ethics, it is a good defense strategy.The TAEC blueprint is not bureaucratic wish-fulfillment. It is a pragmatic, technology-driven, immediately actionable agenda built by people who have spent a combined century in this industry. It leverages existing data more effectively. It deploys AI tools that already exist. It closes gaps that everyone already knows are there. What it requires is the will to act – from federal agencies, from state regulators, from supply chain partners, and from the industry itself.THE BOTTOM LINEWhen legitimate operators invest in safety, training, and compliance but compete against rule-breakers who manipulate systems, exploit loopholes, and falsify records, everyone loses. Drivers lose. Carriers lose. Shippers lose. And the American public loses.The TAEC seven-point program for trucking integrity offers a blueprint to reverse that equation. It represents unprecedented solidarity among state trucking associations, organizations with an average of 87 years of institutional history signaling, in unison, that the industry is determined to eliminate bad actors and restore competitive fairness.Integrity is the bedrock. This is how we rebuild it. ATRRead the full report at www.truckingresurgence.comAbout TAEC: The Trucking Association Executives Council comprises state and industry association executives from across the United States, dedicated to promoting trucking and improving organizations established to serve the industry.THE TAEC BLUEPRINT IS NOT BUREAUCRATIC WISHFULFILLMENT. IT IS A PRAGMATIC, TECHNOLOGYDRIVEN, IMMEDIATELY ACTIONABLE AGENDA BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPENT A COMBINED CENTURY IN THIS INDUSTRY. 44 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
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Don’t Miss Out on Education, Connecting, Entertainment & Fun!See You Soon!46 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT
TO REGISTER, GO TO 2026 Featured Speakers ARKANSASTRUCKING.COMATRI Ops Cost PanelJOHN CULPMAVERICK TRANSPORTATIONGEORGE HENRYUSA TRUCKREBECCA BREWSTERAMERICAN TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH INSTITUTESCHEDULE OF EVENTSMonday, April 2711:00 am ATA PAC Golf (Chenal Country Club)5:00 pm Welcome ReceptionTuesday, April 288:00 am Welcome Reception8:30 am Lattes with Law Enforcement10:00 am General Session and Forums4:00 pm Chairman’s Reception5:00 pm Gold Sponsor ReceptionTuesday, April 287:30 am Silver Spoon Breakfast9:00 am Forums Resume12:00 pm Awards & Recognition Luncheon1:00 pm Closing RemarksARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 47
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STAT VIEWATRATA Year in ReviewMEMBERSHIPADVOCACY EDUCATION AND EVENTSPROMOTIONSREVENUEDrivers Legal PlanDrivers Legal PlanTotal Members in 2025 New Members in 20253391,202,50015,0004567 1181431658 $81,47160 $54,650760Billboard ImpressionsMeeting with State Lawmakers Business ConferenceCouncil MeetingsSafety SummitRoad Team AppearancesNATMI Training CoursesSafety Service VisitsTraining3%PAC Dollars RaisedPAC Contributions to CandidatesPieces of Legislation TrackedBills Supported that PassedMagazine IssuesBills Opposed that PassedSocial Media FollowersReaders12,3904,992 3,398 3,513 487ISSUES OF SIGNIFICANCETort Reform Cargo Theft/Freight FraudTowing Reform Professional Driver StandardsGrants & Programs27%309 Attendees455 Attendees27 Attendees99 AttendeesDuesEvents 24%26%Other11%Publications9%ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT | Issue 1 2026 49
THE LAST WORDOpinions expressed on this page may not reflect official policies or opinions of the Arkansas Trucking Association or the American Trucking Associations.Work that Matters By Jared D. Wiley, Director, Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT)As the weather begins to warm each spring, road construction and maintenance heats up also. Hundreds of highway construction workers return to their roadside offices this spring to support the three million Arkansans and countless others who depend on the highway system.During this season, groups nationwide seek to raise awareness about the inherent dangers that roadway workers endure. These men and women support their families by building infrastructure that the traveling public relies upon. In a twisted irony, the traveling public is the biggest threat to road workers’ ability to return home to their loved ones each day.I have been proud to watch our safety efforts grow through the past several years. Shannon Newton and the Arkansas Trucking Association were on board from the beginning. The Trucking Association understands the importance of work zone safety, because highways are the truckers’ work zones and they are keenly aware of the challenges and dangers that distracted and unsafe driving bring. Arkansas State Police and their Highway Safety Office work alongside ARDOT and Arkansas Highway Police to educate the public and enforce safety laws. Collaborations yielded campaigns that correlate to a reduction in work zone crashes over the past several years. ARDOT’s current campaign, Slow Down, Phone Down, will wrap up this summer with hard hitting messages from real people who were impacted by work zone incidents.ARDOT’s new Street Smart curriculum, developed in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education, seeks to educate our youth about roadway safety before they ever get behind the wheel. Street Smart will continue to grow in 2026, tackling topics ranging from work zone safety, impaired driving, and commercial motor vehicle blind spots. I encourage you to check out the material at streetsmartar.org, but more importantly, I implore you to share it with the people in your life. Collaboration with industry partners like Associated General Contractors of Arkansas, Arkansas Asphalt Pavement Association, and American Concrete Pavement Association Oklahoma/Arkansas Chapter has never been stronger. Partnering meetings with these groups lead to changes to operating procedures in work zones that improve efficiency and safety for all users.Our efforts grew further in 2025 with legislation passed to enhance safety for road workers. We expanded the use of green lights on work vehicles, fines doubled in mobile work zones, and work zone information is included in the driver’s manual and on the test. I am thankful to our state legislators who saw the need for and supported these important and impactful efforts.I am also thankful for Speaker Evans’ leadership in this space. He is a strong advocate for the transportation industry and draws on his experience and his office to amplify the message. His vision for a new campaign to raise awareness about the importance of moving over for all roadway workers and emergency responders is expected to roll out late this summer.National Work Zone Awareness Week is April 20-24 this year. ARDOT and industry partners will spend a considerable effort that week creating content, doing interviews, and raising awareness about this important topic. While we will amplify our efforts during this awareness week, work zone safety is top of mind year-round. The future is strong for transportation in Arkansas as long as we remain committed to communicating, innovating, and taking action. This work must be done. This work matters.Stay safe. I’ll see you out there on our highways.50 Issue 1 2026 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT