This month brought a wave of FMCSA regulatory cleanup. Several rules that have been on the books for years are finally being retired. Alongside those housekeeping changes are a few stories with bigger implications: a new bill targeting foreign ELD manipulation, a Texas court ruling that narrows shipper liability, and a significant enforcement crackdown at the southern border.
Here’s what matters and what you need to do about it.
GHOSTRUCK Act: Closing the Foreign ELD Tampering Loophole
Two U.S. Representatives have introduced the Guarding Hours-of-Service Oversight and Stopping Tampering by Remote Unofficial Carrier Keeper Act — the GHOSTRUCK Act — to address a documented vulnerability in the ELD system.
The bill would require that any edits or annotations to an ELD record be made only by an employee or authorized agent of the motor carrier, and that person must be physically located in North America. The target: foreign-based dispatchers who have been manipulating HOS records remotely.
The bill hasn’t passed yet, but its introduction signals that Congress is paying attention to ELD integrity. Carriers who rely on offshore dispatch operations should take note — this is the direction enforcement is heading.
Texas Court Narrows Shipper Liability for Carrier Negligence
One month after the U.S. Supreme Court expanded freight broker liability in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport, the Texas Supreme Court pushed back on the shipper side.
In In Re: Home Depot U.S.A. Inc., a suit was filed against a retailer after a fatal collision involving a tractor-trailer it had hired. Plaintiffs alleged the retailer should have known the trucking company hired reckless drivers. The Texas Supreme Court held that Texas law does not impose a duty of care on a passive shipper in these circumstances, and because the retailer did not create or control the risk, the claims had no legal basis.
Taken together, the two rulings draw a clearer line: brokers who actively select carriers face new exposure; shippers who passively hire a carrier without exercising operational control have more protection. The distinction is in how much involvement a party has in carrier selection and oversight.
Smuggler’s Notch Fines Increase Tenfold in Vermont
Vermont Governor signed S.326 into law, effective July 1, 2026, dramatically increasing penalties for prohibited vehicles traveling through Smuggler’s Notch.
- Fine for traveling through the Notch: $1,000 → $10,000
- Fine if a truck becomes stuck: $2,000 → $20,000
- Fine assessed to the motor carrier if a company vehicle; to the driver if operating for personal purposes
Action item: If any of your routes come near this corridor, update your route guidance now. The fines are severe enough that one incident will get attention from the top.
Texas CDL Knowledge Tests Now English-Only
The Texas Department of Public Safety announced that, beginning June 1, 2026, all CDL and CLP knowledge exams will be administered exclusively in English. Interpreters are no longer permitted.
This aligns with FMCSA’s English language proficiency requirements and reflects the broader enforcement trend covered in last month’s briefing. If you recruit drivers who tested in Texas before this change, no action is needed. But this affects hiring pipelines going forward.
Cabotage Crackdown at the Southern Border
DOT and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are actively sharing telematics, inspection, and compliance data to identify Mexican drivers hauling freight between two domestic U.S. points — which is prohibited under federal law.
The crackdown has resulted in hundreds to potentially thousands of drivers being blocked from crossing into the U.S., with some facing immediate visa revocations.
Action item: If you operate cross-border routes, make sure every trip’s documentation clearly reflects its international nature. All compliance paperwork must be in order and retained as required. A messy paper trail is now a visa-revocation risk.
FMCSA Rolls Back Three Outdated Requirements
Three final rules take effect July 22 that reduce administrative burden without changing safety requirements. Each one eliminates a rule that became redundant or operationally unnecessary.
1. ELD Operator Manual No Longer Required in the Cab
FMCSA has rescinded the requirement for CMVs to carry a copy of the ELD operator’s manual. Drivers must still understand how to operate the ELD and be able to present required data during an inspection — the manual itself just doesn’t need to be physically present.
Note: this applies while operating in the U.S. Drivers crossing into Canada or Mexico remain subject to those countries’ rules.
Effective: July 22, 2026. Manuals should remain in vehicles until that date.
2. Roadside Inspection Report Return Requirement Eliminated
Carriers no longer need to sign and return a completed roadside inspection report to the issuing state agency — unless that state specifically requires it. Check whether any states you regularly operate in have their own requirements before assuming this applies universally.
Effective: July 22, 2026
3. CDL Self-Reporting of Traffic Violations Removed
CDL holders are no longer required to self-report motor vehicle violations to their domicile state. This requirement became obsolete when states implemented electronic information sharing in 2024. The data is already being exchanged automatically.
Effective: July 22, 2026
HOS Waiver for Fertilizer Haulers
FMCSA has issued a temporary hours-of-service waiver for motor carriers transporting straight or blended fertilizer products in 36 eligible states. The waiver runs May 26 through August 26, 2026.
Key conditions of the waiver:
- Maximum of 16 hours of drive time in any 24-hour period
- Minimum 6 consecutive hours off in a sleeper berth, or 8 hours if not in a sleeper berth
- When transitioning to non-eligible loads, a standard 10-hour break is required
- Hazmat placarded loads are not eligible
- Drivers who don’t normally use an ELD must use paper logs with supporting documents
Verify that your state is on the eligible list before applying the waiver. Operating under it in an ineligible state is a compliance violation.
Revoked ELD — Act Now if Affected
FMCSA revoked one ELD this month. Carriers using the affected device must immediately revert to paper logs or compliant logging software for HOS recording and have until August 23 to replace it with a device from the FMCSA Registered Devices list.
Action item: Check the FMCSA ELD News and Events page to confirm whether your device is affected. Sixty days goes fast.
USDOT Number Deactivations Temporarily Suspended
FMCSA has paused USDOT number deactivations due to issues with the MOTUS system affecting mandatory two-year updates filed since June 1. The agency is working to stabilize the system and has committed to sharing additional guidance.
If you’ve been trying to file a biennial update and encountered MOTUS problems, document your attempts. The suspension provides temporary relief, but the underlying filing requirement hasn’t changed.
Non-CDL Drug and Alcohol Testing Under Review
FMCSA has announced its intent to collect information on how carriers prevent and enforce substance use policies for non-CDL CMV drivers. This is a data-gathering step before any rulemaking, but it signals the agency is looking at a gap in the current framework.
Comments are due August 21, 2026. If your fleet includes non-CDL CMV drivers and you have a program in place — or concerns about what a future rule might require — this is the time to weigh in.
Drug and Alcohol Testing: Collection Procedure Guidelines Updated
DOT’s Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance (ODAPC) has updated its Urine Collection Specimen Procedures Guidelines to reflect the final rule that took effect June 10, 2026, and Executive Order 14168.
Key changes include a new section covering oral fluid collections, updated directly observed collection procedures, and clarified urine collector training requirements. If your third-party administrators or collection sites haven’t updated their procedures, flag it now.
CVSA Brake Safety Week: August 23–29
CVSA’s annual Brake Safety Week runs August 23–29, with inspectors across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. focusing on brake systems and components — with specific emphasis on drums and rotors this year.
The unannounced Brake Safety Day in April found 85.7% of vehicles had no brake-related out-of-service violations. That’s a solid industry baseline, but the annual campaign will be broader in scope. Get inspections done before the end of August, not after.
Autonomous Vehicles: NHTSA Proposes Updated Safety Standards
NHTSA filed a proposed rule to update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 135 — specifically to clarify stopping distance requirements for fully autonomous vehicles without manually operated driving controls. This rule applies to vehicles under 7,716 lbs., but it’s part of the accelerating pace of AV regulation.
Comments are due July 27, 2026, via regulations.gov (Docket NHTSA-2026-0728).
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week: September 13–19
ATA’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is set for September 13–19, 2026. Resources and branded merchandise are available on the NTDAW website and ATA Business Solutions store.
If your fleet has a recognition program, start planning now — six weeks isn’t much lead time for anything meaningful.
Upcoming Deadlines at a Glance
| Date | Item |
| July 22 | ELD operator manual requirement rescinded |
| July 22 | Roadside inspection report return requirement removed |
| July 22 | CDL self-reporting of violations rule effective |
| July 24 | ATRI driver-facing camera survey closes |
| July 27 | Comments due on NHTSA autonomous vehicle FMVSS No. 135 NPRM |
| August 21 | Comments due on FMCSA non-CDL drug & alcohol testing notice |
| August 23 | Deadline to replace revoked ELDs (60-day window) |
| August 23–29 | CVSA Annual Brake Safety Week |
| August 26 | FMCSA fertilizer hauler HOS waiver expires |
| August 31 | PHMSA low-hazard fireworks rule delayed compliance date |
| Sept. 13–19 | National Truck Driver Appreciation Week |
Lori Johnson is a compliance expert at Fleetworthy, where she monitors regulatory developments across FMCSA, DOT, CVSA, and state agencies. This briefing is published monthly to help fleet operators stay ahead of changes that affect their business.